History offers disturbing parallels. "The Dictator's Playbook," a current PBS series, documents the rise of recent dictators. To date, the political careers of Kim Il Sung, Saddam Hussein and Benito Mussolini. These individuals represent very different cultures. The tools employed to gain power, however, follow a recurrent pattern: 1) Fear. 2) Policies creating a divisive atmosphere. 3) “Identifying" an enemy. 4) Extreme nationalism.
Marcia Gold
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.