Fact Sheets of the D20

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 List

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

1. Muammar Gaddafi (c.1942-2011)

Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, commonly known as Colonel Gaddafi,

was the leader of Libya from 1969 until his death. In 1977, Gaddafi changed the

official name of Libya to Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (state of the

masses). His Green Book of political philosophy was a required reading for all

Libyans. Gaddafi served as Chairperson of the African Union from 2009 to 2010.

Known as the Brotherly Leader in the African countries, he was branded “The Mad

Dog of Middle East” by US President Ronald Reagan.

Born: circa 1942, Qasr Abu Hadi, Libya

Died: October 20, 2011, Sirte, Libya

Cause of death: bullet wounds sustained in a rebel attack

Height: 6’ 0”

Duration of rule: 1969-2011, 42 years

Came to power: a coup d’état against King Idris in 1969

Net worth: $200 billion (2011)

Kill count range: 4,700-25,000

Residence: Bab al-Aziziya compound in Tripoli

GPS Coordinates: 32.871203, 13.173011

Expertise: political and military theories, Islam, literature, fashion

Outfit: military uniform, traditional Arabic bisht, sunglasses, brooch in the shape of

Africa and small billboard of medals

Sports: soccer (his third son Al-Saadi Gaddafi is a former professional soccer player)

Publications: The Green Book (1975), Escape to Hell (1998)

Famous quote:

“I am an international leader, the dean of the Arab rulers, the king of kings of Africa

and the imam of Muslims. My international status does not allow me to descend to a

lower level.”

—Said during the 2009 Arab League Summit in Qatar, March 20, 2009

2

2. Idi Amin Dada (c.1925-2003)

Idi Amin Dada was the third President of Uganda, ruling from 1971 to 1979. Amin

titled himself President of Uganda, His Excellency Field Marshal Idi Amin Dada, and

Conqueror of the British Empire. He created and then awarded himself countless

laurels including the Victorious Cross, the Excellent Order of the Source of the Nile,

the Distinguished Service Medal, and the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. He

was known as the “Butcher of Uganda” for his brutal and despotic rule.

Born: circa 1925, Koboko, Uganda

Died: August 16, 2003, in exile in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Cause of death: multiple organ failure

Height: 6’ 4”


Came to power: a coup d’état against socialist leader Milton Obote in 1971


Residence: Kampala Residence (no GPS Coordinates available)

Expertise: political intrigue, military and warfare, sports

Outfit: military uniform accessorized with medals

Sports: boxing (Ugandan Light Heavyweight Boxing Champion from 1951 to 1960),

swimming, basketball, rugby

Publications: The Middle East Crisis: His Excellency the President Al-Hajji General Idi

Amin Dada’s Contribution to the Solution of the Middle East Crisis During the Third

Year of the Second Republic of Uganda (1974)

Famous quote:

“Sometimes people mistake the way I talk for what I am thinking. I never had any

formal education – not even a nursery school certificate. But sometimes I know more

than Ph.Ds because as a military man I know how to act. I am a man of action.”

—Cited in General Idi Amin Dada: A Self Portrait (dir. Barbet Schroeder, 1974)

3

3. Mobutu Sese Seko (1930-1997)

Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa Za Banga (born Joseph-Desiré Mobutu) was

the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1965 to 1997. Before

starting his political career, Mobutu was a journalist, writing for the Léopoldville daily

L’Avenir. As part of his program of Authenticité (national authenticity), a national

ideology also known as Mobutuism, Mobutu changed the Congo’s name to Zaire in

1971. He also changed his own name to Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa Za

Banga, meaning “the all-powerful warrior who, because of his endurance and

inflexible will to win, goes from conquest to conquest, leaving fire in his wake.”

Born: October 14, 1930, Lisala, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Died: September 7, 1997, in exile in Rabat, Morocco

Cause of death: prostate cancer

Height: 6’ 1”


Came to power: a 1965 coup d’état

Net worth: $1-$5 billion (1997)

Kill count: estimated at 230,000

Residence: Gbadolite Palace in the rain forest outside of Kinshasa

GPS Coordinates: 4.288421, 21.020081

Expertise: political theories, military, journalism, fashion

Outfit: abacost (button-up jacket), leopard-skin cap and bird-handled ebony cane

Publications: Discours, allocutions et messages 1965-1975 (Discourse, Allocutions,

Messages) (1975)

Famous quote:

“If you want to steal, steal a little in a nice way. But if you steal too much to become

rich overnight, you’ll be caught.”

—Cited in D.J. Gould, “Patrons and Clients: The Role of the Military in Zaire Politics,”

in Isaac Mowoe (eds.), The Performance of Soldiers as Governors, 1980

4

4. Robert Mugabe (b. 1924), with Grace Mugabe (b. 1965)

Robert Gabriel Mugabe has been the President of Zimbabwe since 1987. Mugabe

recently became the new Chairman of the African Union. He is also a man with many

degrees, seven in total, in administration, education, science and law. In 1996,

Mugabe married his former secretary, Grace Marufu. Grace Mugabe is dubbed “Gucci

Grace” and “The First Shopper” for her lavish shopping excursions. She was recently

promoted to the head of Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front

(ZANU-PF) women’s wing, which is believed to be a sign that she is positioning

herself to succeed her husband.

