Dictators that have fallen

Forum » Mikes Gripes » Dictators that have fallen

Mar 26, 2026, 17:00

The war against Iran threatens to end the clerical regime in Tehran as well as an entire category of international security threats. After the Cold War, U.S. strategy made a priority of threats from “rogue states.” Since then, presidents have largely succeeded in hunting down and eliminating these pariahs. Donald Trump has the opportunity to finish them off.

In 1993, James Woolsey, Bill Clinton’s nominee to direct the Central Intelligence Agency, said in his confirmation hearing: “We have slain a large dragon, but we live now in a jungle filled with a bewildering variety of poisonous snakes.” The U.S. faced new enemies: regional autocratic powers pursuing weapons of mass destruction, sponsoring terrorism, abusing human rights, and flouting international law.

Every presidential administration from Bill Clinton’s to Donald Trump’s has vowed to address threats from “backlash,” “rogue,” “outlaw” and “pariah” states. The Clinton administration briefly euphemized them as “states of concern,” while George W. Bush dubbed three of them an “axis of evil.”

The 1990s and 2000s brought a long list of rogues: Slobodan Milosevic in Serbia, Saddam Hussein in Iraq, Moammar Gadhafi in Libya, the Kim regime in North Korea, the Assad regime in Syria, Omar al-Bashir in Sudan, the communists in Cuba, the Chavistas in Venezuela and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Since then, the U.S. has maintained a steady—if haphazard—de facto campaign of toppling anti-American dictators.

A North Atlantic Treaty Organization bombing campaign and subsequent protests ousted Milosevic in 2000. He died at the Hague before his trial ended.

In 2003 the U.S. led an international coalition to invade Iraq and overthrow Saddam Hussein, who was later tried in an Iraqi court and hanged.

Gadhafi fell with the help of a NATO bombing campaign. His own people killed him in the streets in 2011.

Al-Bashir, who oversaw the Darfur genocide, was ousted in a coup d’état and imprisoned in 2019.

Bashar al-Assad fought a nearly 14-year civil war that ended when rebels toppled his regime in 2024 with the help of U.S. aid and military strikes.

Contrary to the popular notion that America’s post-Cold War grand strategy was a failure, Washington has shown a knack for toppling dictators.

Some consider these operations failures because they left chaos in their wake, but that misses the point. For years, these rogues dominated the president’s daily intelligence brief. Now that they are defanged, these countries’ remaining afflictions don’t threaten Americans or occupy the attention of senior U.S. national security officials.

North Korea is the exception that proves the rule. Bill Clinton missed an opportunity to strike it in 1994, and now the regime is a major nuclear power.

To the surprise of many, Mr. Trump is now emerging as the most prolific deposer of despots. In January he authorized a daring military raid to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and is transforming the remnants of the Chavista regime into a U.S. proxy.

He appears to be following the same plan against Cuba, using economic pressure to coerce the communists into releasing political prisoners and reforming their economy. Mr. Trump said he believes Cuba is “going to fall pretty soon” and that Washington will succeed in a “friendly takeover” of the country.

The biggest prize is Iran. For decades, it posed one of the greatest threats to U.S. national security. Through a bold military campaign, the U.S. and Israel have slain much of the country’s top leadership, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and degraded its military capabilities. The regime may fall in the coming weeks, and even if it doesn’t, it will be too weak to pose a serious threat for years to come.

Mr. Trump is on the verge of eliminating the world’s rogue states just as new threats emerge, from the return of great-power rivalry to a disruptive technological revolution. But this change also gives the U.S. an opportunity to leave behind the national-security problems of decades past.

Mr. Kroenig is vice president and senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security and a professor at Georgetown. He was a commissioner on the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States from 2022-23.


Mar 26, 2026, 19:02

It is very funny. As usual, liberals litter their text with self contradictory elements which voids them. Liberals have sunk in irrationality: they consider themselves as self righteous, crusaders for the common good.


It is already very fun and it is going to be funnier.

Mar 27, 2026, 00:52

King Trump Tower

King Trump Tower



Mar 27, 2026, 01:13

The hyena laughs...very funny.

Mar 27, 2026, 01:53

Trump’s Signature Is Going on U.S. Paper Currency. No President Has Done That.

His signature is set to start adorning new U.S. dollars later this year, a change that the Treasury Department said was in honor of America’s 250th anniversary.



Seig all hail Dom Drumpf ... as his signature goes from Epstein's birthday card to US currency.

Honour se gat.

trump dictatorship cartoon with donald trump and the caption "He's a dictator!" by Dave Whamondm

Mar 27, 2026, 06:18

sk'nb'vk

Mar 28, 2026, 12:59

The words “No Kings 3/28” projected on the side of a building, with the U.S. Capitol visible in the background. hh

Mar 29, 2026, 06:17

n

Mar 29, 2026, 12:22

A whole thread of BS spreading. Hegseph at least is not a corrupt crook like his predecessors were.


They came from being serving as agents of the arms industry while serving as senior oficers in the army and when they get dired they went back as Arms Industry agents.


