ABSTRACT
The best way to understand the notion of a leader's political control is to look at three major indicators of success. The first is the extent to which they are able to take control over important and relevant events. The second fact that has an influence over authorities' control over the political environment is their attempt to take control over the flow of relevant information. The third factor that tells us something important about the control over the political environment may be the most important. Thus, a leader's ability to take control over the political environment during violent conflicts is important in both democratic and non-democratic countries. However, it is important to emphasize that this is not the only factor that has an influence on the level of media independence. Many of the protests turned violent and it was clear the government was having a great deal of trouble keeping a lid on the amount and intensity of the protests.
