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Some contenders, hoping some of these are less covered.
Pol Pot - In percentage terms he led what might be the worst genocide in history. At the end the "Khmer Rouge" was displaced by a Vietnamese-backed regime.
Ne Win
Who was he?: Dictator of Burma for decades.
What makes him among the worst: His "Burmese Road to Socialism" devastated his economy by mixing isolationism, socialism, and what amounts to "magic." He was also a repressive and slightly bizarre ruler. He changed the country's currency to be base 9 based on numerology. He believed doing so would lead to him living to 90. The switching to 9 was disastrous for his rule and forced his resignation. Curiously, considering his reason for the switch, he did in fact live to 92 years of age. However at the end he was a prisoner of the current military regime, along with his most cherished daughter, and his funeral was attended by maybe thirty people. Neither current dictatorship, nor its opponents, claim any sympathy for him so far as I know.
Francisco Macias Nguema/Masie Nguema Biyogo Negue Ndong
Who was he?: First President of Equatorial Guinea.
What makes him among the worst?: His bizarre and authoritarian rule may have led to a third of his population fleeing the country. He also had an extensive personality cult that may have been influenced by his use of cannabis.
General Nimeyri
Who was he?: The military dictator of Sudan for decades.
Why was he among the worst?: His story is a bit more like Mugabe's maybe. He wasn't necessarily ever good, but at first he was a somewhat normal Socialist who made peace with the South and pursued reform. However after purging the Communists, and an economic downturn, he took a decided turn. In the early 1980s he'd switched to a strange version of Islamic law to smash those he deemed a threat and the Civil War was back on. By 1985 there were bread riots, men could be arrested for "attempted adultery", and executions for apostasy. The lasting legacy was twenty years of renewed Civil War and Islamic extremism.
Francisco Solano Lopez
Who was he?: A nineteenth century military dictator of Paraguay.
What makes him among the worst?: He led his nation in a war that, perhaps because of their devotion to him or the cause, turned totally disastrous for them. It's possiple that this "War of the Triple Alliance" killed up to 90% of their male population.
Hong Xiuquan
Who was he?: Leader of the Taiping Rebellion.
What makes him among the worst?: The rebellion may have caused the deaths of 30 million people and was ultimately crushed. (Although some of the Taiping supporters in the Chinese pirate community remained in Vietnam for years to come) He also declared himself to be the brother of Jesus and at the end of his rule he largely withdrew to write religious works and enjoy his concubines.
Last edited by Thomas R.; 10-06-2009 at 07:47 AM..
isn't even among the top 100 worst leaders in the world. C'mon guys.
Now, I know he wasn't popular (I myself didn't vote him, TWICE) but he was a democratically elected president, and didn't coerce his own people into poverty, starvation, anarchy etc.
I know he did some horrible things. But Americans' lives haven't gotten significantly worse because of his leadership. Look at all the names mentioned on this thread... those guys were THUGS. Mussolini, Franco, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Idi Amin, Mugabe (still a thug), all the SouthAmerican dictators, Castro, Ho Chi Minh, Sadam Hussein... those guys plunged their country into desperation.
I completely disagree that George W Bush is worse than Hitler, or Stalin. Hitler was considered to be responsible for the death of around 20,000,000 people, including the extermination of over 6,000,000 Jews. Stalin killed even more, destroying anywhere between 20-40 million "enemies of the state".
Do you have any reason why George W. Bush is worse than these two monsters, or are you simply jumping on the "I hate Bush!" bandwagon.
For the record, I don't like Bush, and I was completely against him. However, I believe saying he's worse than Hitler, or even putting him in a category anywhere near Hitler or Stalin, is preposterous.
I agree that King Bush II shouldn't be lumped into the same categories as Hitler and Pol Pot and those guys. But he has done a LOT to be hated for:
1) Appointing a Fed Chairman that really didn't do anything to slow down the freight train that the idiot Greenspan enacted, leading to a worldwide financial meltdown in 2008.
2) Squandering the good will that the world showed us post 9/11 by going to war against Iraq by fabricating evidence of WMD. Hell even Jordan, a country that historically hated the USA, the vast majority of the populace felt compassion towards us. Well they hate us again, and many other countries' citizens do as well that we didn't have to worry about before. As a result tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed or maimed and thousands of our bravest and finest have died needlessly. W should go to prison for that one, bring him to the Hague.
3) Taking more vacation time than any president I've ever studied. He always seemed to be at his ranch.
4) Bringing into his cabinet a host of cronies from the military-industrial complex, corporations so they can push giveaways, and on top of that, cutting off funding and access to aid to even students. I mean talk about robbing from the poor to give to the rich.
5) Robbed the election once, and used 9/11 and fear-mongering mixed with religious fundamentalism to push a second term.
6) Totally ignored the effects of humans on climate change, which he thought to be a myth, despite ~99% of the worlds' scientists agreeing that we contribute to it.
I could go on, but you are totally right that he isn't AS bad, but he is still a criminal and should be prosecuted.
