Strongman (politics)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A strongman is a political leader who rules by force and runs an authoritarian regime. The term is often used interchangeably with "dictator," but differs from a "warlord"
A strongman is not necessarily always a formal Head of State, however. Sometimes the term is used to describe a military or political figure who exercises far more influence over the government than is constitutionally allowed. General Manuel Noriega, for example, was often dubbed the "Strongman of Panama" for the enormous amount of political power he exercised over Panama, despite the fact that he was not the formal president of the state. The same can be said for General Rahimuddin Khan, often termed as the "Strongman of Balochistan", whose post as Martial law administrator was junior to that of then head of state, Zia-ul-Haq, but still phenomenally powerful.
[edit] Political figures referred to as "strongman"
- Fidel Castro[1]
- Hugo Chavez[2][3][4][5]
- Muammar al-Gaddafi[6]
- Saddam Hussein[7]
- Kim Jong Il[8]
- Göran Johansson[9]
- Paul Kagame[10]
- Ferdinand Marcos[11]
- Slobodan Milosevic[12]
- Mahathir Muhammad[13][14]
- Pervez Musharraf[15]
- Manuel Noriega[16]
- Augusto Pinochet[17]
- Syngman Rhee[18]
- Mobutu Sese Seko[19]
- Hun Sen[20]
- Joseph Stalin[21]
- Lee Kuan Yew[22]
- Vladimir Putin (expected to retain large authority de facto even after his resignation as president on May 9, 2008).
- Caesar Augustus - one of the most known strongmen of history. Retained vast powers during a reign of over 40 years (later labeled to as emperor), though he held various positions such as consul, censor and tribune.
[edit] References
- ^ Castro: Clinton-Obama ticket 'invincible' - CNN.com
- ^ The Op-Ed Assassination of Hugo Chávez
- ^ Hugo Chavez to make himself president for life - Telegraph
- ^ Media Alert: Chavez And Rctv - Tilting The Balance Against 'The Bad Guy'
- ^ The Castro in Caracas: Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez, in Fidel's image | National Review | Find Articles at BNET.com
- ^ The Wall Street Journal Online - Featured Article
- ^ NPR: The Strongman of Iraq Is Executed
- ^ Is North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il ready to trade away his growing nuclear arsenal, or is he just playing for time? - US News and World Report
- ^ Itsweden
- ^ BBC NEWS | World | Africa | Profile: Rwanda's strongman
- ^ Ferdinand Marcos
- ^ BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Milosevic: Serbia's fallen strongman
- ^ TIMEasia Magazine: Malaysia - The Last of the Strongmen
- ^ BBC News | Malaysia crisis | Profile: Malaysia's strongman Mahathir
- ^ CBC.ca
- ^ Manuel Noriega Biography
- ^ People's Daily Online - Pinochet, long-time strongman in Chile, dies at 91
- ^ Strongman Syngman - TIME
- ^ Zaire 1975-1978 KH
- ^ BBC News | ASIA-PACIFIC | Cambodia strongman gives election pledge
- ^ The Quick & the Dead - TIME
- ^ http://www.pacificaffairs.ubc.ca/SampleBookReview/v75no3_Jayasuriya.pdf
