# What happens to deposed dictators that flee and get asylum in another country? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [December 9, 2024, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-deposed-dictators-that-flee-and-get-asylum-in-another-country/1011398 "2024-12-09T13:21:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ByrdJrHs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc79bd/32.png) [@ByrdJrHs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ByrdJrHs)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2024, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-deposed-dictators-that-flee-and-get-asylum-in-another-country/1011398/1 "2024-12-09T13:21:47Z")
Off the top of my head I can only think of Ferdinand Marcos living pretty well in Hawaii. I’m sure there are other examples. I always assumed that the country offering the asylum was at least a one time ally of the dictator. Then when the trouble starts, the one time ally sees the writing on the wall and decides that it would be best for everyone if you’d just get on this plane. Do the Russians just give Assad a nice mansion on a lake and tell him to shut up? What are some historical examples of former dictators living peacefully in another country until natural death? Or even not being treated so well. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2024, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-deposed-dictators-that-flee-and-get-asylum-in-another-country/1011398/2 "2024-12-09T13:26:26Z")
> [@ByrdJrHs](#): > > Do the Russians just give Assad a nice mansion on a lake and tell him to shut up? Assad is quite wealthy. The Russians will give him nothing except the asylum he seeks. Assad will live a very cushy life on the fortune he took from his country. As you said, the countries that supported a dictator will let them live the rest of their life in their country. That dictator likely can never leave that country though for fear of being arrested. It’s a gilded cage for them. But not a bad fate considering what they (probably) deserve. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2024, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-deposed-dictators-that-flee-and-get-asylum-in-another-country/1011398/3 "2024-12-09T13:30:14Z")
Idi Amin had a checkered history after fleeing Uganda, going to Libya and ultimately Saudi Arabia, where he was given a nice stipend to stay out of politics. But then he left without permission, flew to Zaire hoping to muster a rebel force to retake Uganda, was arrested and ultimately wound up back in Saudi Arabia where he remained peacefully until his death, reportedly eating a fruitarian diet. Maybe Putin will let Assad agitate for a return to Syria. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2024, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-deposed-dictators-that-flee-and-get-asylum-in-another-country/1011398/4 "2024-12-09T14:04:59Z")
Not sure if [Yanukovych](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Yanukovych) counts as a full-scale dictator but he is still in exile in Russia. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2024, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-deposed-dictators-that-flee-and-get-asylum-in-another-country/1011398/5 "2024-12-09T14:09:15Z")
The dictator of Haiti-- “Baby Doc” Jean Claude Duvalier-- fled to France, on a U.S. air force plane. Wiki says he lived a quiet life there for a few decades, then decided to return to Haiti. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2024, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-deposed-dictators-that-flee-and-get-asylum-in-another-country/1011398/6 "2024-12-09T14:11:40Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Assad is quite wealthy. The Russians will give him nothing except the asylum he seeks. Assad will live a very cushy life on the fortune he took from his country. He _was_ wealthy. Are we sure he still has access to his accounts? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2024, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-deposed-dictators-that-flee-and-get-asylum-in-another-country/1011398/7 "2024-12-09T14:18:52Z")
Manuel Noriega was given residences paid for by the American and French governments. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2024, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-deposed-dictators-that-flee-and-get-asylum-in-another-country/1011398/8 "2024-12-09T14:39:54Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > He _was_ wealthy. Are we sure he still has access to his accounts? I do not know but it seems Dictator-101 to secure your money no matter what happens. Assad had a lot of time to realize he was in trouble. I’d think he’d secure some soft-landings for himself should the worst happen. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2024, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-deposed-dictators-that-flee-and-get-asylum-in-another-country/1011398/9 "2024-12-09T14:49:00Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I do not know but it seems Dictator-101 to secure your money no matter what happens. Assad had a lot of time to realize he was in trouble. I’d think he’d secure some soft-landings for himself should the worst happen. Right, but other than whatever he could carry on him, most of his money is probably spread out among banks and investment firms around the world, most of which are probably not taking his calls right now. That’s assuming the various governments involved haven’t frozen his accounts. And even if he manages to get some of it to Russia, I bet Putin charges a steep rent. If you know what I mean. ---
**Author:** ![Pedro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/919ad9/32.png) [@Pedro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pedro)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2024, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-deposed-dictators-that-flee-and-get-asylum-in-another-country/1011398/10 "2024-12-09T14:55:20Z")
A large part of Assad’s stolen wealth was probably already on Russia to begin with. If not and he doesn’t have access to it, which I think is plan B for Russia, they will probably give him a small stipend, enough to leave him comfortable and keep him quiet. ---
**Author:** ![JacobSwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2024, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-deposed-dictators-that-flee-and-get-asylum-in-another-country/1011398/11 "2024-12-09T15:03:24Z")
Pinochet didn’t exactly get asylum from the UK. But his house arrest at one of the finest golf clubs in the country wasn’t a bad gilded cage. It was really an excuse by his old friend Thatcher to prevent him from being extradited. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2024, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-deposed-dictators-that-flee-and-get-asylum-in-another-country/1011398/12 "2024-12-09T15:04:32Z")
