Mr Aliyev, a former KGB officer, has faced strong opposition in Azerbaijan for his authoritarian style of leadership.

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Other African leaders also have resisted Mr. Mandela's example, especially those who found power after a struggle, like Yoweri Museveni in Uganda and Paul Kagame in Rwanda, men who were initially hailed as shining hopes for African leadership but are now showing authoritarian traits.

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In Scandinavian countries, for instance, leadership is more egalitarian and participatory and less authoritarian.

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So the U.S. and its allies also must make every effort to understand the leadership of adversaries or potential enemies a challenge particularly with respect to secretive authoritarian regimes.

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