Written in 1995:

U.S. State Department Policy Planning Study #23, 1948:

Our real task ... is to devise a pattern of relationships which will permit us to maintain this position of disparity [U.S. military-economic supremacy] ... To do so, we will have to dispense with all sentimentality and day-dreaming ... We should cease to talk about vague and ... unreal objectives such as human rights, the raising of the living standards, and democratization ... we are going to have to deal in straight power concepts. The less we are then hampered by idealistic slogans, the better ... -- George Kennan, Director of Policy Planning; U.S. State Department, 1948.

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Many of the world's most repressive dictators have been friends of America.

Tyrants, torturers, killers, and sundry dictators and corrupt puppet-presidents have been aided, supported, and rewarded handsomely for their loyalty to US interests. Traditional dictators seize control through force, while constitutional dictators hold office through voting fraud or severely restricted elections, and are frequently puppets and apologists for the military juntas which control the ballot boxes. In any case, none have been democratically elected by the majority of their people in fair and open elections.

They are democratic America's undemocratic allies. They may rise to power through bloody ClA-backed coups and rule by terror and torture. Their troops may receive training or advice from the CIA and other US agencies. US military aid and weapons sales often strengthen their armies and guarantee their hold on power. Unwavering "anti-communism" and a willingness to provide unhampered access for American business interests to exploit their countries' natural resources and cheap labor are the excuses for their repression, and the primary reason the US government supports them. They may be linked internationally to extreme right-wing groups such as the World Anti-Communist League, and some have had strong Nazi affiliations and have offered sanctuary to WWll Nazi war criminals.

They usually grow rich, while their countries' economies deteriorate and the majority of their people live in poverty. US tax dollars and US-backed loans have made billionaires of some, while others are international drug dealers who also collect CIA paychecks. Rarely are they called to account for their crimes. And rarely still, is the US government held responsible for supporting and protecting some of the worst human rights violators in the world.

FRIENDLY DICTATORS:

• Abacha, General Sani --> Nigeria
  
• Amin, Idi --> Uganda
  
• Banzer, Colonel Hugo --> Bolivia
  
• Batista, Fulgencio --> Cuba
  
• Bolkiah, Sir Hassanal --> Brunei
  
• Botha, P.W. --> South Africa
  
• Branco, General Humberto --> Brazil
  
• Cedras, Raoul --> Haiti
  
• Cerezo, Vinicio --> Guatemala
  
• Chiang Kai-Shek --> Taiwan
  
• Cordova, Roberto Suazo --> Honduras
  
• Christiani, Alfredo --> El Salvador
  
• Diem, Ngo Dihn --> Vietnam
  
• Doe, General Samuel --> Liberia
  
• Duvalier, Francois --> Haiti
  
• Duvalier, Jean Claude --> Haiti
  
• Fahd bin'Abdul-'Aziz, King --> Saudi Arabia
  
• Franco, General Francisco --> Spain
  
• Hitler, Adolf --> Germany
  
• Hassan II --> Morocco
  
• Marcos, Ferdinand --> Philippines
  
• Martinez, General Maximiliano Hernandez --> El Salvador
  
• Mobutu Sese Seko --> Zaïre
  
• Noriega, General Manuel --> Panama
  
• Ozal, Turgut --> Turkey
  
• Pahlevi, Shah Mohammed Reza --> Iran
  
• Papadopoulos, George --> Greece
  
• Park Chung Hee --> South Korea
  
• Pinochet, General Augusto --> Chile
  
• Pol Pot --> Cambodia
  
• Rabuka, General Sitiveni --> Fiji
  
• Montt, General Efrain Rios --> Guatemala
  
• ... --> ...
  
• Salazar, Antonio de Oliveira --> Portugal
  
• Somoza, Anastasio Jr. --> Nicaragua
  
• Somoza, Anastasio, Sr. --> Nicaragua
  
• Smith, Ian --> Rhodesia
  
• Stroessner, Alfredo --> Paraguay
  
• Suharto, General --> Indonesia
  
• Trujillo, Rafael Leonidas --> Dominican Republic
  
• Videla, General Jorge Rafael --> Argentina
  
• Zia Ul-Haq, Mohammed --> Pakistan

READ MORE HERE: Friendly Dictators

*FAIR USE NOTICE*