[extropy-chat] War Is Easy To Explain - Peace is Not

[BillK]

On 3/15/07, Keith Henson wrote:
> Dictators who didn't consider the opinion and well being of their subjects
> at all were usually deposed unless they died from other causes first.
>


My instant reaction was 'Nonsense!'.  ;)
Tell that to Mugabe's people.
Most cruel leaders are not deposed by internal rebellion because
opponents are ruthlessly executed. If they don't die of old age, it is
attack from the outside that defeats them.

Then I thought, maybe Keith has heard about different cruel dictators to me.

Stalin?
Hitler?
Mussolini?
Saddam Hussein?
Jean-Bertrand Aristide?
Ivan the Terrible?
Pinochet?
Mao?
How long a list of exceptions do you require?

All old-time monarchs were usually leader for life, no matter how bad they were.

But then you might claim that no matter how many they tortured or
killed, they did fine by the majority of the people, so no rebellion.
But they didn't, did they? They concentrated the power in their
supporters, army, police, etc. and looked after them, and in turn they
kept the majority in slavery conditions.

For thousands of years, the general population had few rights and
lived under harsh conditions where any order from the king, dictator,
ruler, had to be obeyed on pain of death.

Alexander didn't march across Europe because his local population
wanted more food.

BillK