Customer Reviews

Tyrants: The World's 20 Worst Living Dictators

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The book DOES mention our current President George W. Bush, but not as a dictator; just as an example of how some powers, even in somewhat more privileged nations, can be abused. The author merely compared the president's quotes and actions to those of the book's noted dictators. As a matter of fact, Bush is on the 21st chapter of the book (which is titled "A Special Case" meaning he's not included in the 20 living dictators as implied by the title), and at the beginning and end of the chapter, the author clearly states "George Bush is not a dictator". Sure, it's likely the author has an agenda against Bush, but who the heck doesn't? The United States is a free-speech country (so says the First Amendment), and the book was published in the United States. So shame on YOU for being so bias!! You practically spit on your own constitution!!

Besides, the main issue the book discloses is the other TWENTY dictators around the world. The heck with Bush's entry at the end of the book! What's important is to know about what the reality is around the world! Just in case, this book is not overly about conspiracy, and tells us pretty much the facts about living dictators that an average person could have never put together just by using the news and internet as a source of information. To simplify what I'm trying to say, this book is smart, precise, and concise. It even tells us about the history of the countries suffering under an abusive rule, and how it got there.

But, if you MUST be a typical Bush supporter and not read this book, then fine. Just letting you know you're all going to miss out on a spectacular and thorough book. As it is a considerably short fact-book, I wouldn't use it as a main source of information regarding a particular dictator though, but it's a good way to start learning about what's going on around the world, BESIDES BUSH. Get it while it's hot!!

I always enoyed this authors 10 worst dictators list published annually in PARADE magazine; so when his book came out I picked it up. Very interesting read. With every dictator the author is sure to give a history of the country so we can understand how the political and economic climate of these countries allow people like these to rise to power. This book sheds light on not only the obvious dictators from countries like North Korea and Sudan, but also the less known ones out of countries like Syria and Burma. The addition of Bush is an interesting choice. He is not even close to being as evil as any of the others on the list; but he has instituted policies that take away the rights of his own citizens. The addition of Hugo Chavez would have been a good. Overall, this book is a good read.

Overall, it is a good book. Bit I have a few complaints. George Bush shouldn't be in here. He is not the 20 worst dictators alive, but he should not be a bonus either. Those who hate Bush should blame Osama because Bush responded to the 9-11 attacks. For a bonus, I would have picked Mengistu Haile Mariam because he was a dictator, but he is no longer in power, which is why he is not included in the 20 worst ones alive. He killed almost 1.5 million Ethiopians and deserves a spot in this book. Also Omar should not be number one. Kim Jong-il and Robert Mugabe are a lot worse and have caused a lot more suffering.

This book was an exellent and consise account of the histories of some of the most facinating countries in the world and of the horrific men who unfortunatley rule them. Many of the dictators presented here, along with their political machines, are stil in power, rule with an iron fist, insist that democracy (at least, not as we in America would prefere it) is 'not for them', and routinely baffle the world with fake elections and false representaions of it's most vulnerable citizens (the Woman's Council in Saudi Arabia is made up of mostly men, with a male chairperson.) The author is unafraid to expose these men for who they are-power hungry and even sick, but then also explains how these sometimes brutal leaders came to be this way, and why their reputations are as deserved as they are. And not all despots are alike--Pervez Musharif seems to be a more or less civil man compared to others. The reader understands the context through which each of these men is presented, and hopfully one understands why G.W. Bush is in it as well. It's not that this country is not incappable of becomming a dictatorship, but politicains-even American ones--can and do use methods of skating around public scrutiny as a matter of course. Mr. Bush, like so many other presidents, used existing circumstances to enact his and other's agendas on the side. This book is reccommended for anyone who wishes to understand the reality of these men, the countries they came to dominate, and the often sinister methods of forcing a people down an often deadly path for decades. One might hope that, in this more educated and pragmatic period of the 21st century, the long era of the dictator is nearing it's end. After Gadaffi's fall, for example, it is a very real hope indeed.

This book includes a wealth of information not only about well known dictators such as North Korea's Kim Jong-il and Cuba's Fidel Castro. But also lesser known despots in countries like Swaziland and Turkmenistan.

Yet it is not just some simply written "list." Instead each chapter provides an ample historical background that explains the circumstances that led to a dictatorial form of government. In most cases, the current dictator is not just an individual aberration. But rather a continuation of the country's long history of authoritarian rule, as in the cases of China and Saudi Arabia.

George W Bush does receieve his own "special section." But the author makes it very clear that he is not an actual dictator. Instead Wallechinsky makes a compelling case that Bush has taken dangerous steps, such as the so-called "Patriot Act," to take away our cherished American freedoms. Furthemore, the Bush administration lied to the American public in order to justify the war in Iraq, authorized the use of torture against prisoners of war and has threatened America's historically successful system of check and balances by expanding the power of the executive branch at the expense of the judical and legislative branches of government. To me these are all abuses of power that are highly worthy of condemnation.

