Dictators/ Oligarchies/ Absolute Monarchies: What To Do?

[Prosaic Visitant]

Like everyone who is remotely into politics, I've seen numerous complaints, grumblings and general disappointment about how powerful nations usually support authoritarian regimes and how this is rather upsetting in light of the usual methods of control these regimes use; methods such as strangling media diversity and freedom of speech, restricting rights of assembly and religion (where appropriate) while violence, terror, propaganda, killings, secret police, personality cults and corrupt laws are all tools of control for your typical el Presidente, People's Government or Maleek (Arabic: king)

While criticism of regime-democracy ties and trade are plentiful, I seldom, if ever, see suggestions of how Western governments should interact with regimes.

So then, given how the Abudullahs, Pinochets and Kai-sheks of the world are seen as distasteful, and how the Western government are almost always condemned for aligning with such regimes; how do we civilians wish our governments to treat the world's strong-arm regimes? If you were Prime Minister or President of your country and had a loyal cabinet and parliament/ congress and senate, what would be your policy towards dictators/ oligarchies/ absolute monarchies?

Would you do your best to maintain stability, trade and cooperation? invade them? ignore them? publicly be on good terms while bankrolling democrats and the regimes political opponents? would your actions depend on the type of despotism? Tell me denizens of TWC forums.



For all the wise ones who wish to come in and parrot platitudes such as "Propaganda? that's what the USA does to control sheeple" or "The West only leikz dictators if they hav oil" or "but xyz country did/ does bad stuff so why don't you criticise them instead" please DON'T post in here. I don't want mindless spam to fill this thread.

This is not a thread to catalogue political grievances and bitter ironies, it's about political roleplay. Thank you.

[Menelik_I]

I think the west have a sense of self-importance that blinds them, the fact is that what western governments do matters a little.

Unless they protect a dictator from invasion, the happy bugger will be in power until another faction, whether democratic or not, takes him down.

[Ancient Aliens]

Ignoring these dictators has even worse implications for the people who live in the regions under their nations' control.

[Menelik_I]

Ignoring these dictators has even worse implications for the people who live in the regions under their nations' control.

illusion about doing something don't help either.

[Vizsla]

The first duty of our democratic politicians is to act in our interests. Sometimes this means selling weapons to unsavoury characters and buying oil from them. Exporting our principles must always come second to practical considerations. We are fortunate to live in countries where what we would like: apple pie, motherhood, peace, sweetness and light for the whole world is ignored by our leaders – who give us what we need instead: bigger better guns and cheaper energy.
Second, when we get involved to make things better we often make things worse.
Third, you can take a horse to water but you can’t make him drink. People don’t always want what we are selling. The Pashtuns in Afghanistan and Pakistan seem to value traditional Islamic values more than what we’re offering. It’s not our place to tell people how to live.

[hellheaven1987]

It is quite obvious that the best thing for mankind is anarchism.

[Jaketh]

It is quite obvious that the best thing for mankind is anarchism.

Incorrect, the best thing for mankind is to unite it under the Imperial truth. The Emperors light will be spread to all..

[Elemental]

For me it does not matter if anyone votes again in some far-off country.

[KnightsTemplar]

The best idea: kill them all!
They are dictators, they don't desreve to live!

Seriously, you can never fulfill everyone.
Always there will be s that suggest conspiracies and complain everything.

[AqD]

The best idea: kill them all!
They are dictators, they don't desreve to live!

I agree with that 100%!



And I don't see why this cannot be implemented.

[Irish Warrior]

From a pragmatic point of view, these corrupt governments are great for the west! Incredibly cheap products built on the backs of basically slave labour, as long as that goes on we can keep living in our big houses with a good standard of living, so no, don't interfere.

[Condottiere 40K]

Some don't like being ignored, such as Dear Leader.

It's a case by case study, based on how vested our strategic interests are, though keeping contact open might serve better than isolating them completely. What happens to Burma in the next five years might indicate one possible way they can be handled.

[Claudius Gothicus]

Ignore or coerce, it depends on the whole context.

For the most part however, the peoples who are nowadays under the boot of some dictator or oppresive regime have to oust them themselves. Only the self-determination of the cititzens and nations can take down tyranny... because for the most part every time NATO gets involved and directly/indirectly stops a possible massacre leftists around the western world get all worked up and start moaning.

[Col. Tartleton]

I'd probably unleash a reign of international terror. Think Batman meets Seal Team 6. Or Punisher meets Nick Fury. No one would be safe from the Hand of Perdition.

But like American History has shown, you're probably going to kill a lot of innocent bystanders in the process. That's where a little Machiavelli and Nietzsche come into play.

I don't care.

[Blaze86420]

Well that's not fair Malzahar, we always talk about how Western countries should deal with authoritarian regimes when we criticize them. The first step would be to stop funding them with weapons, intel, aid, military assistance when the regime is threatened etc. That's it. I don't expect any more or any less.

[Cat-astrophic]

Well Malz (can I call you that? ),

Any national level thinking is going to take into account strategic and economic deliberations. The world today, despite appearing unilateral, it's not. We have strong anti-capitalist forces in Asia that are willing to spread their values and, as such, national decisions are going to, inevitably, going to have to accept opperations whitin the frameworks of countries we don't like. If the west interferes in those countries it's considered oppressive and is interfering with outside cultures, if it does not it's hypocrite and allowing others to do it. We have to choose. So, basically, the principle here is this: in political science there's no power vacuum for a long time, this applies to the global theater as well. Inevitably a stance is going to be taken by one or more sides because the capabilities and will to make those decisions and their related changes are present with power projection.

[Exarch]

live and let live;

the tendency to missionise and evangelize is a side effect of the infection of christianity on western culures

[Matthias]

I think I would have trade and economic relationships with most regimes. I would not support any regime militarily.

[Rex Germanius]

live and let live;

the tendency to missionise and evangelize is a side effect of the infection of christianity on western culures

Infection? Don't you mean to say that the discrepancy between Western values and Christian values is minuscule at best?

At any rate, its really more of a double irony that western governments support oppressive regimes, considering that most western countries are undemocratic.

[Cat-astrophic]

live and let live;

the tendency to missionise and evangelize is a side effect of the infection of christianity on western culures

What do you mean?

Infection? Don't you mean to say that the discrepancy between Western values and Christian values is minuscule at best?

At any rate, its really more of a double irony that western governments support oppressive regimes, considering that most western countries are undemocratic.

Maybe he thinks like "christianity delays progress" or something like that.