The Worst African Dictator...

According to Peter Maass at Slate, it isn't Mugabe. Maass focuses his article on the fact that Obiang is the devil we don't know due to lack of media coverage and any official condemnation from the U.S. He points out that Condie Rice has referred to Obiang as a "good friend," which makes you wonder about the old adage regarding "With friends like these..."

I understand that the media neccesarily can't make news of all "bad" leaders of government, but it does seem odd that Obiang and his goons have gotten such an obvious free pass from the Western media and governments.

The U.S. government is not propping up Mugabe, but with billions invested by American companies in Equatorial Guinea, it is propping up Obiang. The Equatorial Guinean minister who owns the building that houses the U.S. Embassy in Malabo has even been accused of torture by human rights organizations. Instead of seeking an indictment against the man, the U.S. government is putting rent money in his pocket. (A lot of rent money, actually—$17,500 a month.)

You haven't heard that before? The tragedy is that you might not hear of it again.

Ooops, not a free pass, but a paid one!