10 LAWS OF TYRANNY: Dada Ume Idi Amin from Uganda

Hieronymus Bosch. Christ in Limbo (fragment), 1575 / Art design: Olena Burdeina (FA_Photo) via Photoshop

According to the international organization Freedom House, about two-thirds of the world’s population live under full or partial dictatorships. Around 2 billion people suffer from the systemic repression imposed by these regimes. The paradox is that in most cases, dictators come to power much like Adolf Hitler — through democratic means.

It has been observed that social division and economic instability significantly increase the chances of success for authoritarian populists. And although the number of democratic countries steadily increased since 1977, today — amid global crisis — the effectiveness of democracies is being questioned by many.

Still, most scholars agree with Winston Churchill’s famous remark: «Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.» Sociologists have noted that the stronger the dictatorship, the greater the public demand for democratization.

Unfortunately, this «pendulum» swings both ways. With the launch of this column, the Huxley almanac invites readers to explore the «laws of tyranny,7 to better understand the nature of authoritarian power, and to uncover the histories and secrets of dictators.

We hope this will help us better navigate the complex interplay of today’s democratic and authoritarian trends.

10 RULES OF DADA UME IDI AMIN

he Ugandan dictator Dada Ume Idi Amin is undoubtedly one of the most infamous political figures in history. His full title read: «His Excellency President for Life, Field Marshal Al-Hadji Doctor Idi Amin, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Sea, Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular.»

He was eccentric, exotic, egocentric, highly persuasive, and, at times, even charming. None of this prevented him from earning the nickname «The Butcher of Uganda.»

His brutal and despotic rule as president of Uganda in the 1970s inspired numerous books and films, such as The Last King of Scotland (2006) and General Idi Amin Dada: A Self-Portrait (1974).

Often portrayed as an eccentric clown with delusions of grandeur, Amin is now considered one of the most ruthless and terrifying leaders in human history. Let’s take a look at the rules Amin followed to present himself to the world as a «model» dictator.

RULE 1. BE UNPREDICTABLE AND ECCENTRIC

Here is how Idi Amin was described by Brian Barron, BBC’s Africa correspondent from 1977 to 1981:

It was a sweltering day, yet Amin wore his field marshal’s uniform with a specially lengthened tunic — almost down to his knees — to accommodate all the medals he had awarded himself.
Gleaming in the sun was his Victoria Cross, self-declared as the Conqueror of the British Empire. He was clearly a bully, but he possessed a menacing charm. He was by no means stupid, though he spent all his energy preserving his own tyranny.

Among his many self-bestowed titles was one particularly absurd: the «Uncrowned King of Scotland.» Amin repeatedly declared his intention to liberate Scotland from the English, forced those around him to listen to Scottish music, and even attended the funeral of the King of Saudi Arabia wearing a kilt.

In 1975, Idi Amin declared war on the United States. However, Washington never had time to respond — just a day later, Amin announced that the war was over and that America had lost.

RULE 2. BE UTTERLY TERRIFYING

Idi Amin was born either in 1923 or 1925 to a mother renowned across Uganda as a traditional healer. A two-meter-tall giant with immense physical strength, Amin struggled with academics — he only barely learned to write as an adult. Seeking a path to advancement, he chose the military. In 1946, he joined the British King’s African Rifles.

As an officer, Amin fought for ten years in Burma, Somalia, Kenya, and Uganda, earning a reputation for sadistic behavior. He narrowly avoided dismissal several times due to beatings and torture of detainees.

Nevertheless, his extreme cruelty helped him climb the ranks and earn the title of effendi — the highest rank attainable by a Black man in the British army.

During his service, Amin became Uganda’s heavyweight boxing champion and held the title from 1951 to 1960. Boxing also helped him conserve ammunition: why shoot when you can beat your enemy to death with your fists?

RULE 3. EAT THE FLESH OF YOUR ENEMIES

Amin instilled paralyzing fear not only in his subordinates and adversaries. His actions horrified even the British administration, which nonetheless continued to support his military training. After Uganda gained independence, Amin was free to unleash his darkest impulses.

While suppressing the Turkana people, he reportedly personally mutilated men — cutting off their genitals and consuming them. He kept the heads of enemies in his home refrigerator and proudly showed them off. The high-ranking cannibal also enjoyed serving his guests «gourmet» dishes made from human flesh.

RULE 4. PROFIT FROM CORRUPTION AND WEAVE INTRIGUES

In independent Uganda, Amin rose to the rank of colonel and, alongside Prime Minister Milton Obote, became deeply involved in smuggling operations involving gold, coffee, and ivory. The immense profits from these deals helped him consolidate both influence and military power.

When President Edward Muteesa II initiated a parliamentary investigation into the smuggling activities, retaliation was swift: the constitution was suspended, ministers were arrested, the royal palace was stormed, and the president was forced into exile.

As a result, Obote assumed the presidency, and Amin became commander-in-chief of the army and air force. But Obote knew exactly whom he was dealing with and attempted to preemptively neutralize him. In 1971, while abroad and at a safe distance from his cannibalistic associate, Obote ordered Amin’s arrest.

