Margaret Thatcher died Monday, April 8, 2013, at the age of 87. Predictably, there is no dearth of hagiographic profiles of the former British Prime Minister in the mainstream press and scathing vitriol elsewhere. But while The Economist hails Thatcher for her \u201cwillingness to stand up to tyranny\u201d and Barack Obama calls her \u201cone of the great champions of freedom and liberty,\u201d it should be remembered that, throughout her career, Thatcher was a staunch supporter of many of the world\u2019s most brutal regimes, propping up and arming war criminals and dictators in service to Western imperialism, anti-Communism and neoliberal hegemony.<\/p>\n
Throughout the 1980s, Thatcher\u2019s government backed Iraq during its war against Iran, funneling weapons and equipment to Saddam Hussein in contravention of both international law and British policy, all the way up until Saddam\u2019s invasion of Kuwait. She even sent Christmas cards to both Saddam and Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi in 1981.<\/p>\n
During her first trip to Israel in 1965, less than two decades after the Nakba and while Palestinians still lived under martial law, Thatcher spoke highly of Israelis for \u201ctheir sense of purpose and complete dedication, their pioneer spirit, and their realism.\u201d She later advocated that Palestinian self-determination be realized within the context of \u201csome kind of federation with Jordan,\u201d which she deemed \u201cthe best and most acceptable solution.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 1986, Thatcher said of Golda Meir, who not only denied the Palestinian right of return but also the existence of Palestinians in general, \u201cI greatly admired her. I greatly admired her as a war leader. I greatly admired her tremendous courage. I greatly admired her as a pioneer. I greatly admired her as a great human being, warm, thoughtful, kind, for all her fellow citizens and for human kind in the world as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s just the tip of the iceberg. Here\u2019s a review of some of her other pals\u2026<\/p>\n