From Saudi Arabia to Uzbekistan to Chad, the U.S. keeps some very bad autocrats in power.
By Joshua Holland
Embattled Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, whose regime has received billions in U.S. aid, has been in the global media spotlight of late. He's long been “our bastard,” but he's not alone.
Let's take a look at the other dictators from around the planet who are fortunate enough to be on Uncle Sam's good side.
1. Paul Biya, Cameroon
Biya has ruled Cameroon since winning an “election” in 1983. He was the only candidate, and did pretty well, getting 99 percent of the vote...
2. Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov (or Berdymukhamedov), Turkmenistan
Berdymuhammedov came to power in 2006 when his predecessor died and the constitutionally mandated successor was thrown in jail...
3. Teodoro Obiang Nguema, Equatorial Guinea
Thirty-two years ago, Obiang Nguema deposed – and then executed -- his uncle, Francisco Macías, in a bloody coup...
4. Idriss Deby, Chad
We also imported $3 billion worth of oil from Chad that year...
5. Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan
The thing that makes Karimov so special is his (alleged) penchant for boiling his political opponents to death. ..
6. Meles Zenawi, Ethiopia
Zenawi has ruled Ethiopia for 20 years. Just last year, after what Human Rights Watch called “months of intimidation of opposition party supporters,” Zenawi's party, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front, won 99.6 percent of the vote...
7. King Abdullah Bin Abdul-Aziz, Saudi Arabia
Apparently, when a theocratic Islamic state does horrible things to its citizens, it's only a big deal if that state is named Iran. Saudi Arabia, of course, is among the United States' most important allies – the U.S. government has provided security for the Saudi royal family for decades, in exchange for which … oil...
Read all the details:
http://www.alternet.org/world/149805/it_ain%27t_just_mubarak_--_7_of_the_worst_dictators_the_u.s._is_backing_to_the_hilt/?page=1
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