Amin responded instantly with a coup d’état and declared himself president of Uganda. During his eight years in power, his regime is estimated to have killed up to 300,000 people.

RULE 5. PRACTICE RABID POPULISM

President Amin presented himself as the «savior of Uganda,» promising democratic elections and political freedoms — none of which ever materialized.

When archaeologists discovered the remains of a prehistoric human in the Rwenzori Mountains, dating back 2.6 million years, Amin declared the skeleton to be his distant ancestor and the very first human on Earth.

I am your father and the father of all fathers in the world. As an ordinary Ugandan, I know everything about you. I live inside each of you, knowing your hopes and dreams.

These words sent the public into raptures.

The massive cannibal had a terrifying charisma that electrified crowds. After coming to power, he released political prisoners and dissolved the secret police — while simultaneously forming «killer squads» to eliminate supporters of Obote.

RULE 6. CARRY OUT ETHNIC CLEANSING

Uganda descended into ethnic purges, targeting primarily the Acholi and Lango peoples — the same ethnic groups former Prime Minister Obote, then in exile in Tanzania, relied on. The cleansing began within the army and soon spread to the civilian population, culminating in aerial bombings of Tanzanian towns.

In just the first three months of terror, 10,000 people were killed. The regime especially targeted anyone whose surname began with the letter «O,» as Obote’s did.

The main torture site became the Nile Mansions Hotel in Kampala, while the «disposal center» for victims was a crocodile farm near Karuma Falls, where the reptiles were fed human flesh. The operation was profitable, too — families of the murdered had to pay to reclaim the bodies for proper burial.

RULE 7. FIND A SCAPEGOAT

By 1972, Amin realized that public dissatisfaction was growing and offered Ugandans a scapegoat. He blamed the country’s problems on Indians, who had been brought to Uganda by the British to help develop the economy.

Dominating trade, industry, and public service, the Indian community had been highly effective. Amin ordered 70,000 Asians to leave the country and «make room» for the indigenous population.

Ugandans enthusiastically supported the move. Along with declaring an «economic war» on Asians, Amin handed over 85 British-owned businesses to native Ugandans.

The country lost valuable professionals, and Ugandan citizens, unfamiliar with business management, quickly ran these companies into the ground. The nation plunged into a deep economic crisis — once again «managed» through torture chambers..

RULE 8. BEFRIEND THOSE LIKE YOU

Thanks to his eccentricity, Amin enjoyed a strange popularity in the Western press. Politicians in democratic countries didn’t initially take reports of his erratic behavior seriously — until he abruptly pivoted Uganda’s foreign policy.

He severed ties with Israel and established close connections with Libya and various terrorist organizations, including the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

He actively cooperated with the USSR, purchasing weapons and tripling the size of his army. In 1973, he backed Egypt and Syria in their war against Israel.

In June 1976, terrorists landed a hijacked Air France plane in a Ugandan airport. Amin personally welcomed them and supplied them with weapons.

But this didn’t help: in a daring raid, Israeli commandos rescued the hostages. Furious, Amin ordered the execution of several hundred innocent people, including a British hostage who had been hospitalized.

RULE 9. DEVELOP A PERSECUTION COMPLEX

As Uganda’s economy collapsed, so did Amin’s psyche. Possibly driven mad by years of murder, torture, and cannibalism, the dictator seemed haunted by the terror he had inflicted — until that terror completely consumed and dismantled his own identity.

Amin developed an extreme persecution complex. Surrounded by an absurd number of bodyguards, he constantly switched cars and residences. Even his four official wives fell under suspicion — at best, he divorced them; at worst, he sent them to the ICU.

In his final years, he had to recruit his personal guard from Sudan and Zaire. Soldiers were fleeing across the borders from the deranged tyrant, who saw conspiracies everywhere.

By then, ethnic Ugandans made up less than 25% of the army. To be fair, there really were conspiracies brewing — Ugandans had had enough.

RULE 10. LOSE YOUR ALLIES AND LIVE IN FEAR UNTIL THE END

Uganda’s economy lay in ruins. When news of Amin’s atrocities finally reached the global press, the Western world was horrified. Even the Eastern Bloc was appalled: using Soviet weapons, Amin invaded Tanzania — a country also supported by the USSR.

In the Soviet Union, Amin’s stunt of challenging Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere to a boxing match was, to put it mildly, not appreciated. After all, Nyerere was a respected theorist and practitioner of «African socialism,» while Amin was merely a cannibal with socialist sympathies.

Everyone turned their backs on Amin. When Tanzanian troops entered Uganda, his regime collapsed like a house of cards. Amin fled to Libya and later settled in Saudi Arabia. He died in luxury on a villa by the Red Sea.

He never acknowledged any guilt for his crimes and remained convinced that Uganda was worse off without him. Still, he was never able to rid himself of the paralyzing fear of assassination.

THE END OF A DICTATOR

Even when the dictator fell into a coma shortly before death, he was surrounded by an extraordinary number of bodyguards. Not a single one of them was Ugandan.

10 LAWS OF TYRANNY: Jean-Bédel Bokassa of Central Africa