I agree that democracy providing the theoretical mechanism for peaceful removal of bad leaders makes it a better system, but I think the distinction is more rel

I agree that democracy providing the theoretical mechanism for peaceful removal of bad leaders makes it a better system, but I think the distinction is more relevant when you're a local person deeply invested in the politics of the country which determine your family's future or as a matter of principle then when you're a foreigner looking for somewhere cheap to live (poorer democracies are generally pretty flawed and not immune to violent upheaval anyway). "Totalitarian" tends to imply pretty extreme leadership, but there are a fair few non-democracies with non-extreme leadership which are pretty safe for expats, and a fair few developing world democracies where election time ratchets up the risk of violence.