Which countries’ leaders of today (past 20 years or so) will make it into the “world’s most brutal and/or insane leaders ever” books in 20 years?
North Korea has to be right up there, if not number one.
I both agree and disagree with MrDibble. The current NK regime is undoubtedly right up there in the list of brutal and/or insane regimes. However, Kim Jong-un himself is just some guy who has been born into a slot in that regime, and probably couldn’t do much to change it if he wanted to. At least as far as I have heard he is not particularly more brutal or insane than the status quo he inherited; which is not to excuse him as such but I don’t think he rates alongside megalomaniac psychopaths like Amin.
Mugabe should be there. Although his death count is “low” for a brutal dictator, he has the distinction of taking what should be one one the richest countries in Africa and turning it into a basket case through insane economic policies.
From what some Canadian friends tell me, Stephen Harper. Rob Ford may even come closer. What the hell happened to Canada?!
I think Idi Amin’s legacy is that when he was in power, most westerners and outsiders saw him as a clown and object of ridicule; after his overthrow, he became a byword for complete misrule and ceased to be a joke.
I think the Kim regime in North Korea might fit this description someday, though it is not easy to make light of their nuclear arsenal.
Robert Mugabe might be, though right now, he at least seems to be immortal.
Umm… not people who knew or mattered:
You don’t think using Ack-acks at 100m for execution counts as brutal or insane?
Surprised Assad hasn’t shown up yet… But I suppose he is rationally evil rather than unpredictable and insane.
As is the case in everything historical, it will depend on who the victors are, who make the list, and what the currently fashionable criteria will then be for inclusion. For example, only very recently, has there ever been any talk about King Leopold of Belgium, who is now considered one the worst of his era.
If Saddam Hussein were alive today, he would have a decent chance of winning a freee and fair election in Iraq, but there is a legacy that is well stacked against him.
Insane yes. Brutal - not any more so than any other firing squad. In fact I would suggest it might be considered less brutal than a conventional firing squad; certainly next to no chance of you feeling anything.
Definitely brutal and insane - but it’s *systematic *brutality and insanity, and not an outgrowth of the leader’s personality like it was with Amin. Blaming Kim for North Korean despotism would be like blaming Botha for apartheid; in both cases, it goes much deeper than just one man.
You really want to compare Harper and Ford to Idi Amin or Kim? Or was it just a (rather stupid) throwaway comment?
ETA: Harper has twice been elected as Prime Minister, the second time with a majority. To me that indicates his critics (a minority) can often do no better than to call him names.
Killing your uncle for no good reason seems fairly brutal and insane to me. He’s apparently killed more of his inner staff than any other North Korean dictator has.
BTW, since he is worshiped by the masses as a god I think he could set up any kind of government he wanted to… but if it ain’t broke.
I think that another factor which distinguishes the likes of Pol Pot and Amin from the rest, is that they liked to get up close and personal with torture and killing. I have never seen it suggested that Assad or Kim do that.
It’s one think to shout “Off with his head.” Anther thing entirely to pick up a sharp implement and do it yourself.
Equatorial Guinea’s president-for-life Teodoro Obiang is probably a contender.
I know very little about him and can’t even think of his name, but what about the guy from Eritrea? And there is another African guy … Jummah? … who says he has special healing powers. My goodness what country is he from … it’s that little sliver of a nation in Senegal.
To be fair, given the people we’re talking about it’s more than likely the case that some of them were plotting to bump off Kim Jong Un. Reference Stalinist Russia, Maoist China, or any other communist nation you care to name for examples of this sort of intrigue. It’s pretty much a real-world Game of Thrones.
In the end, I can’t bring myself to be too hard on Kim Jong Un. Unlike most other dictators, he didn’t choose his lot.
Not that I don’t think he’s an awful person. He is. And I have nothing but the deepest contempt for people like Dennis Rodman who like to cavort with him. There’s a part of me that hopes his next visit coincides with a coup, and Rodman winds up staring at the business end of one of those AA guns.
Ya gotta love SDMB for comments like this. Fourth post nominates Harper as among the “world’s most brutal and/or insane leaders ever” and a worthy parallel to Idi Amin.
Wow.
What about the likes of Islam Karimov?
I think it’s important to remember that Harper’s reign of terror has been enabled and enacted by the Canadian people. See my new book, “Harper’s Willing Executioners.”