A ruler determines who the heir should be, and an existing president can design his own succession.
In other words merit, vis-à-vis the relationship with the ruler, determines distribution of resources when states have developed beyond tribal organisation.
Mr. Mubarak has had health problems for years, but the flood of reports and scares in recent weeks led many Egyptians to believe that the military rulers, determined to move Mr. Mubarak from prison, were using those accounts to prepare the public for such a move.
Rajasthan, this country's arid northwestern state bordering Pakistan, gained its "land of the kings" name for having been the historic home of legendary Rajput warrior-princes noted for their dauntless defiance of Delhi's Mogul rulers, determined to die rather than submit to that alien rule.
The state rulers were, in theory, divided into five grades; in reality, the importance of a ruler was determined by the strength of his state.
With a ruler, I determined that a 6 1/8-inch vamp was too low, and a 6 7/8 vamp was just right.
In 1962 the British Political Agent noted that "Many new houses and blocks of offices and flats are being built... the Ruler is determined, against advice [from the British] to press on with the construction of a jet airport.
On the flimsiest evidence, Poland's rulers seem determined to believe that Germany is revanchist and hostile.Sticking up for national self-interest is no crime.
Sri Lanka's new rulers are determined to weaken the over-powerful "executive president" post within weeks, which in turn will mean greater clout for parliament.
He should start by acknowledging that its rulers seem determined to roll back every gain in freedom made since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
