Lipstick on a Dictator

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Teodoro Obiang and Condoleezza Rice

"On an unusually warm morning in Washington, D.C., last spring," writes Joshua Kurlantzick, "Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stood before a pack of reporters for a briefing, one of Africa's most notorious dictators at her side." The man she praised as "a good friend" was Teodoro Obiang, who has ruled Equatorial Guinea through two decades of torture and terror while claiming that he has "permanent contact with the Almighty" and therefore can "kill anyone without being called to account." The moment was a victory of sorts for the PR firm of Cassidy and Associates, which has been paid $120,000 per month since 2004 to overhaul the country's image. According to PR industry observer Kevin McCauley, countries with image problems have beefed up their PR efforts, inspired in part by the example of Saudi Arabia, which paid Qorvis Communications $14 million a year to perfume its reputation following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.