Assassinating a dictator, Can it be justified? Options

[simx]

Can the assassination of a dictator be justified?

[Ington]

I hate how people always think of dictators as evil tyrants.

If the dictator was killing people, its the same as giving a murderer the death penalty. An eye for an eye.

If he's a bad ruler and its a time of crisis (ie: attack from other nations), and the dictator can't properly protect the country, I think that might be neccessary for the survival of the entire country. Overthrow the dictator and put a new one up. However, in real life it would be way more complicated than just that.

But if the dictator is just annoying, then no. Thats just stupid.

Saddam Hussein = A dictator. Saddam Hussein =/= All dictators.

Ever hear about the Roman Empire? After the republic, a dictator came into power. He set the Roman Empire on its path to its golden age and then stepped down. Yeah. I just felt that had to be said, for the definitions sake. Dictators can be good too.

[*mipadi*]

Saddam Hussein = A dictator. Saddam Hussein =/= All dictators.

Ever hear about the Roman Empire? After the republic, a dictator came into power. He set the Roman Empire on its path to its golden age and then stepped down. Yeah. I just felt that had to be said, for the definitions sake. Dictators can be good too.

The dictator in the Roman Empire did not come after the Republic, but rather during the Republic. The Office of the Dictator was set up in order to give someone emergency powers in order to quell rebellion, repel invasion, and so forth. The term lasted six months, in which case control returned to the republican government.

Not all dictators were benevolent in Rome. Julius Caesar and Lucius Cornelius Sulla are two prime examples. In fact, the Office of the Dictator was abolished after the fiasco with Caesar, who declared himself dictator for life.

(Incidentally, the idea of the Office of the Dictator, and the subsquequent abuse of power by some dictators, is mirrored in Star Wars Episodes II and III.)