Romancing True Power: D20

February 12-26, 2015

Sheila C. Johnson Design Center
Arnold and Sheila Aronson Galleries
Parsons The New School for Design
66 Fifth Avenue New York

D20 Second Tier Runners-Up

Arranged in alphabetical order by continent or geographical area and country:
Africa, Asia, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, Russia,
Soviet Union, USA

1. Haile Selassie (1892-1975)

1936

Born Tafari Makonnen Woldemikael, Haile Selassie (5 4) became

crowned emperor of Ethiopia in 1930 but exiled during World War II
after leading the resistance to the Italian invasion. The last ruler of
the thousand year Ethiopian royal dynasty, he was reinstated in 1941
and sought to modernize the country over the next few decades
through social, economic, and educational reforms. He ruled until
1974, when famine, unemployment, and political opposition forced
him from office. Selassie was ousted from power in a coup and was
kept under house arrest in his palace until his death in 1975.
Members of the Rastafari movement accept Selassie as the
incarnate Jesus Christ, with the emperors full endorsement of this belief.
Famous Quote:
Democracy, republics: What do these words signify? Have men become better, more loyal,
kinder? Are the people happier? All goes on as before, as always. Illusions, illusions. Besides,
one should consider the interest of a nation before subverting it with words. Democracy is
necessary in some cases and We believe some African peoples might adopt it. But in other
cases it is harmful, a mistake.
Interview with Oriana Fallaci, The Chicago Tribune, June 24, 1973
1953

2. Kwame Nkrumah (1909-1972)

Nkrumah was born on September 21, 1909, in Nkroful, Gold Coast
(present-day Ghana), and shepherded the country in its struggle for
independence from Great Britain. He went on to be named life
president of both the nation and his political party, until the army and
police in Ghana seized power in 1966 and he sought asylum in
Guinea. Nkrumah never returned to Ghana, dying in 1972, but
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continued to push for his vision of African unity, dubbing himself the African Lenin. During his
reign, he criminalized union strikes circumvented due process in the arrest of political
opponents. His height and wealth are unknown.
Famous Quote:
Capitalism is a development by refinement from feudalism just as feudalism is a development
by refinement from slavery. Capitalism is but the gentlemans method of slavery.
Cited in Kwame Botwe-Asamoah, Kwame Nkrumahs Politico-Cultural Thought and Politics,
2005
1993

3. Teodoro Obiang (1942-Present)

Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (height unknown) is an

Equatoguinean politician who has been President of Equatorial
Guinea since 1979. He ousted his uncle, Francisco Macas Nguema,
in an August 1979 military coup. He has overseen Equatorial
Guineas emergence as an important oil producer, beginning in the
1990s through use of force, torture, and kidnapping. Equatorial
Guinea is essentially a single-party state, dominated by Obiangs
Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea (PDGE). With a net worth of
$600 million, Obiang is considered one of the wealthiest heads of
state in the world.
Famous Quote:
What right does the opposition have to criticize the actions of a government?
Cited in Alexander Smoltczyk, Rich in Oil, Poor in Human Rights: Torture and Poverty in
Equatorial Guinea, Der Spiegel, August 28, 2006

1998

4. Pol Pot (1925-1998)

Cambodian communist leader of the Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot (5 9) was

born c. May 19, 1925 under the name of Saloth Sar in Kampong Thom
Province, Cambodia (Kampuchea). He presided over a totalitarian
dictatorship that imposed a radical form of agrarian socialism on the
country. His government forced urban dwellers to move to the
countryside to work in collective farms and forced labor projects. The
combined effects of executions, forced labor, malnutrition, and poor
medical care led to the deaths of approximately 25 percent of the
Cambodian population, over two million people. Pol Pot obliged his
people to dig mass graves to accommodate the casualties of the
atrocities, which became known as The Killing Fields. His wealth is unknown.
Famous Quote:
Everything I did, I did for my country.
Interview with journalist Nate Thayer in Far East Economic Review, 1997

1999

5a. Suharto (1921-2008)

