In the years since then, Indonesia has charted its own course through an extraordinary democratic transformation -- from the rule of an iron fist to the rule of the people.
Lessons in leadership from a politician with autocratic tendencies may well conflict with the iron-clad rule of survival as his number two: never pose a threat.
Under nearly 40 years of Fidel Castro's iron rule, the country has devolved into a dilapidated mess, with poor infrastructure and minimal services.
Whether it was appeasing the Soviet premiers of yesteryear or coddling today's Arab autocrats, the tendency to see the merits of such iron-fisted rule has colored Western strategic thinking.
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The story is set in Indonesia on the eve of the attempted Communist coup in 1965, and which led to the 30 year rule of Suharto, who ruled the country with an iron fist.
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That is, he argued that it made sense to surrender massive amounts of strategically critical land to a terrorist organization because Arafat and his associates would repress their people with an iron fist, unfettered by the rule of law and Palestinian human rights organizations.
Many expect the coming Independent Payment Advisory Board, created under the new health overhaul law, to exert an iron-fist rule over payment policies.
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With an iron fist to rule out any source of instability, the Chinese government is determined to set the country on the right path.
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By contrast in Indonesia, the ethnic Chinese this year were allowed to celebrate the Lunar New Year for the first time in a generation, now that Suharto's iron rule is gone.
Brahimi said many Iraqis suggested a national convention be held to help the nation come together after years of war and decades of iron-fist rule by Saddam Hussein.
After decades of iron rule by one man, it will take time to build the institutions needed for a democratic Libya.
Given the nature of the proposed constitutional reforms, it is likely that Venezuela under Chavez's iron rule will impose more burdens and restrictions on privately owned businesses.
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The 61-year-old former military general pledged to rule Guatemala with an iron fist when he ran for office last year.
It is the "Arab Street's" overwhelming animosity towards Israel that causes the pragmatists to argue that Israel's best play is to cut deals with Arab dictators who rule with an iron fist.
The drama, which HBO hopes will fill the void left by The Sopranos, stars Steve Buscemi as politico and gangster Enoch "Nucky" Thompson, whose dirty hands and iron fist rule Prohibition-era Atlantic City.
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