I wrote in my Africa blog about a website promoting the future presidential ambitions of the former Nigerian military dictator Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (known as IBB). The site had such an Orwellian sycophancy that you could only laugh hysterically.
IBB is generally thought of as one of the worst of the country's many military strongmen, surpassed only by his infamous successor Gen. Sani Abacha, but the website calls him a great hero of human rights.
The website also notes that IBB set up a two-party system for Nigeria to replace the chaotic several parties that contributed to the demise of the previous two republics.
[As an acquaintance of mine put it, "You could also say that Hitler set up a one-race system for Germany to replace the chaotic several races that contributed to the demise of the previous two Reichs."]
Any sane person would wonder if they're talking about the same IBB who ANNULLED the elections which were supposed to be the culmination of that supposed democratization process.
It might be easy to dismiss these rationalizations as the shameless rantings of a lunatic trying to assure his reputation. However, it's worth noting that at least the above statement is given quite a bit of credibility here in the United States.
After all, our political system is regularly described as a two-party system. Republicans, Democratic and the cognoscenti consistently belittle anyone who considers voting for a Green Party candidate, or a Libertarian or a Constitutionalist. True multipartyism is too chaotic for an American public used to choosing between 30 different brands of white bread. "It's a wasted vote," they huff and puff.
Who'd have thought their opinions on democracy would be on the same wavelength with a military dictator?
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