Born on June 8, 1921 in Kemusu Argamulja, Java, Dutch East Indies

(present-day Indonesia), Suharto (height unknown) was an army officer
and political leader who led Indonesia as president from 1967 to 1998.
His three decades of uninterrupted rule gave Indonesia much-needed
political stability and sustained economic growth, but his authoritarian
regime finally fell victim to an economic downturn and its own internal
corruption. He notably cracked down on dissidents in both politics and
in the military, imprisoning many or forcing many others into retirement.
Estimates of Suhartos wealth range from $15 to 30 billion.
Famous Quote:
All over the country processes will take place, but with such a large number it takes time until
they all get their turn.
Response to Der Spiegel interviewer in 1970 regarding thousands in concentration camp
waiting for their release (translated from German)

5b. Sukarno (1901-1970)

1946

Sukarno (5 8) was the leader of Indonesias struggle for

independence from the Netherlands. He collaborated with the
Japanese fascist war effort in exchange for Japans aid in spreading
nationalist ideas. Upon Japanese surrender, Sukarno declared
Indonesian independence on August 17, 1945, and became its first
president. Soon after, Sukarno established an autocratic system he
called Guided Democracy. Although he put an end to instability
and rebellions, which were threatening the survival of the fractious
country, he was replaced by one of his generals and remained
under house arrest until his death in 1970. Sukarno disbanded
political parties and used the military to repress rebellious
opposition, executing opponents. His wealth is unknown.
Famous Quote:
Yes, we are living in a world of fear. The life of man today is corroded and made bitter by fear.
Fear of the future, fear of the hydrogen bomb, fear of ideologies. Perhaps this fear is a greater
danger than the danger itself, because it is fear which drives men to act foolishly, to act
thoughtlessly, to act dangerously.
Speech at the Opening of the Bandung Conference, April 17, 1955

6. Ferdinand Marcos (1917-1989), with Imelda Marcos (1929-Present)

1966

A lawyer, a member of the Philippine House of Representatives (19491959) and a member of the Philippine Senate (1959-1965), Ferdinand
Marcos (5 7) became President of the Philippines in 1966, a post he
held until 1986. Marcos state-imposed crony capitalism, in which
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private businesses were seized by the government and handed over to friends and relatives of
regime members, resulting in an uprising of the people against his dictatorial rule. The
Philippines economic troubles sent Marcos into exile. His wealth is estimated at $5 to 10 billion.
Imelda Remedios Visitacin Romuldez, a Catholic girl raised in Tacloban, married Marcos in
1954 and became the first lady of the Philippines in 1965. While her husband held office, she
had several government positions, and, like her husband, appointed relatives to lucrative
government positions (meanwhile accumulating upward of thousand pairs of shoes and several
Manhattan skyscrapers). In 1986, Marcos and her husband fled the country. She eventually
returned home and was elected to the national congress in 1995, and again in 2010.
Famous Quote:
Ferdinand Marcos: I do not care how brave a president is; I do not care how many medals he
may wear. I do not care how well trained his guards may be. If he violates the will of the people,
he shall be eliminated.
Cited in Howard G. Chua-Eoan, The Philippines, TIME, June 24, 2001
Imelda Marcos: They went into my closets looking for skeletons, but thank God, all they found
were shoes, beautiful shoes.
Statement upon the opening of the Marikina City Footwear Museum in Manila, cited in
Homage to Imeldas shoes, BBC, February 16, 2001

7. Park Chung-hee (1917-1979)

Recent photograph of Park Geun-hye (middle) with
his father Park Chung-hees statue; via cri.cn
Park Chung Hee was the president and military
general of South Korea from 1961 until his
assassination in 1979. Park seized power through a
military coup. He remains the countrys most
popular former president, yet was also a despised
leader as a result of his regimes brutality. During
his presidency, he built massive infrastructure and
engendered South Koreas economic miracle. On
the other hand, he ruled unconstitutionally; he set
up the Yusin Constitution, which endowed him with near-absolute power. After surviving several
assassination attempts, including a few by North Korea, Park was eventually assassinated on
October 26, 1979 by the chief of his own security services. His height and wealth are unknown.
His eldest daughter, Park Geun-hye, is the countrys current president.
Famous Quote:
In May 1961 when I took over power as the leader of the revolutionary group, I honestly felt as
if I had been given a pilfered household or bankrupt firm to manage. Around me I could find little
hope of encouragement But I had to rise above this pessimism to rehabilitate the household.
I had to destroy, once and for all, the vicious circle of poverty and economic stagnation.
Cited in Frank B. Gibney, An Economy in Armor; in Koreas Quiet Revolution, 1992

