As these examples illustrate so well, dictators like to associate with the military by adding a General or Commander into the list. Some, such as Franco did come from a military role before becoming chief of state.
Others have had more lowly beginnings but do share a liking for a fancy uniform. Gaddafi was a classic example.
If you look over pictures across his time as ruler of Libya (1969-2011) there is noticeable change in his garb.
It begins as a simple unadorned jacket and is slowly transformed by additional insignia and increasing amounts of braid until it looks like a fancy dress costume.
It would be laughable if not for the fact that the man inside the ridiculous get-up was a cruel and despotic ruler.
For reasons that should require little explanations, citizens around the world should always become wary when politicians talk about usurping rights in exchange for protection from threats.
This includes talking up threats to create fear as a cover to remove citizens' rights or fixing blame to certain sections of society as a political ploy to disguise actions that falls outside the constitution. We do not need to look far to see what this means in reality.
Australia, under successive governments has whittled away at human rights.
Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott pushed this boat out as far as he could to "Stop the Boats" by redrawing the constitutional boundaries to include offshore detention centres to hold asylum seekers in virtual prison camps, inhibiting access to due legal process and doubling down on secrecy by making it an offence, punishable by a prison sentence, if those charged with the care of asylum seeker families were to speak out about the living conditions on Nauru or Christmas Island.
The Australian Government also attempted to silence their independent Human Rights Commissioner when she brought this state of affairs to notice in a report on children in detention.
Recently, Australian and NZ doctors wrote to the Australian Government condemning the practice of holding children in these camps, noting there is clear evidence this is a completely inappropriate environment for children.
The wider NZ community has suddenly become aware of the Australian modis operandi of holding people in detention without legal representation because a number of NZers, who have served prison sentences there, have been rounded up for deportation and transferred to the same camps for an indefinite period with no access to legal representation.
This has come as a shock to those who had regarded Australia as a benign neighbour with whom we share military duties in Afghanistan.
The troops are doing their job but NZ should be cautious about throwing in our lot with a government that blatantly disregards international law.
- Terry Sarten is a social worker, writer and musician. Feedback: tgs@inspire.net.nz
