Belinda A. Aquino
INQ7 Interactive, Inc., Philippines
March 22, 2004

The world will probably never experience a shortage of dictators. They are in abundant supply. Saddam Hussein was flushed out of a hole in December looking like a rat. And now Aristide of Haiti has fled either to South Africa or the Central African Republic to escape being slaughtered by his own people.

However, while several dictators have fallen, others have taken their place. David Wallechinsky, Parade Magazine contributing editor, compiles a yearly list of "the World's 10 Worst Dictators." His ranking is based on consultations with independent human rights organizations willing to expose both left-wing and right-wing dictatorial regimes. The list includes Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Freedom House, and Reporters Without Borders.

The 2004 "rogue's gallery" consists of the following from No. 1 to 10 "Worst": Kim Jong-il, North Korea; Than Shwe, Burma; Hu Jintao, China; Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe; Crown Prince Abdullah, Saudi Arabia; Teodoro Obiang Nguema, Equatorial Guinea; Omar Al-Bashir, Sudan; Saparmurat Niyazob, Turkmenistan; Fidel Castro, Cuba; and King Mswati III, Swaziland.

If some of these names don't ring a bell, that's because they are the "rookie" dictators in this year's list replacing those who have fallen or been "rehabilitated." Saddam, of course, who was No. 3 Worst last year, is off the list. So is Charles Taylor of Liberia (No. 4), who gave up power voluntarily and is now in exile in Nigeria. Libya's Moammar Gadhafi (No. 8) and Belarus' Alexander Lukashenko (No. 10) are also released from ignominy not because, according to Wallechinsky, "they have improved but because other dictators have gotten worse." Dictatorship indeed is a matter of degree.

For the second time in a row, Kim Jong-il, 63, is the "world's worst dictator." His regime has been judged most repressive of its own people, "more completely than any other in the world." Freedom House has ranked North Korea as the "worst" in 31 straight years. Some dictators are indeed more durable than others.

Than Shwe, 71, was promoted from No. 5 "Worst" to No. 2 this year. He has survived a power struggle to emerge as undisputed leader of Burma's military junta. (Incidentally, the junta has changed the name of the country to Myanmar.) Shwe represents the "hard line" faction. Burma has the dubious distinction of having the biggest number of "child soldiers" in the world, and the regime has consistently harassed or arrested opposition leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung-San Suu Kyi.

Hu Jintao, 61, was last year's "dishonorable mention" but is No. 2 Worst in 2004. While China has liberalized and its human rights record appears better than previously, the Communist Party, according to the raters, still controls all media and uses 30,000 "Internet Security Agents" to monitor online use. China also reportedly carries out 4,000 executions annually, more than all the other nations combined.

Robert Mugabe, 61, also only "dishonorably mentioned" last year, is the current No. 4. At 80, he is an aging but and similarly a durable dictator who has been in power since 1980. According to Human Rights Forum, Mugabe's regime has killed, tortured or displaced more than 70,000 Zimbabweans. He has also played the "race card," in recent years confiscating farms of white owners and giving them to his supporters.

Another 80-something, No. 2 dictator last year has become No. 5-the Crown Prince Abdullah, whose half-brother King Fahd suffered a stroke in 1995. Saudi Arabia doesn't hold any elections, but has promised municipal elections next year, but it is not known whether women will be allowed to vote. The regime forbids unrelated Saudis of the opposite sex to be seen in public together. A woman cannot testify in divorce proceedings. Only a man can testify for her. Protesters calling for freedom of expression are sentenced to be flogged in many cases.

Teodoro Obiang Nguema, 61, retains his No. 6 rating last and this year. You probably cannot even locate his country on the map where 60 percent of the people live on less than 1 dollar a day, while Obiang funnels his oil riches directly to US banks. Last July, the state radio announced that Obiang "is in permanent contact with the Almighty" and "can decide to kill anyone without calling him to account and without going to Hell." Only one percent of the country's "riches" is spent on health care and there is no public transportation or newspaper.

Also a "dishonorable mention" last year, Omar Al-Bashir, 59, is this year's No. 7. Sudan, the largest African country, has a 20-year civil war still going on in which about two million people have been killed and four million uprooted. Al-Bashir came to power through a military coup and his regime has routinely bombed or tortured non-Muslims. He has a history of providing sanctuary for such terrorists like Carlos the Jackal and Osama bin Laden in more recent times.

Last year's No. 7 is now No. 8, and the "dishonor" belongs to Turkmenistan's Niyazob, 64, in power since 1990. He is obsessed with a personality cult, with his picture appearing everywhere, from all Turkmen money to statues of his likeness. His book ("Book of the Soul") is required reading in all schools, and, "all government employees must memorize passages to keep their jobs." He created a 2,500-member People's Council that has elected him "Lifetime Chairman," unanimously, of course.

Cuba's Fidel Castro, 77, remains at No. 9, and is the world's longest-reigning dictator in a one-party state since he seized power in 1959. Taking advantage of last year's spotlight on Iraq, Castro rounded up about 75 human rights activists, journalists and academics, sending them to prison for an average of 19 years. Castro has consistently blamed the United States for his country's economic and social problems.

The newest political rogue on the world scene, who was not ranked last year, is Swaziland's King Mswati III, only 35. His country is the last remaining absolute monarchy in the world. He became king when he was 18, after his father, who had 100 wives, died. He was educated in England. In Sept. 2002, he watched "thousands of girls and young women dance bare-breasted in the annual Reed Dance, and chose one to be his 10th wife." Amazingly, the girl's mother filed a lawsuit charging the king with abducting his daughter. The new constitution bans political parties and allows the death penalty for any criminal offense.

For the younger generations in the Philippines who are not familiar with the only martial law regime the country had, or for those whose memories are short, Ferdinand Marcos also made the notorious list at the height of his dictatorship.