8a. Ilham Aliyev (1961-present)

Photograph of young and old Aliyev, Baku, 2010; via tabula.ge

Ilham Aliyev (6 2) is the fourth and current President of Azerbaijan,

since 2003. He also functions as the Chairman of the New Azerbaijan
Party and the head of the National Olympic Committee. He is the son
of Heydar Aliyev, Azerbaijans president from 1993 to 2003. In 2012,
the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP)
named Ilham Aliyev Person of the Year (a title bestowed on him for
figuring prominently in 2012 in stories on crime and corruption), due to
evidence that his family has clandestine ownership stakes in the
countrys largest businesses including banks, construction and
telecommunication companies, and gold mines. His wealth is estimated at $500 million.
Famous Quote:
It is no secret that might is the main factor in todays world. This is reality. Therefore, we should
be even more powerful.
Cited in Zulfugar Agayev, Azeri Army Holds Large-Scale Drills Near Armenia as Talks Stall,
Bloomberg, April 16, 2014

8b. Heydar Aliyev (1923-2003)

Heydar Aliyev was the third President of Azerbaijan for the New Azerbaijan Party from October
1993 until his death. From 1969 to 1982, Aliyev was also the leader of Soviet Azerbaijan,
effectively dominating the countrys political life for many years, which handily contributed to his
personality cult. He was also a major general in the KGB and a deputy chairman of the USSR
Council of Ministers. In Azerbaijan, Aliyev is presented as Father of the Azeri nation. His cult of
personality, known as Heydarism, has been compared to Atatrks cult of personality in Turkey.
Statues of him have been erected not only within Azerbaijan, but also in Bucharest, Belgrade,
and Mexico City, and multiple statues as well as an institute in his name have been erected in
Ukraine. He was accused of heading the Azerbaijani mafia, which was seen as playing a
major role in the fueling the Sumgait pogroms directly targeting Armenians, thus escalating the
Nogorno-Karabakh conflict (1988-present), a territorial dispute between Armenia and
Azerbaijan. His height and exact wealth are unknown.
Famous Quote:
Some people think we should be able to establish democracy in a short time, but thats
impossible. Azerbaijan is a young nation and democracy is a new concept ... Democracy is not
an apple you buy at the market and bring back home.
Speech at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, July 30, 1997; via Azerbaijan
International

9. Islam Karimov (1938-present)

Hand-made rug with Karimovs portrait; via streitcouncil.org
Karimov is the first post-Soviet President of Uzbekistan. Known as
Big Papa, he has been in office since 1990. The international
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community has repeatedly criticized his administrations record on human rights and freedom of
the press. There have proven reports of widespread torture, kidnapping, murder, and rape by
police; financial corruption; religious persecution; censorship; and other human rights abuses.
Among these was the case of Karimovs security forces executing prisoners Muzafar Avazov
and Khuzniddin Alimov by boiling them alive in 2002. His height and wealth are unknown.
Famous Quote:
Such people [Islamic fundamentalists or guerillas] must be shot in the head. If necessary, Ill
shoot them myself.
Speech to Parliament, broadcast over Uzbekistan radio, May 1, 1998

10. Enver Hoxha (1908-1985)

A pensioner kissing the Hoxha banner in 2013; via
criticamarxista-leninista.com
Hoxha was the socialist leader of Albania as the First
Secretary of the Albanian Party of Labor from 1944
until his death. He was chairman of the Democratic
Front of Albania and commander-in-chief of the armed
forces. The 40-year period of Hoxhas rule was
characterized by Stalinist methods of destroying any
associates who threatened his power, imparting long
prison terms and even death unto political opponents, and the eviction and internment of many
families, displacing them to remote villages under the strict control of the secret police
(Sigurimi). His height and wealth are unknown.
Famous Quote:
Traitors to Marxism-Leninism, agents of imperialism and intriguers, like Josip Broz Tito, are
trying in a thousand ways, by hatching up diabolic schemes, to mislead the people and the
newly formed states [in Africa and Asia], to detach them from their natural allies, to link them
directly to US imperialism.
Speech at the Moscow Meeting of 81 Communist and Workers Parties, November 16, 1960;
via Marxists.org

