Editor’s note: This article has been updated as of August 3 to include comments from Judge Michael Kirby.

When discussing a dictator or a particularly egregious set of human rights abuses, there is a high likelihood that Nazi Germany will be referenced.

Discussions of North Korea are no exception.

It is typically invoked as a call to action, either to prevent one nation from attacking another or to prevent – or at least halt – a genocide.

The passage of time often reveals such comparisons to be inadequate: The comparison was maderegarding former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over his