What's happening?

A young woman walked up to the climbing wall at the Asian Climbing Competition finals. She wore her hair in a pony-tail, just like most of the others competing. 

But for Elnaz Rekabi, it was a huge moment. She is from IranA country in Western Asia, officially called the Islamic Republic of Iran. It has a population of 84 million. , a country which insists all women, including sportswomen, must cover their hair. 

Yesterday, a post appeared on Rekabi's Instagram, claiming her head covering fell off accidentally. 

But many think she is an example of thousands of people worldwide who are standing up to strict rules made by leaders who rule without any say from the people. 

In the 1990s, writer Francis FukuyamaAn American political scientist best known for his argument that the whole world will one day embrace liberal democracy. wrote a famous book called The End of History. He argued that one day, every country would move to a system where the people had power, not a small group of leaders. 

Find out more

In the years afterwards, many said he was proved wrong by leaders like Vladimir Putin in RussiaThe largest country in the world by area. It has a population of 144 million people..

Now, some say these leaders are actually failing after all. They do not listen to people who tell them they are wrong and never change their minds. This, some say, is why Putin's war in UkraineA country in Eastern Europe. It was invaded by Russia in February 2022. is not going to plan.

Are the people taking charge again?

Yes! People will always choose freedom and the chance to have a say in their future. Leaders like Putin cannot stay in charge forever. 

No! Many countries have a system where the people have a say. But these systems often do not work very well.