Foreign leader you dislike most and why.

[WalterMitty]

mugabe.  with mbeki getting an honorable mention.

arafat wouldnt be on my list, simply because he isnt a 'foreign leader'.  he is a terrorist.

[Platypus]

Non-democratically elected: Depends if you think he's democratically elected or not, but Mugabe is a bit of a turd.

Democratically elected: Gold-Berlusconi; Silver-Mbeki; Bronze-wel, it would've been Mahartir, but now with his departure it's left open to a couple of contenders; the one that shines through is Putin however.

[Blerpiez]

Kim Jong-Il
Castro
Putin
Turkmenbashi

[English]

Mugabe and Kim Jong Il.
Both evil, crazed lunatics. The world would be a much better place without either.

[freek]

Sure, and I do too to some extent.  But out of the vocal European leaders, I like him and Chirac the least, with neutral opinions towards Schroeder and positive ones for the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and England.

Yeah, our PM Balkenende (aka Harry Potter) is ok.



I agree with you that Chirac and Berlusconi are the two government leaders from the EU I dislike most. Outside the EU the standard series of dictators applies I think (although complete nutcases as Kim Jong-il and Turkmenbashi are kind of funny in a bizarre way).

[Middle-aged Europe]

dictators:
well, all of them?

elected leaders:
in no particular order... Berlusconi, Bush and Putin

[Michael Z]

Mugabe and Kim Jong Il.
Both evil, crazed lunatics. The world would be a much better place without either.

Ditto. Plus I would add Karimov to that list.

As for elected leaders, Berlusconi. He does provide some entertainment with his gaffes but is generally just a corrupt fool. Btw, I once picked up a Forza Italia booklet on holiday in Florence, primarily for the sheer novelty value of it, and virtually everywhere there was a picture of Berlusconi smiling. Not just smiling as in slightly raising the outer edges of your lips, I mean the kind of exagerrated rent-a-smile politicians usually adopt when wanting to feign sincerity. Silvio holding a baby, smiling. Silvio kicking a football, smiling. Silvio with his family, smiling. Every single page. Wow, he must be a nice guy. I think I'll go and vote for him.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Mugabe and Kim Jong Il.
Both evil, crazed lunatics. The world would be a much better place without either.

Ditto. Plus I would add Karimov to that list.

Don't forget the Turkmenbashi...

[JohnFKennedy]

Mugabe and Kim Jong Il.
Both evil, crazed lunatics. The world would be a much better place without either.

Ditto. Plus I would add Karimov to that list.

Don't forget the Turkmenbashi...

Isn't he the guy who names everything after himself and members of his family?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Mugabe and Kim Jong Il.
Both evil, crazed lunatics. The world would be a much better place without either.

Ditto. Plus I would add Karimov to that list.

Don't forget the Turkmenbashi...

Isn't he the guy who names everything after himself and members of his family?

Niazov (sp?) is his name (Turkmenbashi means something like "father of all Turkmens" or something as insane and egotistical)... and yeah he names everything after himself or his mother (who he hardly knew).
He's a raving nutter and the proud owner of the largest cult of personality since Uncle Joe died...
He recently re-defined old age.
He has buildings made out of solid gold.
All houses must fly the Turkmen flag or they will be vanished.
He has statues of himself on every street corner (literally)
And so on and so on and so on.

[Jens]

Mugabe and Kim Jong Il.
Both evil, crazed lunatics. The world would be a much better place without either.

Ditto. Plus I would add Karimov to that list.

As for elected leaders, Berlusconi. He does provide some entertainment with his gaffes but is generally just a corrupt fool. Btw, I once picked up a Forza Italia booklet on holiday in Florence, primarily for the sheer novelty value of it, and virtually everywhere there was a picture of Berlusconi smiling. Not just smiling as in slightly raising the outer edges of your lips, I mean the kind of exagerrated rent-a-smile politicians usually adopt when wanting to feign sincerity. Silvio holding a baby, smiling. Silvio kicking a football, smiling. Silvio with his family, smiling. Every single page. Wow, he must be a nice guy. I think I'll go and vote for him.

I'm on the Berlusconi team.
I was resently told how the messed up the EU-treaty negotiations during the Italian chairmanship. He litterally said during a meting that the negotiations had to be finished at 11 o'clock because Milan (the football club he owns) was playing Baca Juniors over the UNOFFICIAL world club championship. At 11 Mr. Silvio left the meting he was supposed to lead to watch football!!!
I like football (Go NFA!!) but that is to far out.

