The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Tin Pot Dictators Much has been written by many commentators including this one about democracy and dictatorships as forms of government. Citizens of western democracies consider their systems to be the best and fairest in the world with lots of freedoms Ñ free courts, free speech and freely elected officials who usually do what the voters want. This is not to say we don't have complaints and problems with systems that operate by majority votes. In Canada the federal Liberals are elected by Ontario, Quebec, and usually the Maritimes, and are normally rejected by the West, leading to western alienation and talk of western separation. In the USA, electoral districts in most states are drawn by the state legislature and usually "Gerrymandered" to get the maximum possible representation for one party at the expense of the other. This means that chances of many representatives in the U.S. Congress of being defeated are remote at best, and thus few seats are really up for grabs every two years, unless the representative retires, or dies, or the district is gerrymandered again. All in all though, people are much better off in democracies like ours than they are in some of the new "democracies" or any dictatorship. Look at Russia for example of a new, if imperfect, democracy that has received much U.S. criticism recently for backsliding on democracy and the rule of law. With only a brief democratic experiment between Czarism and Communism, the Russian people experienced few freedoms until the 1990s when the Soviet union imploded. Led since 2000 by old KGB guy Vladimir Putin, the Russian government has tightened its control on the media, abolished some elected officials, and seized control of the huge Yukos oil company. President Bush has expressed his concern to Putin, but needs his support for the War on Terror. Who knows if Russia can sustain democracy and, if not, it wouldn't be the first state to backslide into dictatorship, but would certainly be the largest and most powerful. There are a number of types of dictatorships. One is a benevolent dictatorship, usually found in the past with such as Lois XIV of France, and even Otto Von Bismarck of Germany as examples. Today, one may mention Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in this category Ñ lots of money, no taxes, full benefits for Saudis, but no political or religious liberty in his country. There are of course real oppressive dictatorships Ñ Hitler's Nazi Germany, Josef Stalin's Soviet Union, and Mao's China, plus the present Communist dictatorship under Hu Jintao. Hitler killed millions and Stalin killed more than Adolph Ñ especially his own people. China, now an economic Liberal country, is severely repressive, with a quarter million Chinese in labor camps. It also executes more people than all other nations combined, and carries out the death penalty for burglary, embezzlement, counterfeiting or killing a Panda. Most families cannot have more than one child, and the government controls all media, the Internet, and will disbar or imprison lawyers who argue too strenuously in court. It Remains a true Communist dictatorship. On the list to follow, Hue Jintao is 4th. Apart from those mentioned, most dictatorships in the world are "Tin Pot dictatorships" Ñ relatively insignificantly important countries who are normally a threat to only their own citizens. Author David Wallachinsky each year consults with human rights groups such as Amnesty International, and compiles and publishes a list of the world's 10 worst dictators plus some dishonorable mentions. His number ten this year is President Obiang Nguena of Equatorial Guinea, a tiny West African country with major oil reserves. Most oil money goes to the president, while his citizens live on $1 a day. Tortures and imprisonment are common. Ninth is 80 year-old Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, who was actually elected Prime Minister of the Former Rhodesia. He has conducted a reign of terror against the white farmers, confiscating farms and passing repressive laws. Formerly a rich agricultural nation, food now must be imported as the nation slides into poverty. Number eight is mean Niazor of Turkmenistan, who allows no dissent and controls all aspects of life with torture, detentions, disappearances and forced labor common. His picture is on all currency and his book on "Morals" is required reading. Seventh is American supporter General Musharraf of Pakistan who appointed himself President after overthrowing the elected government. He has sold nuclear technology to rogue states and allows few civil liberties. Sixth is Libya's Quaddafi (Paul Martin's friend) who has given up nuclear weapons and renounced terrorism while maintaining a brutal dictatorship at home, with few if any freedoms that we take for granted. Fifth is Abdullah of Saudi who allows no freedoms or votes for women. Third is Shan Shwe of Burma who arrests opposition members, allows no freedom of expression and uses torture, rape and murder to control ethnic minorities. In second place is the notorious and psychopathic Kim Jong II of North Korea. Spies are everywhere, disloyalty to the leader is a crime, and public executions are common. He is kept in power by a million man army and is considered a nuclear threat to the world. The 5 foot 3 inch Communist leader recently ordered all men to trim their hair to no more than 2 inches high or long Ñ 'socialist hair' no less. The country is extremely poor with thousand dying yearly of starvation. This year's leader is Sudan's Omar Al Bashir (up from 7th place last year), as his government-supported militia has carried out an ethnic and religious persecution since 1989. Thousands have been killed and there are six million displaced persons. He bombs villages and enslaves women and children Ñ a true number one. Wallechinsky's next book is titled "The World's 20 Worst living Dictators." Aren't we lucky to live in Canada and be able to complain about taxes, government mistakes, and the like?