Born: February 21, 1924 (age 90), Kutama, Zimbabwe

Height: 5’ 9”

Duration of rule: 1980-1987 (as Prime Minister) / 1987-present (as President), 35

years

Came to power: elections

Net worth: $3-$10 billion (2013)


Residence: Borrowdale Compound in Harare

GPS Coordinates: -17.720129, 31.150727

Expertise: political intrigue, military, economics (farming and land reform, etc.), law

Outfit: suit and tie, colorful election clothes emblazoned with his image

Sports: cricket, tennis

Publications: Our War of Liberation (1983)

Famous quote:

“I am still the Hitler of the time. This Hitler has only one objective: justice for his people,

sovereignty for his people, recognition of the independence of his people and their

rights over their resources. If that is Hitler, then let me be Hitler tenfold. Ten times, that

is what we stand for.”

—Speech at state funeral of a Cabinet minister. Cited in Peta Thornycroft, “‘Hitler’

Mugabe launches revenge terror attacks,” The Telegraph, March 26, 2003

5

5. Mao Zedong (1893-1976), with Jiang Qing aka Madame Mao (1914-1991)

Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung and commonly referred to as

Chairman Mao, was the founding father of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

Mao initiated the Great Leap Forward (1958-1960) and Cultural Revolution

(1966-1976), both of which ended with the death of millions. His “Little Red Book” is

the world’s second most published book after the Bible. Jiang Qing, known as

Madame Mao, was his fourth and last wife. As a former film actress, she played a

major role in the Cultural Revolution as the deputy director of the Central Cultural

Revolution Group. In 1969, she gained a seat in the Politburo, but was imprisoned in

1980 on the charges of “usurping power.”

Born: December 26, 1893, Shaoshan, China

Died: September 9, 1976, Beijing, China

Cause of death: Parkinson’s disease

Height: 5’ 11”


Came to power: Chinese Civil War (1945-49)

Kill count range: 30-75 million

Residence: Zhongnanhai Compound in Beijing

GPS Coordinates: 39.911834, 116.379048

Expertise: political and military theories, philosophy, poetry, calligraphy, art

Outfit: Mao suit (Zhongshan suit)

Sports: ping-pong, swimming, trekking (The Long March, 1934-36)

Publications: On Guerrilla Warfare (1937), Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung

[sic] (aka The Little Red Book) (1964)

Famous quote:

“Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.”

—In the “August 7 Conference” of the Communist Party’s Central Committee, 1927

6

6a. Kim Jong-un (b. 1983)

Kim Jong-un is the second Supreme Leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of

Korea (DPRK). He is the third son of Kim Jong-il and the grandson of Kim Il-sung.

At the age of 32, he is the first North Korean leader born after the country’s founding

and the world’s youngest head of state. Kim Jong-un has launched several missiles

and nuclear weapons tests since he came to power. Known for indiscriminately

executing relatives and government officials for “crimes” such as alleged disloyalty or

watching soap opera, he is a target of Hollywood mockery, with his character

appearing in the recent comedy, The Interview (2014).

Born: January 8, 1983 (age 32), Pyongyang, North Korea Height: 5’ 9”

Duration of rule: 2011-present, 4 years

Came to power: inherited from his father Kim Jong-il



Residence: Ryongsong Residence in Pyongyang (perpetuated his father’s and

grandfather’s estate)

GPS Coordinates: 39.116340, 125.806174

Expertise: political intrigue, military, nuclear weapons, technology

Outfit: four-pocket jacket, trimmed haircut

Sports: basketball (BFF of Dennis Rodman), skiing, horse-riding

Famous quote:

“The days are gone forever when our enemies could blackmail us with nuclear

bombs ... Yesterday, we were a weak and small country trampled upon by big powers.

Today, our geopolitical location remains the same, but we are transformed into a

proud political and military power and an independent people that no one can dare

provoke.”

—Speech on the 100th birthday of Kim Il-sung, cited in Choe Sang-Hun, “North

Korean Leader Stresses Need for Strong Military,” The New York Times, April 15,

2012

7

6b. Kim Jong-il (1941-2011)

Kim Jong-il was the Supreme Leader of the DPRK from 1994 until his death. The

most common colloquial title given to him was The Dear Leader, to distinguish him

from his father Kim Il-sung, The Great Leader. He was widely blamed for the

nation-wide famine of the 1990s. According to his official biography, he was a man of

all traits: a prolific writer (1,500 books over three years), an architect, a film theorist,

film collector, screenwriter, director, producer, and cameraman.

Born: February 16, 1941, Vyatskoye, Khabarovsk Krai, Russia, USSR

Died: December 17, 2011, Pyongyang, North Korea

Cause of death: heart attack

Height: 5’ 3”


Came to power: inherited from his father Kim Il-sung



Residence: Ryongsong Residence in Pyongyang (perpetuated his father’s estate)

GPS Coordinates: 39.116340, 125.806174

Expertise: political intrigue, military, economics, art, architecture, journalism,

technology

Outfit: military suit, four-pocket jacket, sun glasses, fur hat

Sports: bowling, golf (according to state news, in his first ever round of golf, he shot 11

holes-in-one, and bowled a perfect 300 in his first attempt in a bowling match)

Publications: On The Art of Cinema (1973), On The Art of Opera (1974), The Great

Teacher of Journalists (1983), The Cinema and Directing (1987)

Famous quote:

“I am the object of criticism around the world. But I think that since I am being

discussed, then I am on the right track.”

