‘States of fear’ are run by rulers who flout the law, basic morals

Rwanda is a republic of fear. That’s what available evidence suggests in spite of all the accolades about its zealously guarded reputation as an “African tiger.” I agree that Rwanda is a tiger alright, but of another species whose tail you better not pinch. There’s no doubt Rwanda’s “benevolent” dictator Paul Kagame has prevented the tiny country from erupting into another spasm of genocide. He’s pursued a “shiny objects” development policy with the pliable assistance of the Bretton Woods institutions.

He’s trying to do a Lee Kuan Yew, which Singapore rode to stratospheric development. Time will tell if he’s spun a mirage. But what we know is that he’s running a deadly police state and a kleptocracy of fear.  On October 2, 2018, Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi Washington Post writer walked into his country’s consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Mr Khashoggi would never come out because he was set upon by senior Saudi officials sent from Riyadh to kill him. The brutality of the “operation” shocked the entire world. The men strangled and dismembered him with a saw.