20 Dictators Currently Supported by the U.S.

By David Swanson

The U.S. government has a habit of supporting brutal (and comically outrageous) dictators. This book offers 20 current examples, together with some background on historical patterns, some explanation for why this happens, and a proposal to put an end to it.

As documented here, the U.S. government arms, trains, and funds all variety of oppressive governments, not just dictatorships. The choice to focus on dictatorships in this book was not made merely to shorten the list. Rather, that choice was made because the U.S. government so often claims to be opposing dictators through the promotion of democracy. Frequently, the atrocious conduct of a dictator is a central selling point for a new war or coup or program of sanctions.

Yet neither Saddam Hussein's horrific (though fictional) removal of babies from incubators nor Manuel Noriega's cavorting in red underwear with prostitutes while snorting cocaine and praying to voodoo gods (as the New York Times solemnly informed us on December 26, 1989) rivals the moral horror or the glorious goofiness of the 20 tyrants described in this book.

No one will be able to read this and believe that a primary purpose of U.S. foreign policy is to oppose dictatorships or to promote democracy. If it is important to you to try to believe that, you've probably already stopped reading.

• Language: English
• Publisher: eBookIt.com
• Release date: Mar 16, 2020
• ISBN: 9781734783780

Book preview

Praise for This Book

Swanson’s book of dictators contains names of heads of governments that few have ever heard, much less their brutal treatment of their citizens. Swanson exposes the abject duplicity of the U.S. administrations of both political parties that champion human rights, then sell weapons to the abusers of those rights. —Ann Wright, co-author of Dissent: Voices of Conscience.

David Swanson succinctly describes how the United States uses military aid, training, and arms sales to promote and reward autocracy and suppress democracy throughout the Global South. —Nicolas Davies, author of Blood On Our Hands: the American Invasion and Destruction of Iraq.

David Swanson provides a shattering expose of United States empowerment of unsavory dictators around the globe, describing how the U.S. often sells arms to both sides in foreign wars and supplies military training and support to the armies of many dictator-led nations. Swanson’s important fact-filled book provides a stunning and detailed rebuke of the military-industrial-academic- media complex that is strangling our democracy, entwined and invested in the profits to be made by inciting perpetual wars. A must-read wake up call for the nation and the world to come to grips with these undemocratic and self-defeating policies! —Alice Slater, Member of Board of Directors of World BEYOND War, UN NGO Representative of Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.

"David Swanson’s research illustrates the pattern of U.S. tyranny through propping up dictators around the world.

This book calls the bluff on the hubris of some of the U.S.’ most common excuses for invasion and war. The clarity of the track record is shocking. Fortunately, Swanson offers a glimmer of hope in the form of one solution in the works." —Rivera Sun, author of The Dandelion Insurrection.

This book methodically exposes what U.S. foreign policy is supporting around the world (hint: it isn’t democracy) and offers an opportunity for course correction to get America moving in the direction of peace and human rights. —Stacy Bannerman, author of Homefront 911: How Families of Veterans Are Wounded By Our Wars.

Praise for Past Books

David Swanson is a truth-teller and witness-bearer whose voice and action warrant our attention. —Cornel West, author.

Our times cry out for a smart, witty and courageous Populist who hasn’t forgotten how to play offense. Luckily we have David Swanson. —Mike Ferner, activist and author.

David Swanson is the most consistently great writer of this generation. —Jean Athey, activist.

David Swanson writes like he talks; that is to say, in clear, sharp language that gets to the root of the issue, but in a very personal way...as if you are having a one-on-one conversation with him. —Leah Bolger, activist.

20

Dictators

Currently

Supported

by the U.S.

by David Swanson

Charlottesville, VA

First edition—2020

Also by David Swanson

Peace Almanac (2019)

Curing Exceptionalism (2018)

War Is Never Just (2016)

War Is A Lie (2010, 2016)

Killing Is Not A Way of Life (2014)

War No More: The Case For Abolition (2013) Iraq War Among World’s Worst Events (2013) Tube World (2012)

The Military Industrial Complex at 50 (2011) When The World Outlawed War (2011) Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union (2009)

The 35 Articles of Impeachment (Introduction, 2008)

•••

©2020 David Swanson

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including mechanical, electric, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Swanson, David, 1969 Dec. 1-

20 Dictators Currently Supported by the U.S.

Book design by David Swanson.

Printed in the USA First Edition / March 2020 ISBN: 9781734783780

Contents

YES, THE UNITED STATES SUPPORTS DICTATORS

WHY MAKE A LIST

OPPRESSIVE GOVERNMENTS SUPPORTED BY THE U.S. GOVERNMENT

IDENTIFYING DICTATORSHIPS

U.S.-BACKED DICTATORS TODAY

1. King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain

2. His Majesty Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah of Brunei

3. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt

4. President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea

5. King Mswati III of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland)

6. President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon

7. Abdullah bin Hussein bin Talal bin Abdullah (Abdullah II) of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

8. President Kassym-Jomart Kemeluly Tokayev of Kazakhstan

9. His Majesty the King Mohammed the Sixth, Commander of the Faithful, May God Grant Him Victory, of Morocco

10. Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said of Oman

11. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar

12. President Paul Kagame of Rwanda

13. King of Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

14. President Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan

15. President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan

16. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha of Thailand

17. Arkadag, Hero of Turkmenistan, The People's Horse Breeder, President Gurbanguly Mälikgulyýewiç Berdimuhamedow of Turkmenistan

18. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of Uganda

19. Shiekh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces (MbZ)

20. President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Uzbekistan Shavkat Miromonovich Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan

THIS IS NOT NORMAL NATIONAL BEHAVIOR

U.S.-BACKED DICTATORS: HISTORICAL PATTERNS

EXPLAINING U.S. SUPPORT FOR DICTATORS

ENDING U.S. SUPPORT FOR DICTATORS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

NOTES

Thanks for assistance to Stacy Bannerman, Nicolas Davies, Kathy Kelly, Margaret Kimberley, John Reuwer, Alice Slater, Marc Eliot Stein, Rivera Sun, Linda Swanson, and Ann Wright, none of whom are to blame for any errors.

All photos are from Wikimedia Commons.

YES, THE UNITED STATES SUPPORTS DICTATORS

The U.S. government has a habit of supporting brutal (and comically outrageous) dictators. This book offers 20 current examples, together with some background on historical patterns, some explanation for why this happens, and a proposal to put an end to it. As we'll see below, the U.S. government arms, trains, and funds all variety of oppressive governments, not just dictatorships. The choice to focus here on dictatorships was not made merely to shorten the list. Rather, that choice was made because the U.S. government so often claims to be opposing dictators through the promotion of democracy. Frequently, the atrocious conduct of a dictator is a central selling point for a new war or coup or program of sanctions. Yet neither Saddam Hussein’s horrific (though fictional) removal of babies from incubators nor Manuel Noriega’s cavorting in red underwear with prostitutes while snorting cocaine and praying to voodoo gods (as the New York Times solemnly informed us on December 26, 1989) rivals the moral horror or the glorious goofiness of the 20 tyrants listed below. I don't think anyone will be able to read what follows and believe that a primary purpose of U.S. foreign policy is to oppose dictatorships or to promote democracy. If it is important to you to believe that, you'd better stop reading now.

WHY