—Conversation with Konstantin Pulikovsky in 2001, cited in Konstantin Pulikovsky,

Orient Express, 2002

8

6c. Kim Il-sung (1912-1994)

Kim Il-sung (born Kim Sŏng-ju) was the architect of DPRK. He is known as The Great

Leader in North Korea and is designated in the North Korean constitution as the

country’s Eternal President. In 1950, Kim Il-sung authorized the invasion of South

Korea, triggering the three-year long Korean War. From the mid-1960s, he promoted

his Juche (Kim Il-sungism) variant of communism, which gradually replaced

Marxism–Leninism as the ideology of the state. As the founding father of the Kim

Dynasty, Kim Il-sung spawned the family’s cult of personality.

Born: April 15, 1912, Pyongyang, North Korea

Died: July 8, 1994, Pyongyang, North Korea

Cause of death: natural causes

Height: 5’ 6”


Came to power: installed by the Soviet Union

Kill count range: 852,000-1 million

Residence: Ryongsong Residence in Pyongyang

GPS Coordinates: 39.116340, 125.806174

Expertise: political and military theories, warfare, economics, nuclear weapons

Outfit: military suit, four-pocket jacket, glasses

Publications: On Juche in Our Revolution (1975), With the Century (1993)

Famous quote:

“My God is none other than the people. Only the popular masses are omniscient and

omnipotent and almighty on earth. Therefore my lifetime motto is: ‘The people are my

God.’”

—Comment to Cheondoist independence activist Kim In Jin in 1936, cited in Kim’s

autobiography With the Century, 1993

9

7. Saparmurat Niyazov (1940-2006)

Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov was the first President of Turkmenistan. He was First

Secretary of the Turkmen Communist Party from 1985 until 1991 and continued to

lead Turkmenistan for 15 years after independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Niyazov insisted that his citizens refer to him as Turkmenbashi the Great (Father of

the Turkmen) and the President for Life. He also titled himself the Hero of

Turkmenistan six times. Niyazov ordered the erection of numerous monuments in his

honor, including a $12 million gold statue of himself and an enormous mechanical

statue of his book Ruhnama in the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat.

Born: February 19, 1940, Gypjak, Turkmenistan, USSR

Died: December 21, 2006, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan


Height: 5’ 6”


Came to power: succeeded Muhammetnazar Gapurov as the First Secretary of the

Communist Party and elected the President after the dissolution of the Soviet Union


“Kill” count range: 4,000-16,000 (imprisonment of political prisoners)

Residence: Oguzkhan Palace in Ashgabat

GPS Coordinates: 37.934254, 58.380778

Expertise: political intrigue, electrical engineering, Islam, poetry, philosophy

Outfit: suit and tie, gold watch

Publications: Ruhnama (The Book of the Soul) (2001)

Famous quote:

“I’m personally against seeing my pictures and statues in the streets – but it’s what the

people want.”

—Cited in Tom Parfitt, “Bizarre, brutal and self-obsessed. Now time’s up for

Turkmenistan’s dictator,” The Guardian, December 21, 2006

10

8. Nicolae Ceaușescu (1918-1989), with Elena Ceaușescu (1916-1989)

Nicolae Ceaușescu was General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from

1965 to 1989. He was also the country’s head of state from 1967 to 1989. Ceaușescu

caused food shortages by forcing the export of most of the country’s agricultural

products in the 1980s. The resulting unrest led to the collapse of Ceaușescu’s regime

and his execution in 1989. His wife Elena Ceaușescu was a chemist prior to pursing

her political career, later being named Deputy Prime Minister of Romania from

1980-1989 and developing her own cult of personality.

Born: January 26, 1918, Scornicești, Romania

Died: December 25, 1989, in execution in Târgoviște, Romania

Cause of death: public execution, together with his wife was shot by a firing squad

Height: 5’ 6”


Came to power: after the death of communist leader Gheorghiu-Dej


Residence: People’s House (the People’s Palace) in Bucharest

GPS Coordinates: 44.469099, 26.092551

Expertise: political theories, economics, art collecting, shoemaking

Outfit: suit and tie, fur hat

Publications: Drepturile Omului in Lumea Contemporana (Human Rights in the

Contemporary World) (1984)

Famous quote:

“It is a lie that I made the people starve. A lie, a lie in my face. This shows how little

patriotism there is, how many treasonable offenses were committed ... I guaranteed

that every village has its schools, hospitals and doctors. I have done everything to

create a decent and rich life for the people in the country, like in no other country in the

world.”

—Statement at the trial of Nicolae and Elena Ceauşescu, December 25, 1989

11

9. Alexander Lukashenko (b. 1954)

Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko has served as the President of Belarus since

1994, ostensibly elected to four terms in office. Lukashenko is famously dubbed

“Europe’s Last Dictator.” Before his career as a politician, he worked as director of a

state-owned agricultural farm and served with the Soviet Border Troops in the Soviet

Army. According to a recent survey by the Independent Institute for Socio-Economic

and Political Studies, despite harassment of opponents and state centralization of

most industries, businesses and institutions, the popularity of Lukashenko has

increased since the start of the current Ukrainian crisis as voters show their

appreciation for stability in their country.

