Current World Dictators: An In Depth Look

Essay by istealpantsA+, March 2006

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The essential question that will be covered: What are some similarities and differences of three different current world dictators? The main points that will be addressed are the backgrounds and history behind the dictators, the actions they've taken since being in power, and their interaction with the rest of the world. The first dictator that will be looked at is Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir, despot of Sudan who has furthered the religious and ethnic clashes there while restricting the rights of the people. The second tyrant that will be observed is Than Shwe, the ruler who has brought Burma away from achieving diplomacy, as well as taking several hundred political prisoners. The final dictator that will be looked at is the eccentric Kim Jong Il of North Korea, who is easily one of the most unique, and tyrannous, rulers in the world today. These three men who have taken absolute power in their regions show that while the world as a whole has tried to make strides in human rights and democracy, there are still leaders out there who challenge these advances every day.

Lieutenant General Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir, born January 1, 1944, is the current president of Sudan. Born in the small village of Hosh Bonnaga, al-Bashir joined the Sudanese Army at a young age and studied at a military academy in Cairo where he quickly rose through the ranks and became a paratrooper and to later serve with the Egyptian Army when it went to war with Israel in 1973(Kenyon). When he returned to the Sudan, al-Bashir was put in charge of military operations against the Sudan People's Liberation Army in the southern half of the country (Kenyon). Becoming a general by the 1980s, al-Bashir took charge of a military coup in 1989 that overthrew...