It stinks of corruptiopn While Austen was Secretary 25% of defense sending could not be proved asto what money was spent on - so how much were corrupt expenditure,


.


Apr 01, 2026, 00:11

v

Apr 01, 2026, 02:00

esp4bp

Apr 01, 2026, 03:53

quote ... he'll shoot himself in the foot so you don't look at the other foot !

Apr 01, 2026, 11:08

Very related



Apr 03, 2026, 01:11

Trump's spiritual advisor sparks backlash for comparing his life to Jesus Christ



Donald Trump's personal spiritual adviser has sparked backlash after comparing the billionaire president's life to that of Jesus Christ’s, during an Easter lunch event at the White House.

Paula White?Cain, a televangelist who has served as Trump’s spiritual adviser across both his presidencies, used her Wednesday address to draw parallels between the legal battles and assassination attempts he has faced and the trials endured by Christ.

With the president standing behind her, and to whom she turned to address personally, White-Cain said: “Jesus taught so many lessons through his death, burial and resurrection. He showed us great leadership, great transformation requires great sacrifice.

“And Mr President, no one has paid the price like you have paid the price. It almost cost you your life.

“You were betrayed and arrested and falsely accused. It’s a familiar pattern that our lord and savior showed us,” she said.

President Donald Trump in prayer with his personal spiritual advisor Paula White-Cain

President Donald Trump in prayer with his personal spiritual advisor Paula White-Cain (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

“But it didn’t end there for him, and it didn’t end there for you,” she said.

“God always had a plan: On the third day, he rose, he defeated evil, he conquered death, hell and the grave. And because he rose, we all know that we can rise. And sir, because of his resurrection, you rose up," she added.

“Because he was victorious, you are victorious. And I believe that the Lord said to tell you this: because of his victory, you will be victorious in all you put your hands to," she said, finishing to applause.

The president responded by smiling and said “thank you”.

However, the comparison has been branded “insanity” on social media.

Catholic theologian Rich Raho posted on X: "Blasphemous. It’s stunning to see a US Bishop standing right there on the stage while Paula White compares Trump to Jesus Christ."

Pastor White-Cain is facing backlash for her comparison

Pastor White-Cain is facing backlash for her comparison (Getty Images)

Another poster, Syed Zada added: "If every leader who faced backlash started claiming a messianic arc, history would look like a Sunday school parody. Faith is sacred. Turning it into a campaign prop at a White House lunch isn’t divine. It’s theatrical."

"As a Catholic, I find this woman completely sacrilegious and offensive on every possible level," another X user said.

"Freaks, liars, charlatans, grifters, criminals – anything but Christians. All of them," added political strategist Jeff Timmer.

White-Cain was first officially appointed to the White House in 2019 as a religious advisor under the Office of Public Liaison, but has reportedly been in contact with Donald Trump since 2002, after he rang her having seen her on TV.

She has become a key part of the Trump administration's efforts to retain evangelical votes, and was also selected to speak at the president's inauguration in 2017.

However, she has routinely been at the centre of controversies. In 2020, she delivered a sermon calling on Jesus Christ to "command all satanic pregnancies to miscarry", and has also previously declared the White House is "holy ground", and also that "to say no to President Trump would be saying no to God."

Last month she urged her followers to donate "the first tenth of your gross income" to support her ministry and its causes, including funding projects in Israel.

Apr 03, 2026, 01:12

& Jesus wept........................

Apr 03, 2026, 04:16

Atheists invoking Jesus and the Pope these days...Jesus weeps for all suffering...you're's too.

Apr 03, 2026, 04:56

She's a lifetime member of a batshit brigade.

Apr 03, 2026, 05:35

Related



Apr 03, 2026, 07:11

That woman is seriously screwed up. I can imagine Baboon-ou being a big fan.


Meanwhile Plum is becoming as boring and repetetive as Trad with his TDS memes. I'm picturing someone in 1939 telling everyone they've got HDS.

Apr 03, 2026, 07:47

The TDS card's imo. a concession of defeat ... if it walks like a duck


BP, unplug & suckitup :-)

Apr 03, 2026, 08:25

Related



Apr 03, 2026, 08:29

"Meanwhile Plum is becoming as boring and repetetive as Trad with his TDS memes. I'm picturing someone in 1939 telling everyone they've got HDS."


Just giving Blo some of his own back.


Since nobody complains about him attempting to ruin unrelated threads with Trump posts. I'll be doing the same to him for the next 28 days.


Good for the goose...