11. Leonid Brezhnev (1906-1982)

Demonstrators in Moscow carrying Brezhnevs portrait,
1980; via rferl.org
Brezhnev (5 8) was the General Secretary of the
Central Committee (CC) of the Communist Party of the
Soviet Union (CPSU), presiding over the country from
1964 until his death. His 18-year term as General
Secretary was, in duration, second only to that of
Joseph Stalin. During Brezhnevs rule, the global
influence of the Soviet Union grew dramatically, in part because of the expansion of the Soviet
military during this time. His tenure as leader was marked by harsh treatment of the regimes
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dissidents - many sent to exile - and also by the beginning of an era of economic and social
stagnation in the Soviet Union. His exact wealth is unknown.
Famous Quote:
Communists and all fighters for socialism believe that the main aspect of the national question
is unification of the working people, regardless of their national origin, in the common struggle
against every type of oppression, and for a new social system which rules out exploitation of the
working people.
Speech at the 50th Anniversary of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1972, cited in his
book Socialism, Democracy and Human Rights, 1980

12. Adolf Hitler (1889-1945)

From Bainbridge Island (WA) winery 2014; via
kitsapreport.com
Hitler (5 8) was an Austrian-born German politician who
was the leader of the Nazi (National Socialist German
Workers) Party. He was chancellor of Germany from 1933
to 1945 and dictator of Nazi Germany as Fhrer und
Reichskanzler, from 1934 to 1945. Hitler was responsible
for invading Europe in World War II, and for the Holocaust,
the combination of which resulted in tens of millions of
deaths around the world. He promoted Pan-Germanism,
antisemitism, and anti-communism with charismatic oratory and Nazi propaganda. Hitler
frequently denounced international capitalism and communism as being part of a Jewish
conspiracy. His exact wealth is unknown.
Famous Quote:
You will never learn what I am thinking. And those who boast most loudly that they know my
thought, to such people I lie even more.
Cited in Robert George Leeson Waite, The Psychopathic God: Adolf Hitler, 1993

1943

13. Benito Mussolini (1883-1945)

Benito Mussolini (5 7), known as Il Duce, was an ardent socialist

in his youth. In 1919, he created the Fascist Party, eventually
abolishing the constitution and naming himself dictator, holding all
the power in Italy since 1922. His secret police destroyed all of his
political opponents; he outlawed labor strikes and stifled opposition
and prosecuted protesters. In 1943, at the start of the Allied
invasion of Italy, he was ousted by the Grand Council of Fascism.
Imprisoned and later rescued by the German special forces he
became the puppet leader of Italys north. In spring of 1945, with
Nazi total defeat in sight, Mussolini attempted to escape further
north, but Italian partisans captured and executed him. His body

was then taken to Milan where it was hung upside down at a service station for public viewing
and to provide confirmation of his demise. His wealth is unknown.
Famous Quote:
Blood alone moves the wheels of history.
Speech in Parma on December 13, 1914, cited in Derek Swannson, Crash Gordon and the
Mysteries of Kingsburg, 2007

1946

14. Francisco Franco (1892-1975) 1946

Franco (5 4), a Spanish general, was the dictator of Spain from
1939 until his death in 1975. Coming from a military background, he
became the youngest general in Europe in the 1920s. During
Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, he received military support from
conservatives and monarchists, as well as from Nazi Germany and
Fascist Italy. Leaving half a million dead, Franco won the war in
1939. Francoist Spain became an autocratic dictatorship, which he
defined as a totalitarian state, installing himself as its sole ruler.
Francos repressive regime, which claimed between 200,000 and
400,000 lives, favored concentration camps, forced labor, and
executions, mostly targeting political and ideological enemies. His
wealth is unknown.
Famous Quote:
One thing that I am sure of, and which I can answer truthfully, is that whatever the
contingencies that may arise here, wherever I am there will be no Communism.
Cited in Joaquin Arraras, Francisco Franco: The Times and the Man, 1938

