Photo Gallery Desperate Despots
First it was Ben Ali in Tunisia, then Mubarak in Egypt. Libya's Gadhafi could be next. From Cuba to China, dictators are watching events in the Arab world with alarm, knowing that the Internet is spreading ideas to their populations. This photo shows Moammar Gadhafi in Rome in August 2010.
Victims of the regime in Beghazi: Gadhafi seems capable of clinging on to power with any means at his disposal.
Regimes around the world are wondering if they could be next. Although Cuba's Fidel Castro has officially handed over power to his brother Raul, he still helps to decide which members of the opposition get thrown in jail.
General Than Shwe is still in control of Burma, even though he officially relinquished power in February.
North Korea's Kim Jong Il has been highly successful in sealing off his country from the outside world. Popular protests seem unlikely.
The uprisings in the Arab world appear to be making Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko nervous, even though domestic and foreign experts agree that he is firmly in control of Belarus.
In Iran, both the regime and the opposition have welcomed the revolution in Egypt. But Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's thugs are still cracking down on protests as violently as before.
Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe has cracked down on activists who were inspired by the events in North Africa.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad comes across as urbane, but he does not tolerate opposition in his country.
Abdelaziz Bouteflika has been president of Algeria since 1999.
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been tolerated by the US as an ally in the war on terror.
The king of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, has been in power since 1999.
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has tried to use his country's oil wealth to buy stability.
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for crimes against humanity.
Libya's Gadhafi has made a series of bizarre television appearances in recent days, including this one on Feb. 22.