Apr 03, 2026, 08:30

Related



Apr 03, 2026, 10:04

doos ... less is more

Apr 03, 2026, 10:07

c

Apr 03, 2026, 10:15

Related



Apr 03, 2026, 10:18

bnj

Apr 03, 2026, 10:21

Related



Apr 03, 2026, 11:36

The rpoblem on site had nothing to do with reality - it is based on media hate campaigns starting in 2014 and developed wth the aid of the Obama Rgime and the Democratic Party, Plants in the CIA and BI gave the emdia false information on instruction of the Obama crowd of liars and corrupt crooks,


A string of nvestigation by 2 Special Councils and the Inspector General of Justice found no evidence to support the Russian Collusion - but on thiis site it is rife and got worse since Trump was elected in 2024 The strategy somewhat changed


Before the 2024 election the stttegy was linked to fake charges laid by the Democrats as an election strategy and on this sie the Trump haters calld him a criminal that would be jailed soon. few cases came ou with charges that flopped badly, The cases started collapsing and only three reached the courts at all, Of he 3 one only was carried through to a guilty verdict - but the one was appealed to a Federal Court and thrown out - the second one the Judge realized he could not sentence Trump and h nve id despite tjhe jury inding hinm guilty. He kep postponing sentencing Trump until after the election and then did not sntense him at all, The thord one relating to the Mar-el-Lago raid on Trumps home turned nto a farce ith both Smith and the FBI and Smith undermined he case by refusing to act on court isntruction and in the end the Judge threw out the charges, The fourth case never reached the court sice he DA concerned stole funds from the Georgia State and paying he lover aking him on luxury holdays as part of the strategy,


The fifth on was related to the January 6 incident where th e D emocrats followed a strategy that wa total judicial abise exposed in a House report contradicting totally the DP and media version as to what happened in realiiy, Smith tried to get sme c harges together - but he in th e nd wthdrew it. So Trump was never charged because the fake media propaganda never ended,


After Trump assumed office in January 2025 - a new Startegy kiced in. The Demcoratic Party is invovled in further strategies inciting violence, The No Kings BS was one of those - the fact i that it is a lie. Th ot her one wa to incite people to attack the police and even murder them. In all cases a body pomoted by Obama caled Antifa and lonked to the Dmcoraoc Party was invoved,


On site the shot is spread on a daily basis sine Trump ants to rid the USA from riots organzed by the Democrats through using Antifa to riot in US cities to protect their Open Border protegees, Only the Demcorats knew why they eally open he border - but the fact is tha the D emcorats ought to destroy moves to en force voter idenification and in some sattes like Californa and other D mocrat controlled states milions of people voed without prove of identification and resuls tok extremeeluy long - up to months - before final results are announced, Fact is the votes are collected wut proof of identity and the likely eason is that illegals are registered as voters and even of they do not vote te Pary organzed somebody to vote,


The joke is actually on another foot - te lei spreading meia had to pay fins for libel to Trump and so ar oer a $100 million dolalrs have ben paid and and is now to eb sed or construction of the Trump Memoril Library.


On this te the idiots procla.im tha they beleive all the tripe they write on sote and found imag es which they spread on site,






Apr 03, 2026, 20:56

Since nobody complains about him attempting to ruin unrelated threads with Trump post


Plum, all my TDS posts are on this thread.

Apr 03, 2026, 21:53

I'm starting to think TDS stands for Truth-Detection Sanity.

Apr 04, 2026, 01:28

c

Apr 04, 2026, 01:38

Illustration comparing a NASA rocket launch to military missiles being fired at a city..m

Apr 04, 2026, 01:49

Related



Apr 04, 2026, 04:31

Wolle weet dit nie, hy's net lief vir Husky.

Apr 04, 2026, 07:33

TDD

Apr 04, 2026, 07:43

Related



Apr 04, 2026, 21:19

Lets get back to relaity, Foreign D ictators noprmally bribe their agents in the U SA and Iran were on f those . The Biden crime family ad links to the catels in Mexoco and in Vnexuaela, Whenevbber the Iran Government wants $100 billion unfrozen - Biden or he Autopem approved it iegally and get a kickback in return. Hunter and Haris was also in fulltime employ of he Chonese Government,

Apr 05, 2026, 08:08

So ou Maaik, does this mean that you don't like Biden and the Democrats very much?


Maybe you should tell us again because it's not very clear.



Apr 05, 2026, 17:21

I have a painting by Robert Hodgins, an Englishman called Club Man. The painting depicts this big square shouldered, seated, figure in a gaudy striped school like blazer. He has a head of blonde hair, much like Trump……little figures are running around at his feet.


If nobody mentioned it, your immediate reaction would be, that’s Trump.


So occasionally art people still visit to see the remnants of the collection. All of whom are rabidly anti Trump. I have Club Man in a bed room, which I always visit last. When we get there I say: ‘and here is my painting of Donald Trump’


It’s as if the oxygen is sucked out of the room, mouths are open, eyes are wide. When I finally reveal it was painted in the 90s in South Africa, and it’s not of Trump, relieved peals of laughter break out and everybody goes home happy.


Works like clockwork.

Apr 05, 2026, 23:41

Ella Baron on Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth and the Easter story – cartoon, panel 1l

I am in blood

Stepp'd in so far that, should I wade no more,

Returning were as tedious as go”

Apr 05, 2026, 23:53

Robert Hodgins - Art & Prints for Sale ...

looks like Tromp


Apr 06, 2026, 00:03

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/04/opinion/trump-bondi-hegseth-noem.html

Trump Needs Smarter Sycophants

April 4, 2026

Several members of President Trump’s inner circle applauding during his 2026 State of the Union address.sies

Apr 06, 2026, 01:29

Needs smarter haters too ...

Apr 06, 2026, 01:43

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