Born: August 30, 1954 (age 60), Kopys, Belarus, USSR

Height: 6’ 2”

Duration of rule: 1994-present, 21 years



“Kill” count range: 11-65 (arrest and exile of high-level opposition figures, protestors

and journalists)

Residence: Palace of Independence in Minsk

GPS Coordinates: 53.927289, 27.524195

Expertise: political intrigue, military, economics, sports

Outfit: suit and tie, military uniform

Sports: ice hockey, rollerblading, skiing

Publications: Belarus Tomorrow (1998)

Famous quote:

“They tell me: you are a dictator. Am I a dictator? My position and the state will never

allow me to become a dictator … But an authoritarian style of rule is characteristic of

me, and I have always admitted it. Why? We could spend hours talking about this.

You need to control the country, and the main thing is not to ruin people’s lives.”

—Cited in “President Lukashenko: in quotes,” BBC, July 10, 2004

12

10a. Slobodan Milošević (1941-2006), with Mira Marković aka Mrs. Milošević (b.

1942)

Slobodan Milošević, aka Sloba, was the President of Serbia from 1989 to 1997 and

President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000. According to

authors Dusan Bjelić and Lucinda Cole, in Serbian, his last name “Milo” means “dear,”

and “šević” means “fuc*ing” (See, Isidora Bjelica, ed., Self-Portrait with Men, 2002).

He was indicted for crimes against humanity, standing trial at the International

Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia until his death. His wife Mira Marković

was Founder and President of the Yugoslav United Left party, and was the

mastermind of her husband’s dicktatorship. Today she lives in Russia.

Born: August 20, 1941, Požarevac, Serbia

Died: March 11, 2006, in prison in The Hague, Netherlands


Height: 6’ 1”


Came to power: a referendum-type election in 1989



Residence: The White Palace (Beli dvor) in Belgrade

GPS Coordinates: 44.765613, 20.453361

Expertise: political intrigue, warfare, economics, law

Outfit: suit and tie

Publications: Godine raspleta (Years of Solution) (1989)

Famous quote: “Borders are always dictated by the strong, never by the weak. We

simply consider it as a legitimate right and interest of the Serb nation to live in one

state. If we have to fight, by God we are going to fight. If we do not know how to work

properly or run an economy, at least we know how to fight properly.”

—Remarks at a meeting with Serb leaders on March 16, 1991, cited in Dusko Doder

and Louise Branson Branson, Milosevic: Portrait of a Tyrant, 1999

13

10b. Josip Broz Tito (1892-1980)

Josip Broz Tito (born Josip Broz) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and a statesman. He

was Secretary-General and later President of the League of Communists

(Communist Party) of Yugoslavia (1939–80); Supreme Commander of the Yugoslav

Partisans (1941–45) and the Yugoslav People’s Army (1945–80); and Marshal

(1943–80), Premier (1945–53), and President (1953–80) of Yugoslavia. Tito was the

first Communist leader in power to defy Soviet hegemony. He became an advocate of

the non-alignment policy between Western and Soviet blocs in the Cold War. His

funeral is regarded one of the largest state funerals in the world – 128 state

representatives and foreign leaders were in attendance.

Born: May 7, 1892, Kumrovec, Croatia

Died: May 4, 1980, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Cause of death: gangrene

Height: 5’ 7”


Came to power: after realignment of Europe in World War II


Residence: The White Villa on Brijuni Island, Croatia

GPS Coordinates: 44.910282, 13.755838

Expertise: political and military theories, economics, art collecting, photography

Outfit: military uniform, suit and tie, (sun)glasses

Sports: swimming, hunting

Publications: Yugoslavia’s Foreign Policy (1946), The Essential Tito (1970)

Famous quote:

“Any movement in history which attempts to perpetuate itself, becomes reactionary.”

—In conversation with Vlado Dedijer and George Seldes, cited in George Seldes,

Great Thoughts, Revised and Updated, 1985

14

11. Viktor Orbán (b. 1963)

Viktor Mihály Orbán is Prime Minister of Hungary and President of the national

conservative ruling party Fidesz. Orbán has been Prime Minister with a two-third

majority of seats in the Hungarian Parliament, which his party received both in the

2010 and the 2014 elections. His premiership has been criticized at home and abroad

for deterioration in governance, electoral process, media freedom, civil society, and

corruption. Orbán was a professional soccer player on Felcsút FC in his youth; he

recently built a private stadium in his home town of Felcsút.

Born: May 31, 1963 (age 51), Alcsútdoboz, Hungary

Height: 5’ 8”

Duration of rule: 1998-2000 / 2010-present, 7 years


Net worth: $215 million (2014)

“Kill” count: nationalization of power – media and tobacco industries, metal recycling

operations, private pension funds, rewriting constitution, imposing fines on journalists

who the state considers “unbalanced”

Residence: family residence at Cinege út 5, Budapest

GPS Coordinates: 47.510472, 18.981251

Expertise: political intrigue, law, economics


Sports: soccer (he also appears in the 2006 release of the Football Manager series of

soccer management simulation games)

Famous quote:

“Understanding [political] systems that are not Western, not liberal, not liberal

democracies and in some cases probably not even democracies, but are still making

nations a success is a top issue these days. Today the stars in international

analyses ... Singapore, China, India, Russia, Turkey.”

