Breaking the Rules

Those leaders who do not tow the line in an international sense, appear to be those who suffer the most; that is to say, they are removed, put on trial or even killed.  This was that case with Slobodan Milošević in the 1990s and Saddam Hussein in 2003 (one could even say it was first attempted to oust Saddam in 1991).  Both of these men were squeezed by the region around them as well as by major powers i.e. the US.  They were sold to the exterior public as evil and racist, amongst other charges, in order to garner support for their pending removal.  Other examples include Noriega in Panama (1989) and Allende in Chile (1974).

However, it is only when certain rules are broken that leaders are wanted out.  Why has Mugabe not been 'removed'?  And what about the elite in Myanmar?  Or even, the leaders who have overseen the horrors in the Congolese jungles?  The answer is that they do not break the rules.  They engage in trade on an international basis amongst other things.  Zimbabwe has remained a serious trading partner of South Africa, the UK, and Germany amongst others; Myanmar is effectively a region within the Chinese empire, due to its abundance of natural resources and direct access to the Indian Ocean, and so will not be touched; the East of Congo provides gold, copper, cobalt, coltan, zinc, tin and diamonds to foreign countries, most notably, China.  Therefore, it is in the interest of certain powers to maintain the status quo.

It will be of interest to see what will happen to Muammar Gaddafi.  Whilst Mubarak and Ben Ali have gone, Gaddafi claims he will die a martyr in his own country.  With his loyal forces and the rebels exchanging territory gains on a daily basis currently, the outcome is still far from clear.  Certainly he was once a pariah, then become a key partner to Western governments following thaws in diplomatic relations; in a sense 'un-breaking' the rules.  But how will he be treated now?  Could he be extradited, put on trial, or even killed?  With Western powers and institutions dithering as to whether to employ a no-fly zone or even military action in Libya, it remains to be seen if Gaddafi has broken the rules.