Spotlight on Dictators Around the World Today

What exactly is Dictator? Even though they have been with us since the beginning of time, why are there still so many around the world today? We have learned about past dictators like Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Fidel Castro, Gaddafi, Noriega, and Saddam Hussein in our history books.

Dictator - A political leader who wields excessive power. Like the terms ‘tyrant’ and ‘autocrat’, the label ‘dictator’ has come to be used to describe oppressive or abusive rule. In modern usage, the term ‘dictator’ is generally used to describe a leader who holds and abuses an extraordinary amount of accumulated personal or political power. See Wikipedia

Today we look around and see similar examples in North Korea, Cuba, Russia, Venezuela, Syria, Turkey… Somehow, dictators still continue to emerge and somehow grab power over countries around the world. So, it’s time to briefly revisit the topic in this blog and look at just some of the many ‘lessons learned’. 

• Dictators will attempt to rig the election process early and get all the help they can to win office. 
• Dictators will talk about popular Democratic reforms, but will stay away from specific action. 
• Dictators will attack, neutralize, or take control of the country’s news media. 
• Dictators will attempt to stack the courts with supporters to uphold their questionable decisions.  
• Dictators will attempt to seize control of the election machinery to control future election outcomes. 
• Dictators will avoid the use of overt violence before taking power, then all bets are off. 
• Dictators will attempt to distract citizens and win support by focusing people’s attentions on internal and external enemies. 
• Dictators will repeatedly declare that the people have spoken, take power, and try not to ever look back.  
• Dictators will follow up and consolidate power by taking control of the government bureacracy, military, justice department, and legislature. 
• Dictators demand pledges of personal loyalty to themselves versus the country they serve.  
• Dictators tend to move towards isolationism and disengage from global treaties and activities.

Selected Links History's 25 Deadliest Dictators Learning from Dictators List of Famous Dictators

People must remain ever vigilant to deter the emergence of future dictators in countries around the world. Freedom and Democracy are at stake and must always be protected. It’s amazing how quickly things can change.