—Speech at the Tusványos Summer University in Tusnádfürdő, Romania, July 26,

2014

15

12. Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013)

Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was the Prime Minister of the United

Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990.

She was the longest-serving UK Prime Minister and the only woman to have held that

office. A Soviet journalist once called her the “Iron Lady,” a nickname that became

associated with her firm-hand leadership style. Branded Thatcherism, her policies

included an extreme form of laissez-faire brand of free market economics including

tax cuts for the wealthy. Following a slew of economic problems, by 1990 her approval

rating had plummeted to 20%, the lowest in UK history.

Born: October 13, 1925, Grantham, UK

Died: April 8, 2013, London, UK

Cause of death: stroke

Height: 5’ 5”




Kill count range: estimated at 910 (Irish Hunger Strikes in 1981, Falkland War in 1982);

over 3 million unemployed due to privatization of UK’s state-owned organizations

Residence: 10 Downing Street (her private Chester Square residence in London is

now for sale at £35 million).1

GPS Coordinates: 51.503376, -0.127522

Expertise: politics, economics, military and warfare, education, chemistry, fashion

Outfit: tailored skirt suit, strings of pearls, brooch, leather handbag

Publications: The Downing Street Years (1993), The Path to Power (1995)

Famous quote: “True power is like being a lady ... if you have to tell people you are,

you aren’t.”

—Speech to the National Union of Townswomen’s Guilds Conference, May 20, 1965

1 Margaret Thatcher was the longest-serving UK Prime Minister, therefore we chose 10 Downing Street, official British PM residence, as her “power palace” for the exhibition.

16

13. Silvio Berlusconi (b. 1936)

Silvio Berlusconi is an Italian media tycoon and popular politician who was elected

three times as Prime Minister of Italy, despite proven instances of illegal wiretapping,

sex with underage girls, and bribery. Berlusconi was the longest serving post-World

War II Italian Prime Minister. He resigned from his position in 2011 and was expelled

from the Senate in 2013. According to Forbes in 2014, Berlusconi is ranked the sixth

richest person in Italy. While accumulating his wealth, Berlusconi left the country’s

economy in dire straits. According to The Economist, between 2000 and 2010 under

Berlusconi’s second and third term, Italy’s average GDP growth was merely 0.25% a

year, barely above the bottommost countries Zimbabwe and Haiti.

Born: September 29, 1936 (age 78), Milan, Italy

Height: 5’ 5”

Duration of rule: 1994-1995 / 2001-2006 / 2008-2011, 9 years


Net worth: $7.2 billion (2014)

“Kill” count: centralization of media (control 90% of Italian, etc.), fines and 10 cases of

imprisonment of journalists for defamation, oppression of press freedom

Residence: Villa San Martino in Arcore, Lombardia

GPS Coordinates: 45.626447, 9.316955

Expertise: political intrigue, economics, media, sports, sex, partying, comedy


Sports: soccer (owner of the Italian soccer club AC Milan since 1986)

Publications: L’Italia Che Ho in Mente (The Italy I Have in Mind) (2000)

Famous quote:

“I am the Jesus Christ of politics. I am a patient victim, I sacrifice myself for everyone.”

—Speech at the launch of 2006 campaign, cited in “Berlusconi in his own words,”

BBC, May 2, 2006

17

14. Juan Perón (1895-1974), with Evita Perón (1919-1952)

Juan Domingo Perón was elected President of Argentina three times. He served from

June 1946 to September 1955, taking a hiatus after being deposed in a coup d’état,

and then in 1973 returned as head of state for one year. During his first Presidential

term, Perón was supported by his second wife, a former actress, Eva Duarte (Evita).

The two were immensely popular among many Argentines, even though Peron

restricted constitutional liberties, suppressed the opposition, and nationalized public

services. Evita Perón founded and ran the nation’s major political Female Peronist

Party, and nearly became Argentina’s Vice President. After she died in 1952 Peron

remarried; his third wife, María Estela Martínez aka Isabel Perón, was elected Vice

President, succeeding him as President upon his death.

Born: October 8, 1895, Lobos, Argentina

Died: July 1, 1974, Olivos, Argentina


Height: 5’ 10”

Duration of rule: 1946-1955 / 1973-1974, 10 years


“Kill” count range: over 1,500 laid-off university faculty who opposed to Perón’s

regime; some universities were closed for years; support for fascist leaders who fled

Argentina after World War II

Residence: Casa Rosada (The Pink House) in Buenos Aires

GPS Coordinates: -34.607720, -58.370171

Expertise: political intrigue, military, economics, sports

Outfit: military uniform, suit and tie

Sports: fencing, boxing, skiing

Publications: La Hora de los Pueblos (The Hour of the People) (1968)

Famous quote: “Everything for a friend, not even justice for an enemy.”

