Why we need Dictators

             Dictator’s get a bad rep. Before you close your browser in abject disgust please allow me to explain. Here in the Western World we seem to be in love with the following narrative, the narrative that follows a dejected and repressed group fighting against an evil Empire or Emperor. We need look no further than many Hollywood films to see this play out. This also plays out in our media, we lambast these cruel dictators in the Middle East and blindly cheer for those fighting his/her tyranny, because well, it’s what we do and freedom is a great thing (sarcastic voice here). However, when this same group turns on us months later we react in shock and disillusionment. 'Why did the Libyan’s attack the US embassy after we in the West supported them,' we ask.

           
            To better explain my point here let’s look at Syria. We constantly hear how Al-Assad is killing people, starving people and generally being a dick and how a small group is bravely fighting his tyranny. This exact same narrative played out in Egypt one year ago and nobody once stopped to think what the ramifications of Mubarak’s dismissal would mean. Who were the people fighting him? What do they believe in? And will they prove unreasonable without a dictator ruling over them? Instead all we could think about was FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY YEAHHHHH!

Of course, months later we find out that these people who inherited these countries are extreme radicals themselves who propagate hatred and intolerance among the many. Look no further than the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt or the current climate in Libya for evidence. Even Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran is barely holding back the more fanatical groups in his coalition. Instead of investigating the alternatives, the media and thus the majority here in the West label these men as evil and leave it at that, when they are literally struggling to keep their various coalitions from going to straight to hell. Trust me, the alternative is much, much worse.

           

            You see, the Middle East by and large is filled with a group of people who have the equivalent education of third graders. Reason does not prevail when the masses are uneducated, (here and abroad but that’s for another piece) and prone to superstitions and blindly follow religious beliefs over reason. When you have a group of people like that, radical groups can manipulate public sentiment in order to attain power which always turns around to bite everyone on the ass. Don’t take my word for it; an infamous Muslim Sandwich Baron explained this to me.

           

            This all goes back to my opening statement. Dictator’s get a bad rep. Though we revile them due to their somewhat dubious history, they provide a fantastic form of stability in an inherently unstable region. They themselves are educated enough to recognize that the people must be suppressed to repress fanaticism and do a fairly good job at keeping the disparate groups in their respective country from tearing each other apart. Sure they use underhanded tactics, but the alternative presented when they are deposed is even less palatable. Much like Plutarch attributes the wanton fanaticism of the masses for ending Theseus’ just reign over Athens, so can we attribute the problems posed by a freshly deposed dictator to the uneducated masses.

             

            This may sound ruthless, but look at it this way. In an educated, reasonable society it is possible to live and prosper without the need for a strong-handed dictator.  But in a society where religious extremism is a very real danger, reason cannot possibly exist. Imagine if people in Europe were still ruled by mid-8^th century Catholicism. In a land where superstition and outright revulsion for other religions and cultures reigns supreme, the need for a dictator is ever present.

           

            The bottom line is we need to stop pushing fantasy and settle for reality. The narrative of the noble Rebellion fighting the evil Empire is not one that is conducive to the current reality of the Geo-political world. Dictators are terrible, but the alternative is much worse. I believe in a world for the people but until the people are ready to be governed by reason and logic, men like Al-Assad, Mubarak, and Ahmadinejad are a necessary evil.

Post Article Comment:

I would like to add that the problem with all this is that many uprisings such as the ones in Egypt started out with the best of intentions by a group of educated, empowered youth. Instead of their ideas for hope and justice and a NEW system free from the corruption and lies of the past being disseminated for all, what instead happened was a bunch of old opportunists (many from the past old regime) usurped their ideal and claimed to support the people. The uneducated, fell for it hook line and sinker which led to the formation of an extremist group such as the Brotherhood which brought everything back to square one. Only now it is worse than when people like Mubarak were ruling the country. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Replacing the old with the new just perpetuates the cycle of greed and corruption but to a much greater degree.