Word: dictatorship
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...Argentines are haunted by the horrors of the past, that may be because the dark forces responsible for the "disappearance" of thousands of people at the hands of their country's last military dictatorship appear to be very much alive - and as willing as ever to resort to violence against their foes. Two weeks ago, a key witness whose testimony had recently helped put a major human-rights offender in prison for life disappeared in a manner reminiscent of the methods employed by Argentina's military 30 years...
...Jorge Julio Lopez, 77, a former torture victim and retired construction worker, was reported missing from his home on the last day of a trial in which he'd testified against his torturer, former police commissioner Miguel Etchecolatz, who ran clandestine detention centers during the dictatorship. His apparent abduction has sent a chill down the spines of many Argentines, unsettled by memories of the state of terror imposed by the military in the 1970s. Lopez's disappearance "has touched a sensitive nerve in society," said an editorial in Clarin, Argentina's largest-selling newspaper. "It revives fears...
...Lopez's fellow sufferers, there was no doubt about the identity of his abductors: "This is the work of right-wing fascists in conjunction with members of the security forces sympathetic to their cause," says Adriana Calvo, a survivor of the dictatorship's detention centers and also a witness in the Etchecolatz case...
...Consider Burma, a dictatorship for almost half a century now. Ordinary Burmese have long despised Thaksin as an enemy of democracy. He cozied up to the generals, and once famously described the detention of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi as "reasonable enough." But ironically (tragically, really) ordinary Burmese who rejoice at Thaksin's departure will share a sentiment with their own oppressive rulers. Burma's generals will celebrate the Thai military's takeover, and the months of political deadlock that preceded it, because it proves what they've insisted all along: democracies don't work and civilians...
...When Garrigan meets Amin, Amin is the glowing leader of the latest coup and the new hope for Uganda’s masses. Whitaker delivers a stunning performance as Amin, winning Garrigan over with his charm and luxurious taste. Only a hint of capriciousness foreshadows his insane dictatorship. Whitaker’s charistmatic portrayal never wavers, but his character fades from charming to terrifying. McAvoy holds his own against Whitaker, solidly portraying an inherently weak character. Garrigan is an unheroic protagonist, who struggles as much to accept Amin’s evil as he does to act on his moral...