I agree that King Bush II shouldn't be lumped into the same categories as Hitler and Pol Pot and those guys. But he has done a LOT to be hated for:
1) Appointing a Fed Chairman that really didn't do anything to slow down the freight train that the idiot Greenspan enacted, leading to a worldwide financial meltdown in 2008.
2) Squandering the good will that the world showed us post 9/11 by going to war against Iraq by fabricating evidence of WMD. Hell even Jordan, a country that historically hated the USA, the vast majority of the populace felt compassion towards us. Well they hate us again, and many other countries' citizens do as well that we didn't have to worry about before. As a result tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed or maimed and thousands of our bravest and finest have died needlessly. W should go to prison for that one, bring him to the Hague.
3) Taking more vacation time than any president I've ever studied. He always seemed to be at his ranch.
4) Bringing into his cabinet a host of cronies from the military-industrial complex, corporations so they can push giveaways, and on top of that, cutting off funding and access to aid to even students. I mean talk about robbing from the poor to give to the rich.
5) Robbed the election once, and used 9/11 and fear-mongering mixed with religious fundamentalism to push a second term.
6) Totally ignored the effects of humans on climate change, which he thought to be a myth, despite ~99% of the worlds' scientists agreeing that we contribute to it.
I could go on, but you are totally right that he isn't AS bad, but he is still a criminal and should be prosecuted.
that's not very convincing.
global warming may be happening but most of the reasons behind it have nothing to do with people and anthropogenic carbon dioxide. by stating all of that as if it is fact and people not sold on the evidence presented are stupid you are the one being ignorant.
muslim terrorists (yes they exist and unlike 'christian' terror groups like the kkk they are fundamentalists which means they are only doing what their holy book says, imitating their holiest prophet), launched attacks not only in the US but in many other countries (including India, places in Europe, destabilized Africa). has there ever been a superpower in history that hasn't reacted to that in a hostile way ? Iraq was not the center of terrorism but it was a stumbling block in the war on terrorism.
Robert Mugabe....... a$$hole!
You could travel to Rhodesia to see the Zimbabwe Ruins..
Now you can go to Zimbabwe to see the ruins........
Genocide, one party state, intimidation, poverty, inflation at 470% per hour, no medical supplies, no freedom of speech. His 17 year old "bombers" (claiming to be veterans of the 1965-1978 war) running rife in the streets, no rule of law, lowest life expectancy in the world - 34 years of age (Red Cross Statistics) - no adequate wildlife conservation, no civil rights.......and this has been getting progressively worse during his 30 year Presidency. Lost to Tsvangarai in the last elections, but wont let go............
The deafening silence from the west...... unexplainable.....yet this is all claimed as a form of "liberation".......Ha!
Robert Mugabe....... a$$hole!
You could travel to Rhodesia to see the Zimbabwe Ruins..
Now you can go to Zimbabwe to see the ruins........
Genocide, one party state, intimidation, poverty, inflation at 470% per hour, no medical supplies, no freedom of speech. His 17 year old "bombers" (claiming to be veterans of the 1965-1978 war) running rife in the streets, no rule of law, lowest life expectancy in the world - 34 years of age (Red Cross Statistics) - no adequate wildlife conservation, no civil rights.......and this has been getting progressively worse during his 30 year Presidency. Lost to Tsvangarai in the last elections, but wont let go............
The deafening silence from the west...... unexplainable.....yet this is all claimed as a form of "liberation".......Ha!
If Dr. King, or someone like him, were ruling Zimbabwe, the nation would be better off.
Being English, in recent history at least, id have to say Jack ChIraq. Although if i was French id probably have different opinion
I actually agree with what Mugabe is doing, just not how he is doing it. I wish someone would come and take the land off the landed gentry here and distribute it back to the poor to lease back to the rich.
Robert Mugabe....... a$$hole!
You could travel to Rhodesia to see the Zimbabwe Ruins..
Now you can go to Zimbabwe to see the ruins........
Genocide, one party state, intimidation, poverty, inflation at 470% per hour, no medical supplies, no freedom of speech. His 17 year old "bombers" (claiming to be veterans of the 1965-1978 war) running rife in the streets, no rule of law, lowest life expectancy in the world - 34 years of age (Red Cross Statistics) - no adequate wildlife conservation, no civil rights.......and this has been getting progressively worse during his 30 year Presidency. Lost to Tsvangarai in the last elections, but wont let go............
The deafening silence from the west...... unexplainable.....yet this is all claimed as a form of "liberation".......Ha!
Most colonial leaders weren't good to begin with. Going into a continent, then taking it away from the people there. King Leopold is a good example. He was the ruler of not only Belgium, but he treated the Congo as is little colony. If you didn't work the way he wanted it, you got your limbs cut off. He was a butcher. All of South Africa's apartheid leaders were horrible leaders. Robert Mugabe is no better than they are. The difference is this. Before, many places in Africa were getting messed by outside influences and then after colonialism ended, they were getting screwed up by their own people.
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George W Bush...