[M]

Out of those clearly democratically elected:

Hugo Chavez

Semi-autocratic, supports real nasties like Castro and FARC, and inspires Morales, the FLMN, and other yuckos.

Thabo Mbeki

HIV does nt cause AIDS- what a nut! Unwilling to cofront Mugabe.

Helen Clark

Has launched an unofficial pogrom against New Zealand's Jewish community by first making a huge deal of the Mossad guys, then pretending ensuing violence against local Jews was completely coincidental and unrelated.

[Platypus]

Helen Clark

Has launched an unofficial pogrom against New Zealand's Jewish community by first making a huge deal of the Mossad guys, then pretending ensuing violence against local Jews was completely coincidental and unrelated.

LOL


Helen Clark is not involved in a pogrom against Jews. The Mossad guys were in the wrong, and whilst she ought to say that the attacks are bad (in fact I think she did) there is no proof that they are related.

Helen Clark is a good leader. She is an internationalist who is prepared to stand up for NZ over Australia, the US, or anyone else-including Israel-but she is a moderate and more then happy to work with the rest of the world, both countries like those listed before and also smaller third world countries or people from those countries, for example, the Tampa refugees.

She's not perfect but she is better then almost every leader, political or non-political, in the world.

[raggage]

Out of those clearly democratically elected:

Helen Clark

Has launched an unofficial pogrom against New Zealand's Jewish community by first making a huge deal of the Mossad guys, then pretending ensuing violence against local Jews was completely coincidental and unrelated.

M, you clearly know nothing about New Zealand. I propose to you the following points

1) If agents from another nation, lets say the French Secret Service, came to the U.S to gain false U.S passports in order tocommit espionage then you would support convicting them of a crime and suspending temporarily diplomatic relations. Hell half the GOPers here would be calling for sanctions!

2) Helen Clark is rather liberal, having supported the Prostitution Reform Bill (giving protection to prostitutes) and the upcoming Civil Union Bill which should pass. She would never go so low as to condone anti-semitism.

3) One point is not enough for a decent critism.

[Platypus]

Out of those clearly democratically elected:

Helen Clark

Has launched an unofficial pogrom against New Zealand's Jewish community by first making a huge deal of the Mossad guys, then pretending ensuing violence against local Jews was completely coincidental and unrelated.

3) One point is not enough for a decent critism.

Probably the most crucial point, actually.

M, the world isn't out to get jews. Especially the antipodes. For gods sakke, Melboune has more holocaust survivors then any city outside Israel-including NYC.

I recognise that your Judaism is a big issue for you, politically and religiously, but something that a good leader MAY possible, but unlikely, have ignored shouldn't make them one of the worlds' three worst democratically elected leaders!

[patrick1]

Al, I'm glad you mentioned Turkmenbashi.  I was going through the thread and didn't think he was going to come up. Someone who definitely needs to be on this list is Burmese/Myanmar dictator Than Shwe and his cohorts.  Burma's human rights record is horrible.

[Jens]

Al, I'm glad you mentioned Turkmenbashi.  I was going through the thread and didn't think he was going to come up. Someone who definitely needs to be on this list is Burmese/Myanmar dictator Than Shwe and his cohorts.  Burma's human rights record is horrible.

Very true. The Burmese regime has been left alone too long and both the EU, US and ASEAN have all been too vague when it comes to dealing with that dictatorship. Burma has an active and democratic opposition but it recieves way to little support from the democratic countries in the world - and let us not forget the druf production

(Damm, there are so many ars... not very nice leaders in the world

[Huckleberry Finn]

There are so many leaders who I dislike that I can mention only few.

Kim Il-Jong
Putin
Sharon
Mbeki
Gaddafi
Sudanese leaders

[Dr. Cynic]

KimJong II, Gadaffi, Castro, The Taliban, et al.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Ariel Sharon
Yassir Arafat

both are war criminals terrorists.  both of them.

after that I would say:

Sultan Bolkiah of Brunei
whoever the new guy is in China
whoever's in charge in Signapore
Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan
Berlusconi
Mugabe
Kim Jong-Il
Mbeki, I liked Mandela but this guy is just a nut
Allawi (yay, we removed Saddam so we could put another Baathist thug in place!)
ect.
ect.