Robert Mugabe named chair of the African Union

[ingemann]

The most controversial head of the AU since FIVE YEARS AGO. I'm surprised it's been that long.

He is replacing Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz from Mauritania. A two time coup leader from a country which has actual slavery and in 2011-12 AU was led by Teodoro Obiang -  who has ruled Equatorial Guinea longer than Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe and is an even worse tyrant.

Obiang is probably the most orwellian dictator in Africa, yet due to him keeping much lower profile than Mugabe or Gaddafi, he remains largely unknown figure.

Obiang is a hero compared to his uncle, who had political rivals shot by soldiers dressed in Santa costumes while "Those Were The Days" played over the loudspeakers.

Why are African dictators so weird, it's like there are some kind of factor, which limit how weird non-African dictator can be and still end up in power, while such a factor doesn't exists in Africa.

[ingemann]

All those dictators was and is in their context rather logical. The Kim dynasty mix Stalinism with a mix of Imperial Japanese world view and Confucianism. It's sick, but it makes sense in its context.

Saparmurat Niyazov was somewhat crazy, but at the same time, he governance was relative sane outside his attempts to build a personal cult. So I get why he got away with eccentric behaviour.

Trujillo was in general unpleasant, but his self hatred of his Haitian/Mulatto heritage made political sense, especially in the context of the time he ruled and the general hostility of Dominicans toward their western neighbours.