—Cited in Klaus Friedrich Veigel, Dictatorship, Democracy, and Globalization:

Argentina and the Cost of Paralysis, 1973-2001, 2009

18

15. Fidel Castro (b. 1926)

Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz served as Prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976,

President from 1976 to 2008, and First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba

from 1961 until 2011. Castro led the 1959 Cuban Revolution, which ousted President

Fulgencio Batista. He then created the first communist state in the western

hemisphere. Based on an agreement with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev (D20

third-tier runner up), Castro allowed the Soviets to place nuclear missiles in Cuba,

leading to the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 during the Cold War. Due to failing health,

in 2006, Castro transferred his responsibilities to his younger brother Raúl, who

formally assumed Cuban presidency in 2008.

Born: August 13, 1926 (age 88), Birán, Cuba

Height: 6’ 3”


Came to power: the Cuban Revolution (1953-1959)

Net worth: $900 million (2006) (disputed)


Residence: Havana Compound

GPS Coordinates: 23.080633, -82.485488

Expertise: political and military theories, law, economics, literature

Outfit: military suit, military cap, polyester jogging suit

Sports: basketball, swimming

Publications: History Will Absolve Me (1953), My Life: A Spoken Autobiography

(conversations with Ignacio Ramonet) (2006)

Famous quote:

“I am not a dictator, and I do not think I will become one. I will not maintain power with

a machine gun.”

—Interview with Ruth Lloyd in January 1959, cited in “I Won’t Be a Dictator,” The

Spokesman-Review, May 24, 1959

19

16a. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (b. 1956)

In 2005, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a former engineering professor, won the

presidential election with 62% of the electorate, becoming the sixth President of Iran.

He then served another term through 2013. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali

Khamenei formally endorsed Ahmadinejad’s hardline presidency. Ahmadinejad’s

policies were riddled with nationalism and anti-West themes. He was an outspoken

supporter of Iran’s nuclear program and insisted that it was for peaceful purposes.

Ahmadinejad openly called the Holocaust a “myth,” and appealed to put an end to

Israel’s “Zionist” regime. He banned western films, books, music, and clothing, and

even outlawed Valentine’s Day gifts. More recently, Ahmadinejad launched his official

website Ahmadinejad.ir, signaling a possible political comeback.

Born: October 28, 1956 (age 58), Aradan, Iran

Height: 5’ 2”




“Kill” count: 40 newspapers and other publications shutdown from 2009 to 2012

Residence: Sa’dabad Palace in Tehran

GPS Coordinates: 35.817239, 51.423719

Expertise: political repression, economics, nuclear power, Islam, engineering

Outfit: Members Only jacket, suit

Famous quote:

“Some segments within the US government orchestrated the attack [on 9/11] to

reverse the declining American economy and its grips on the Middle East in order also

to save the Zionist regime. The majority of the American people as well as other

nations and politicians agree with this view.”

—Speech at the 66th session of the United Nations General Assembly, September 13,

2010

20

16b. Ali Khamenei (b. 1939)

Ali Hosseini Khamenei is the second and current Supreme Leader of Iran and a Shia

Cleric. He had also served as president of Iran from 1981 to 1989 and guided the

military during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-88). Khamenei has controlled the main levers

of state – the courts, military, and media – since 1989. As the head of state, he is

unwilling to compromise. Domestically, Khamenei presides over the population, and

instituted a brutal quashing the 2009 Green Revolution. Internationally, he has

maintained both the US and Israel as enemies. Although Khamenei enjoys a

reputation for moderation and humility, a 2013 Reuters investigation revealed that he

controls a $95 billion business empire.

Born: July 17, 1939 (age 75), Mashhad, Iran

Height: 5’ 7”

Duration of rule: 1981-1989 (as President) / 1989-present, (as Supreme Leader), 34

years

Came to power: elections, succeeded Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989

Net worth: $95 billion (2013) (disputed)

Kill count range: 51,400-140,000 (combined with Ruhollah Khomeini)

Residence: Niavaran Palace in Tehran

GPS Coordinates: 35.811803, 51.473315

Expertise: politics, military, Islam, philosophy, language, literature

Outfit: qabaa (cloak) and turban, Basiji (militia) outfit (during his early days)

Publications: Iqbal: Manifestation of the Islamic Spirit (1991)

Famous quote:

“Today, America poses a threat to peace and security in the world ... Today, you see

throughout the world people setting fire to the effigy of the American president and

chanting the slogan ‘Death to America.’ This is because of the American regime’s

exaggerated demands, its arrogance, its vanity, and its desire to control, and because

it is a pawn in the hands of the Zionists.”

—Speech on Channel 1, Iranian TV, March 21, 2006

21

16c. Ruhollah Khomeini (1901-1989)

Ruhollah Mostafavi Moosavi Khomeini, often referred as Imam Khomeini or Ayatollah

Khomeini, was the leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which saw the overthrow of

the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Following the Revolution, Khomeini

declared Iran an Islamic Republic and became the country’s first Supreme Leader, a

position embedded in the constitution as the highest-ranking political and religious

authority of the nation. By issuing strict dress codes and forbidding all non-religious

music, Khomeini planted seeds of anti-Americanism. He had supported the

hostage-takers during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis and had called the US the “Great

Satan.” In 1988, he ordered the execution of thousands of political prisoners.

