Even little Swaziland, where 144, 000 need help, is out of favour with donors, because of the way its absolute monarch persecutes Swazis who demand democracy.

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It is now an ally of Iran, home to a prime minister who persecutes his own political opposition, and unashamedly supports the Assad regime in Syria.

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"What Hussein does, " says a prominent Iraqi who now lives outside the country but requests anonymity to protect his family still inside the country, "is to 'investigate' families 'to the fourth degree, '" meaning the government persecutes a family out to the fourth cousin.

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