“General Franco, like General Pinochet, are heroes, period.”
Absolutely; when we were engaged in the Cold War, we supported military governments around the world that helped contain communism. Sadly, when the Cold War ended we abandoned many of those allies. I thought it was very classy of Thatcher to praise Pinochet as a worthy ally upon his death; he helped Britain during the Falklands War with pressure on the western border of Argentina (which is why so many of the troops sent to the Falklands were so young/inexperienced). On the other hand, we jailed men like Noriega who at one time were allies...
So wasn't Saddam Hussein, the Shah of Iran and the Somoza family in Nicaragua. They all did well in the end, eh? That “Arab Spring” worked out for Hosni Mubarak, eh? Not to mention any non-Muslims in any of these countries.
What incentive would anyone need to be “our” ally, especially with this assclown as POTUS? You'd have to be as oblivious as a brick wall to know that when TSHTF-time comes, the US will toss you to the (even more) savage beasts that are overthrowing you. What a deal...