Born: September 24, 1902, Khomeyn, Iran

Died: June 3, 1989, Tehran, Iran


Height: 5’ 9”


Came to power: Iranian Revolution of 1979

Kill count range: 51,400-140,000 (combined with Ali Khamenei)

Residence: Ayatollah Khomeini’s House in Jamaran, Tehran

GPS Coordinates: 35.817599, 51.457768

Expertise: political theories, military, Islam, philosophy, literature, economics

Outfit: qabaa (cloak) and turban

Publications: Tahrir Al-Wasilah (Means of Salvation) (1965), Islamic Government

(1979)

Famous quote:

“When anyone studies a little or pays a little attention to the rules of Islamic

government, Islamic politics, Islamic society and Islamic economy he will realize that

Islam is a very political religion. Anyone who will say that religion is separate from

politics is a fool; he does not know Islam or politics.”

—Ruhollah Khomeini, Tahrir Al-Wasilah (Means of Salvation), 1965

22

17. Saddam Hussein (1937-2006)

Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq. When he was

young, Saddam studied the lives of Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin: his library was

filled with books on Stalin. During his leadership, Hussein had led many wars,

including the invasions of Iran (1980) and Kuwait (1990). In 2003, a US-led coalition

invaded Iraq to depose Hussein, accusing him of possessing weapons of mass

destruction and having ties to Al-Qaeda. Although no proof of these particular

offences was ever found, in 2006 Saddam was convicted of crimes against humanity

and sentenced to death.

Born: April 28, 1937, Al-Awja, Iraq

Died: December 30, 2006, Kadhimiya, Iraq

Cause of death: capital punishment by hanging

Height: 6’ 2”


Came to power: forced resignation of predecessor President Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr


Kill count range: 995,000-1.075 million

Residence: Radwaniyah Palace in Baghdad

GPS Coordinates: 33.250493, 44.268885

Expertise: political repression, military and warfare, chemical weapons, architecture,

writing

Outfit: military uniform, military beret

Publications: The Fortified Castle (2001), Zabibah and the King (2010)

Famous quote: “I know that there are scores of people plotting to kill me, and this is

not difficult to understand. After all, did we not seize power by plotting against our

predecessors? However, I am far cleverer than they are. I know they are conspiring to

kill me long before they actually start planning to do it. This enables me to get them

before they have the faintest chance of striking at me.”

—Cited in Efraim Karsh, Inari Rautsi, Saddam Hussein: A Political Biography, 2002

23

18. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is the 12th and current President of Turkey. From 1994 to

1998, he was Mayor of Istanbul, and from 2003 to 2014, he served as Turkey’s 36th

Prime Minister. Human Rights Watch warned in a recent report that Turkey has

undergone a rollback in human rights advances under Erdoğan’s leadership over the

last decade. He has shown zero tolerance for political opposition, public protest, and

critical media; he instigated a successful crack down on mass protests in 2013-14 and,

shortly thereafter, in the 2014 presidential race, won Turkey’s first direct elections with

51.79% of the vote. He recently unveiled his new presidential palace, the world’s

largest (and perhaps most grandiose), costing $350 million.

Born: February 26, 1954 (age 60), Kasımpaşa, Turkey

Height: 6’ 0”

Duration of rule: 2003-2014 (as Prime Minister) / 2014-present (as President), 12

years



“Kill” count: violent crackdown on protesters, imprisonment of political opponents and

journalists, restrictions on social media, ban on piercings and tattoos as expressions

of one’s personality

Residence: Ak Saray (The White Palace) in Ankara

GPS Coordinates: 39.930452, 32.797484

Expertise: political intrigue, military, Islam, economics, sports


Sports: soccer (he played semi-professional soccer at a local club in Kasımpaşa

before starting his political career)

Famous quote:

“Democracy is like a train that takes you to your destination, and then you get off.”

—Cited in Gregory Viscusi et al., “Arabs Battling Regimes See Erdogan’s Muslim

Democracy as Model,” Bloomberg, February 4, 2011

24

19a. Vladimir Putin (b. 1952)

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin has been President of Russia twice, from 2000 to 2008

and now since 2012. Putin served as Prime Minister in the interim, yet remaining the

de facto head of state. Although originally his strong-hand rule brought prosperity to

Russia (until 2008, GDP was growing at 7-8% annually), in recent years Putin, former

KGB operative, has turned more authoritarian, stifling press and oppressing civil

society, all leading to last year’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine

against all international norms. His decisive actions make him immensely popular

with the Russians. His influence in world affairs was also recognized by TIME as

runner up for Person of the Year in 2008 and 2014.

Born: October 7, 1952 (age 62), Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Russia,

Height: 5’ 6”

Duration of rule: 2000-2008 (as President) / 2008-2012 (as Prime Minister) /

2012-present (as President), 15 years

Came to power: appointed by President Boris Yeltsin and elections


Kill count range: 130-169 journalists killed; 10-70 dissidents imprisoned; investigation

of 1,000 NGOs, shutdown of many NGOs as “foreign agents”

Residence: Putin’s palace on the Black Sea coast (and other real estate)

GPS Coordinates: 44.419383, 38.205136 (Putin’s palace on the Black Sea coast)

Expertise: political intrigue, military, history, law, intelligence, sports, animal rescue

Outfit: suit and tie, sometimes half naked

Publications: Judo: History, Theory, Practice (co-authored with Vasilii Shestakov,

Alexey Levitsky) (2004)

Sports: martial arts (judo and sambo), ice hockey, skiing, swimming

Famous quote: “I consider it to be my sacred duty to unify the people of Russia, to

rally citizens around clear aims and tasks, and to remember every day and every

minute that we have one Motherland, one people and one future.”

