Since I just finished reading one of his novels, and since African tyrant Mugabe has been in the news, I thought I’d share this bit by Jerry Pournelle on Brutal Repression:
There was damned little “brutal repression” in the British Empire (see the account of Miss mTombe’s toe in Rhodesia as an example; even in the Boer Republic of South Africa the repression was pretty mild compared to, say, Stalin). European colonialism had many faults, but I suspect that many in Rhodesia wish the British Raj and the Queen’s African Rifles were back. I suspect you could find some sentiments for the return of the Brits in Nigeria as well. The slogan “good government is no substitute for self government” is taking a hollow ring in many parts of the world.
Most regimes fall for lack of defenders. When nations no longer believe in what they are doing, the bureaucracy will continue for a while, using paid soldiers and police; but rule with mercenaries who are really mercenaries — that it who don’t believe in any cause and would change sides for more money — seldom works. After a while there are no more defenders.
I also point out that Islamist extremists definitely do believe in what they are doing, witness the recent executions by stoning for adultery in Iran.
Ferdinand of Austria famously said he would rather rule a desert than a Protestant nation, but when Wallenstein took him at his word he found he didn’t believe that after all. Apparently some of the Wahhabi do believe it.
Internal rot doesn’t usually destroy empires from within; see Wittfogel’s Oriental Despotism.