No retribution for retribution's sake

Dictators will do anything to avoid punishment. The former president of Egypt is said to have suffered a heart attack as he was about to be interrogated, and Yemen's president has requested immunity in return for leaving his country.  The left-liberal daily The Guardian discusses how to deal with tyrants: "Allowing them to go 'with dignity' may not be what they deserve, but sometimes it may be the most practical solution and it might also smooth the way for easing out other dictators in other countries. No tyrant is going to agree to leave if it means being hanged, drawn and quartered as soon as he steps down. Besides the relief, though, there is also anger at what they have done - and not to address that would be unfair to the victims of their misrule. Tempting as it may be to seek retribution, retribution for its own sake doesn't achieve much. The way members of the old regime are treated should set the tone for the new regime."

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