Wallechinsky comes across more as a champion of civil liberties than a stereotypically "big government" type liberal. His list also includes the Communist dictators of China, Laos, North Korea and elsewhere, so clearly there is no "left wing agenda" in play. Rather Wallechinsky's purpose is to criticize tyranny and the lack of democratic freedoms wherever they exist and this book is worth reading by any person that values freedom and democracy, including both liberals and conservatives.

This is an easy but interesting read. We can be so unaware of what is going on in the world and books like this one can help increase our understanding of the world. To be honest, I wasn't even aware of at least half of these leaders. Very interesting book.

Musharraf holds the dubious distinction of arguably becoming history's first Military Dictator who not once but TWICE crapped all over the constitution of Pakistan. This and the giddy conceit of his self worshipping book surely increases his chances tenfold of making the list in the next edition?

I really enjoyed this book whose author writes the very well done Book of Lists series. He does a very good job at profiling some very obscure dictators whose name rarely appear in any western media but whose unfortunate people are forced to live daily under their oppression. I did have some issue with his naming of George Bush as a 21st century dictator. While not in any way a Bush fan I am reminded of the old remark of judge someone by the company they keep and it seems Wallechinsky wants us to think that Bush is the same level as Bashir in Syria, the head of Sudan or Eriteria? And that Putin, Chavez and the Vietnamese are superior?

I don't buy his argument as it is presented. It lacks context and that hurts the ending of a great book!

This book would be a mere afterthought were it not for the 21st member on the list: GW Bush is entered not as a tyrant, but as a special case.

Most of the other tyrants listed, arguably would be on any list of the World's worse. Yet, even when the author's slightly left-leaning politics (which creeps in from time-to-time) are discounted, he makes a rather convincing if not compelling case for eventually adding Bush to this infamous list.

As Wallechinsky so carefully points out, the Cheney/Bush foreign policy, in addition to being ill-thought out and poorly executed, is also unilateralist and based on greasing the wheels of the military-industrial complex -- a collusion that Ike forewarned us about in his farewell address. It seems that under Cheney/Bush that collusion has not only come to fruition, but is thriving and flourishing at the great expense of American democracy and at the expense of human rights and peace in the world.

With Cheney as Bush's alter ego, he sits on his throne presiding over the Senate -- and some think that there he is also the de facto President -- grinning like a Chestershire cat all the way to bank with his share of Halliburton's nearly $2 Billion from war profiteering. This bounty is the fruit of what Cheney and Bush single-handily contrived. The Iraq war, as he points out is a war that failed by design. It is this kind of callous cynicism that caused the author to place Bush on the list.

Similarly, Mr. Wallechinsky believes also that the Bush war on terrorism is just evidence of a larger pretext being played out. The war is little more than a playground for corporate greed, corruption, and war profiteering. The war on terrorism is just another fear-based excuse for all kinds of human rights violations; political power plays, and a novel way of unleashing right wing religious morality and ideology onto the American people, writ large.

For a piece basically designed to give summaries of the bio of these tyrants, this one is surprisingly robust. The author discusses in amazing detail the Bush involvement in subjects such as the arbitrary arrest and detention of both U.S. and non-U.S. citizens, denial of fair public trials, and torture and other cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment and punishment of prisoners.

Moreover, and this is an important point, the author implies that Bush may have purposely skirted signing America up to the International Court of Justice and did so apparently with considerable forethought and malice - realizing that he and Chaney might one day find themselves as defendants before it.

Although, I am not big on Bush bashing, this addition of Bush to the list as the 21st worse tyrant was a stroke of genius and has considerable merit. Five stars for adding Bush to the list and making it believable.

This is a good list, not entirely fair but good. Islam Karimazov of Uzbekistan is not a fair contender. Neither is Hue Jintao, but the rest are mostly good picks. It was important that this book include the Saudi government, which gets away with so many terrible things, running a 5th century inquisition like state, ignored by the world for its human rights abuses. It is important also to put Mr. Bashir, the genocidist who runs the SUdan on here, who also seems to be ignored when people condemn the nebulous 'janjaweed' rather than the man at the top, like condemning the Whermacht and not Hitler. Mugabe, Qadaffi, Castro, all good ones. There are undoubtedly a number of small fish that are missed, but that is fine. This book helps to show just how dictatorship is the offspring of terrible utopian ideas such as communism(North Korea, Cuba), African fascism(Mugabe) and Islamism(Saudi) as well as arab nationalism(Syria, Libya).

The inclusion of Bush must be to incite talk or to hype the book because it is obviously a sham, since every leader in the world is clearly conducting policies not different from the American presidents. After all if Bush is on there, where is Putin, Hugo Chavez, Mubarek and Musharref? So while it is funny and for some people self fulfilling to include George Bush, it is disingenous and infantile.

Seth J. Frantzman