15. Augusto Pinochet (1915-2006)

With the UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, London, 1999;
via BBC.com
Pinochet was military dictator of Chile between 1973 and
1990, and Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Army from
1973 to 1998. He assumed power following the 1973 USbacked coup dtat that overthrew the elected socialist Unidad
Popular government of President Salvador Allende. Support of the United States was crucial to
the coup and the consolidation of power that followed, even though Pinochets dictatorship was
highly corrupt and caused the death or disappearance of more than 3,200 people, and another
the imprisonment and torture of an estimated 37,000 others during the general's 17-year rule.
The UKs Margaret Thatcher of our main D20 list was a strong supporter of the dictator while
under house arrest in Britain and Chile, until his death. Pinochet was indicted for crimes but
never convicted on the principles of universal jurisdiction. His wealth is estimated at $18 million;
his height is unknown.

Famous Quote:
Not a leaf moves in this country if Im not moving it.
Cited in Eduardo Gallardo, Clashes Break Out After Pinochets Death, The Washington
Post, December 10, 2006

16a. Jean-Claude Duvalier, Baby Doc (1951 2014)

with Michle Bennett (b. 1950)
Papa Doc and Baby Doc Duvalier; via dailymail.co.uk
In 1971, the 19-year-old Baby Doc Jean-Claude Duvalier (6 0)
assumed power in Haiti upon the death of his father Franois
Duvalier, a.k.a. Papa Doc. Baby Doc maintained a lavish lifestyle; his
1980 wedding to Michle Bennett, a daughter of a wealthy coffee
merchant, cost over $2 million. While they were married, Michle
Bennetts power appeared to exceed her husbands; they divorced in
1990. In politics, the young Duvalier had followed in the footsteps of his
father thousands of political prisoners were tortured and executed,
and more than 100,000 Haitians fled the country. He was also accused
of massive corruption, with his wealth estimates ranging from $5 to 100
million. He died of a heart attack at the age of 63.
Famous Quote:
The President is here, strong, firm as a monkeys tail.
Speech on national radio on January 31, 1986, cited in Joseph B. Treaster, Duvalier Imposes
A State of Siege; Denies His Ouster, The New York Times, February 1, 1986

16 b. Franois Duvalier, Papa Doc (1907-1971)

Franois Duvalier, also known as Papa Doc, was the President of Haiti from 1957 to 1971. He
imposed a reign of terror immediately after coming to power. Through the Tonton Macoute, his
paramilitary force, Papa Doc murdered, tortured, and expelled his opponents, with an estimated
30,000 Haitians killed under his rule. In 1964, Papa Doc declared himself President for Life. He
fostered a personal cult through the use of voodoo, a syncretic religion in Haiti. He was
portrayed as a voodoo priest who possessed supernatural powers. Although rich, his exact
wealth is unknown, as is his height.
Famous Quote:
I am the personification of Haitian fatherland ... No foreigner is going to tell me what to do ...
Bullets and machine guns capable of daunting Duvalier do not exist ... I am already an
immaterial being.
Cited in Mark Danner, Stripping Bare the Body: Politics, Violence, War, 2009
1988

17. Manuel Noriega (b. 1934)

Noriega (5 6) had secretly worked for the CIA (Central Intelligence
Agency) for decades. In 1983, Noriega promoted himself to general and
commander of the National Guard and became the de facto leader of
Panama until deposed by a US military invasion in 1989. He is notorious
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for extensive involvement in corruption, money laundering, and drug dealing. During his rule,
Noriega managed to totally control Panamas presidential campaign, handpicking candidates,
halting the vote count, and flipping the election results. His human rights violations include the
bloody killing of political opponents, unlawful detention, the excessive use of force by security
forces against public protests, and various other abuses. His fortune is estimated at $300
million.
Famous Quote:
The indictment is to lower the people's morale, so that they will not fight anymore, and that of
the other Latin leaders, so that they will not fight, because he who fights, gets indicted.
Interview with Mike Wallace on CBSs 60 Minutes, February 1998
2013

