Muse – Thinking Like a Dictator

Sometimes I find myself looking at the events of politics and global intrigue, then placing myself in varying roles. Seeking to use my own cunning to figure out just what might be going on behind the scenes.

One of my favored activities for the past few years has been playing online role-playing games. One in which you take on a new persona and personality, seeking to play the life of a fictional person in a fictional world. Though I don’t do so often, I do like to play villain at times in such games. Its an intriguing exercise to let one’s darker thoughts free to romp and forget what you rail against daily.

The lessons of reality play well for one who wishes to play the dark side. Looking at the terrorists and dictators of the day, as well as political and military leaders from every cloth you can learn things. Like the potent nature of ricin and the terrifying effects of chemical weapons. The way you can manipulate a great power into dancing like a puppet on string and ways to evade the capture of authorities that would seek to detain you or kill you.

Harsh lessons in reality, bent to amusing and introspective usage in the realm of fiction. A way to vent the built up frustrations of a sometimes futile existence. Or seemingly so, as I believe it not so futile as some might.

Thus back to my start, that I sometimes seek to think like a dictator, like a terrorist, like a murderer. Entering the mind of your enemy can help you understand and counter him. This has helped me see just how it could be that the events of the day might be a long range plan by Bin Laden(be he dead or alive now), to sow the seeds of discontent. Seeing what the US has done or not done in Afghanistan could lead one to believe Iraq would fare no different. And the most dangerous foes are those with cunning and imagination.

So to do I consider Saddam. His direct rule of Iraq is gone. That much can be pretty certain. His death.. that we don’t know, but either way his lingering influence is still a dangerous thing. While much of the country was forced under his rule, there are those elements that followed him purposefully. And those elements now are to be considered dangerous.

Yet how can one pick them out? Long range duplicity aside, one thing that a foreign power can depend on is that the United States military won’t wipe out a population. Nor, without goading, subjugate a people entirely. That would be too much tarnish on the US image. Personally, when I couple that innate fact with the sudden ‘evaporation’ of fighting forces, it leads me to wonder if this folding was planned or not.

Thinking critically, as if I were in Saddam’s shoes, it would be obvious to me that no straight up war could be won against the US. That would take the sort of tactical smarts that comes rarely in each generation of human potential. Considering surrendering soldiers are likely to be allowed to remain among the living, it would make sense to let your loyal forces fold and be reintegrated into society. A cover from which to strike out at the enemy.

The only question is, would Saddam do it. I’m not sure.. he might seek to or perhaps his advisors in his stead. But I know that he won’t be found outside of Iraq, if what I have heard of his character is true. He will remain in Iraq, no matter what. Even if he is trapped in a bunker for years or returned to the dust of the earth.

In general, the last bit was a little too easy for my liking. To have forces more or less vanish as a group overnight is a little too convenient. And I fear that, with the victory and general gloating of the American public, the military might get a little too overconfident, a little to unobservant in the case of a possible counter offensive or possible partisan movement.

Then again, trying to counter such things before they start could be the nasty sort of oppression that terrorist leaders hope for, to garner more recruits and greater justification for their causes. Thus it might be, in a way, good that no one seems to be sharp on the lookout for a double cross or ruse. Then again, such lack of awareness or consideration could lead to deaths.

It’s hard to know what to think, what to feel and what to root for when gazing at the potential that is hinted at by the circumstantial. Save to hope that it doesn’t happen. Hopefully it won’t.