to control people very strictly and harshly
非常严格和严厉地控制人们 (feichang yange he yanli di kongzhi renmen)
"The dictator ruled with an iron fist for twenty years."
"这位独裁者以铁腕统治了二十年。" (zhe wei ducai zhe yi tie wan tongzhi le ershi nian)
to be more successful than competitors
to draw attention to something important
in a position of leadership or control
a vote that is not yet decided and could go either way
to achieve something one has long desired
to get to the point quickly