—Cited in Putin’s biography on his presidential website, eng.kremlin.ru

25

19b. Joseph Stalin (1878-1953)

Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin, born Dzhugashvili, was the General Secretary of the

Communist Party of the Soviet Union’s Central Committee from 1922 until his death in

1953. In his 30s he took the name Stalin, from the Russian for “man of steel.” After

Vladimir Lenin’s death in 1924, Stalin promoted himself as his political heir. He forced

rapid industrialization and the collectivization of agricultural land, resulting in the

death of millions from famine while others were sent to labor camps (the Gulag).

Under his leadership, the Soviet Army was the major force in defeating Nazi Germany

in World War II. Stalin’s ruling philosophy has influenced and inspired numerous

autocrats.

Born: December 18, 1878, Gori, Georgia, Russian Empire

Died: March 5, 1953, Kuntsevo Dacha, outside of Moscow

Cause of death: cerebral hemorrhage

Height: 5’ 5”


Came to power: formally after the death of Vladimir Lenin

Kill count range: 20-60 million

Residence: Kuntsevo Dacha

GPS Coordinates: 55.724509, 37.485571

Expertise: political and military theories, warfare, planned economy, forced labor, arts

Outfit: military suit

Publications: Dialectical and Historical Materialism (1938), The Essential Stalin: Major

Theoretical Writings: 1905-52 (1972)

Famous quote:

“I consider it completely unimportant who in the party will vote, or how; but what is

extraordinarily important is this – who will count the votes, and how.”

—Cited in Boris Bazhanov, The Memoirs of Stalin’s Former Secretary, 1992

26

20a. Dick Cheney (b. 1941)

Richard Bruce Cheney was the 46th Vice President of the United States from 2001 to

2009, under President George W. Bush. In 1989, he served as Secretary of Defense

during George H.W. Bush’s presidency. From 1995-2000, Cheney was the Chairman

and CEO of Halliburton Company. In 2000, he was appointed to chair the younger

Bush’s vice presidential search committee, but chose himself as a candidate. During

his two terms, Cheney initiated two wars, in Afghanistan and Iraq as part of a larger

War on Terror, and engineered domestic surveillance program of the National

Security Agency (NSA). He is considered the most powerful Vice President in

American history.

Born: January 30, 1941 (age 73), Lincoln, NE, USA

Height: 5’ 8”


Came to power: elected with President George W. Bush


Kill count range: 219,000-636,000 (US troops and Afghan and Iraq civilians)

Residence: family house in Wilson, WY (and “undisclosed location” in St. Michaels,

MD)

GPS Coordinates: 43.527808, -110.846897 (family house in Wilson)

Expertise: political manipulation, military and warfare, national security, business

Outfit: suit and tie, fleece jacket, cowboy hat

Publications: In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir (co-authored with daughter

Liz Cheney) (2011), Heart: An American Medical Odyssey (co-authored with

cardiologist Jonathan Reiner and Liz Cheney) (2013)

Sports: hunting, fly-fishing

Famous quote: “I did what I did. It’s all on the public record, and I feel very good about

it. If I had to do it over again, I'd do it in a minute.”

—Cited in The World According to Dick Cheney (dir. Greg Finton, R.J. Cutler, 2

013)

27

20b. Richard Nixon (1913-1994)

Richard Milhous Nixon, also known as “Tricky Dick,” was USA’s 37th President,

serving from 1969 to 1974. Nixon had previously served as a US Representative and

Senator from California, and as the 36th Vice President from 1953 to 1961. After

losing the 20-year American war in Vietnam and improving international relations with

USSR and China, he became the only President to ever resign from office; his

resignation was a result of the eavesdropping Watergate scandal. He was later issued

a pardon by his successor, Gerald Ford. Once out of office, Nixon made it his personal

mission to redeem his reputation, penning several books, visiting foreign countries

and advising Presidents on foreign policy. Nixon made Gallup’s list of the world’s 10

most admired men 20 times, even with his tainted reputation.

Born: January 9, 1913, Yorba Linda, CA

Died: April 22, 1994, New York City, NY

Cause of death: stroke

Height: 5’ 11”




Kill count range: 71,000-171,000 (US troops and civilians on Indochina Peninsula in

Southeast Asia)

Residence: La Casa Pacifica (The Western White House) in San Clemente, CA

GPS Coordinates: 33.390989,-117.597081

Expertise: political intrigue, military and warfare, surveillance, law, literature, music,

debate


Sports: football (He played on the Whittier College football team)

Publications: RN: The Memoirs of Richard Nixon (1978), Leaders (1982)

Famous quote: “The greatest honor history can bestow is the title of peacemaker.”

—Nixon’s Inaugural Address, January 20, 1969

28

Documents

Fact Sheets of the D20