A deposed dictator is like a very fat wildebeest lying wounded in the savanna. The vultures are circling closer and closer. > [@Pedro](#): > > A large part of Assad’s stolen wealth was probably already on Russia to begin with. You mean Putin’s wealth. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2024, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-deposed-dictators-that-flee-and-get-asylum-in-another-country/1011398/13 "2024-12-09T15:54:57Z")
> [@ByrdJrHs](#): > > Do the Russians just give Assad a nice mansion on a lake and tell him to shut up? Pretty much. Though I imagine he has to pay for his own mansion. Idi Amin was one example he died in 2003 in exile in Saudi Arabia. When I read that (which in classic old person fashion I imagined was like 5-10 years ago 😉 ) I was utterly amazed he was still alive. ---
**Author:** ![ByrdJrHs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc79bd/32.png) [@ByrdJrHs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ByrdJrHs)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2024, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-deposed-dictators-that-flee-and-get-asylum-in-another-country/1011398/14 "2024-12-09T16:27:48Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Manuel Noriega was given residences paid for by the American and French governments. Ok it took me a while to get the reference. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2024, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-deposed-dictators-that-flee-and-get-asylum-in-another-country/1011398/15 "2024-12-09T16:40:43Z")
The Shah wandered from country to country, including a short stint in the US for medical treatment, and died of cancer in Egypt in 1980, just over a year after his overthrow. > During his second exile, Mohammad Reza traveled from country to country seeking what he hoped would be temporary residence. First, he flew to [Aswan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aswan), Egypt, where he received a warm and gracious welcome from President [Anwar El-Sadat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anwar_El-Sadat). He later lived in [Marrakesh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marrakesh), Morocco, as a guest of [King Hassan II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Hassan_II). Mohammad Reza loved to support royalty during his time as Shah and one of those who benefitted had been Hassan, who received an interest-free loan of US$110 million from his friend.[[298]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Reza_Pahlavi#cite_note-300) Mohammad Reza expected Hassan to return the favour, but he soon learned Hassan had other motives. Richard Parker, the U.S. ambassador to Morocco, reported, “The Moroccans believed the Shah was worth about $2 billion, and they wanted to take their share of the loot”.[[299]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Reza_Pahlavi#cite_note-301) After leaving Morocco, Mohammad Reza lived in [Paradise Island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradise_Island), in the Bahamas, and in [Cuernavaca](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuernavaca), Mexico, near Mexico City, as a guest of [José López Portillo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_L%C3%B3pez_Portillo). [Richard Nixon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Nixon), the former president, visited the Shah in summer 1979 in Mexico. > **[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Reza_Pahlavi#Exile)** > > Mohammad Reza Pahlavi\[a\] (26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980), commonly referred to in the Western world as Mohammad Reza Shah,\[b\] or simply the Shah, was the last monarch of Iran (Persia). In 1941 he succeded his father Reza Shah and ruled the Imperial State of Iran until 1979 when the Iranian Revolution overthrew him, abolished the monarchy and established the Islamic Republic of Iran. In 1967, he took the title Shahanshah and also held several others, including Aryamehr and Bozorg Arteshtaran. H... ---
**Author:** ![Pedro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/919ad9/32.png) [@Pedro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pedro)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2024, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-deposed-dictators-that-flee-and-get-asylum-in-another-country/1011398/16 "2024-12-09T18:19:59Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > You mean Putin’s wealth. Not really. I don’t think everything in Russia belongs to Putin. He could take anything he wants, but he has more than enough, and he is far too smart to do that. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2024, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-deposed-dictators-that-flee-and-get-asylum-in-another-country/1011398/17 "2024-12-09T18:49:45Z")
> [@Pedro](#): > > I don’t think everything in Russia belongs to Putin. He could take anything he wants, but he has more than enough, and he is far too smart to do that. If he can take whatever he wants, then for all effects and purposes, everything belongs to him. Besides, taking Assad’s money isn’t like taking from one of his oligarchs. Assad is just a refugee with no power base and no friends. Nobody in Russia would care if Putin took his money. ---
**Author:** ![UDS1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47774/32.png) [@UDS1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS1)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2024, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-deposed-dictators-that-flee-and-get-asylum-in-another-country/1011398/18 "2024-12-10T00:47:47Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Besides, taking Assad’s money isn’t like taking from one of his oligarchs. Assad is just a refugee with no power base and no friends. Nobody in Russia would care if Putin took his money. It might discourage other brutal dictators from aligning themselves too closely with Russia. They all need a reliable Plan B, and it’s not in Putin’s interests to signal that Russia is unreliable in this respect. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2024, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-deposed-dictators-that-flee-and-get-asylum-in-another-country/1011398/19 "2024-12-10T00:57:39Z")
> [@UDS1](#): > > It might discourage other brutal dictators from aligning themselves too closely with Russia. They all need a reliable Plan B, and it’s not in Putin’s interests to signal that Russia is unreliable in this respect. This. Also, Assad might be useful again some day.