The effectiveness of a country's leaders is best measured by examining the well-being of that country's citizens.Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position

While 20th century marked the era of Industrial revolution, the 21st century clearly marks the beginning of the Intellectual Revolution. With the technology and human intellect striving for the socio-economic and individual development of the people, the actual development itself is reflected by the development and implementation of the various policies and laws by the various countries around the world. This responsibility invariable falls in the hands of the leaders and hence I believe that, the well-being of the country’s citizens can be considered as a major index of the effectiveness of the country’s leaders.

Let us consider few examples where we can apply this index. Consider the case of North Korea and South Korea. South Korea is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world. The country readily embraced the Industrial Revolution, creating huge job opportunities, which in turn contributed towards the well-being of the citizens. Samsung and Hyundai are two companies from South Korea which are world leaders in their respective sectors. With constant reforms and policies implemented by their leaders, the country has transcended from being developing country to developed country. But in contrast, their neighbour, North Korea, which shares same geographical and cultural conditions, still remains a developing country because of lack of political and social reforms in the country.

There are many other examples where the well-being of the people can be directly related to the effectiveness of the country’s leaders. Nelson Mandela strived for socio-political Independence of the African natives in South Africa, while Martin Luther King fought for the equal rights for the African American community in USA. India won Independence in year 1947 under the effective leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. On the other hand, we have countries like Iraq and Libya where the people were oppressed under the dictatorships of Suddam Hussien and Mummar Gadaffi.

The well-being of the people in developed countries like USA, England, France, Germany, Japan, etc. can be attributed to the effective leadership in these countries under which these countries prospered as the beacons of Industrial and Intellectual Revolution and epicentres of the socio-economic and individual development.

All the above examples lead me to believe that, the well-being of the country’s citizens can be considered as a major index of the effectiveness of the country’s leaders.