18. Hugo Chavez (1954-2013)

Hugo Chavez (6 1) was the President of Venezuela from 1999 until his
death. He was a prominent adversary of the US and known as a 21st
century socialist. Chavezs presidency was characterized by controlling
the Supreme Court, repressing politicians, and imposing media
censorship. Despite his authoritarian rule, he remained popular among
the countrys citizens he was elected four times to office. Chavez was
not only a friend to many D20 A-Listers (Fidel Castro, Alexander
Lukashenko, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Vladimir Putin), but was
also admired by numerous Hollywood celebrities, including Sean Penn, Kevin Spacey and
Oliver Stone. His wealth is estimated between $1 and 2 billion.
Famous Quote:
I have always said, have heard, that it would not be strange that there had been civilization on
Mars, but perhaps capitalism arrived there, imperialism arrived, and finished that planet.
Cited in Ezequiel Minaya, Hugo Chavez Decries Capitalism ... On Mars, The Wall Street
Journal, March 22, 2011

19. Abdullah ibn Abdilazz (1924-2015)

King Abdullahs portrait on 10 Saudi Riyal
King Abdullah ibn Abdilazz (5 11) was Prime Minister
and head of state of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from
2005 to 2015. He was one of the worlds richest monarchs,
with an estimated net worth of $21 billion (via Forbes). Although western leaders and media
applauded his achievements in domestic reforms and maintaining regional peace, King
Abdullah was not entirely a reformer; he managed to maintain Saudi Arabia as one of the most
repressive countries in the world. According to Human Rights Watch, King Abdullahs reign
oversaw many human rights controversies forcible dispersion of peaceful demonstrations,
womens rights violations, and deportations of hundreds of thousands of foreign workers.
Moreover, his support for Salafism around the world its members believe in offensive jihad is
said to have increased the fundamentalist mindset among many Muslims.

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Famous Quote:
No matter how powerful, countries cannot rule the whole world. The world is ruled by brains, by
justice, by morals and by fairness.
Cited in Rick Gladstone, In Rare, Blunt Speech, Saudi King Criticizes Syria Vetoes, The
New York Times, February 10, 2012

20a. Bashar al-Assad (b. 1965)

Bashar al-Assad and Hafez al-Assad; via
inliniedreapta.net
Bashar al-Assad (6 2) is the current President of Syria,
Commander-in-Chief of Syrian Armed Forces, and
General Secretary of the ruling Baath Party. In 2000,
the young al-Assad succeeded his father Hafez al-Assad after the latters death, and continued
with his fathers brutal rule of Syria. However, his body count record in the ongoing Syrian Civil
War indicates that he is even crueler than his father: an estimated 191,000 soldiers and civilians
died; more than 1,400, including over 400 children, were killed by chemical weapons; and more
than 2 million refugees fled to neighboring countries (via The New York Times). Assads family
wealth is estimated in the range of $5 billion to 122 billion.
Famous Quote:
We dont kill our people ... no government in the world kills its people, unless its led by a crazy
person.
Cited in Rick Gladstone, In Rare, Blunt Speech, Saudi King Criticizes Syria Interview with
ABCs Barbara Walters, The New York Times, December 7, 2011

20b. Hafez al-Assad (1971-2000)

Hafez al-Assad (6 0) was President of Syria from 1971 to 2000 and Prime Minister from 1970
to 1971. He was the longest serving Syrian head of state. Hafez al-Assad led the country into a
police state, limiting the Syrian peoples access to modern communication devices like fax
machines, cellular telephones, and the Internet. In 1982, he ordered the subjugation of a
rebellion by the Muslim Brotherhood in the town of Hama, slaughtering an estimated 20,000 of
his own countrys people.
Famous Quote:
Death a thousand times to the hired Muslim Brothers. Death a thousand times to the Muslim
Brothers, the criminal Brothers, the corrupt Brothers.
Cited in Robert Fisk: Freedom, democracy and human rights in Syria, The Independent,
September 16, 2010

** Information has been collected from the following sources: BBC, Forbes, Freedom
Forum, The Guardian, Human Rights Watch, The Independent, The New York Times,
Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty, Wikia, Wikipedia, and various others.

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