David Wallechinsky, the man behind the World’s Worst Dictators list, is interviewed in the Washington Post (via):
Q. Any potential “hot” dictators we should keep an eye on for next year’s rankings?
A. Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia [No. 18]. He keeps getting worse. If his police keep arresting and shooting people, he’s definitely gonna be someone to watch.
Q. Do dictators ever call to complain about their rankings?
A. A lot of these governments have PR firms, so I hear from them. I always get letters from Saudi and Chinese apologists. […]
Q. Do you have a daughter?
A. No.
Q. If you did, which dictator would you least want her to marry?
A. King Abdullah [Saudi Arabia, No. 7]. Do you know how they treat women in that country?
And this:
The majority of the complaints I get is that I didn’t include George Bush on the list. I’m not a supporter of George Bush, but he’s not a dictator. If he canceled the 2008 election, then he’d be a dictator.
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