strongman

They said he could no longer assume that the backing of regional strongmen would translate into a popular victory.

His rule resembled that of other African "strongmen" of the time and is criticized for its dictatorial tendencies and widespread corruption.

At least some aid, for example to Venezuela, seems to have been inspired by Lula's soft spot for leftist strongmen.

Around a dozen members of the city council appear to have been elected with the help of blocks of votes delivered by local strongmen.

Boards are becoming more independent and professional, rendering the old-style strongmen ever more of an anachronism.

Like most strongmen, Suharto refused to deal with the problem of succession until it was forced upon him.

When strongmen are vulnerable, as now, the priority is to push them towards reform and away from violence.

And the West has surrendered to this despair too, assuming that only the strongmen could hold back the extremists.

We tend to paint these strongmen as larger than life, but their dominance can vanish in an instant.

But most of the time strongmen are not vulnerable, and then the judgment becomes more complicated.

It moved to freeze the assets of the Tunisian and Egyptian strongmen only after they had fled or resigned.

It includes not just religious zealots but all manner of tribal warlords and local strongmen.

Relations get especially tricky for the Chinese when strongmen fail to maintain stability.

And some councils have been hijacked by local strongmen just the same.

Moreover, after six decades under military strongmen, generals and protesters alike know that oppression and poverty lead down a dead end.

Almost miraculously, the people overwhelmed the strongmen who had oppressed them for decades.

Military strongmen have ruled Egypt since 1952.

Two of Central Asia's strongmen and their daughters ponder succession