Government support for repressive regimes

Governments of industrialized countries have, throughout the Cold War, provided support to repressive regimes, especially in developing countries, in order to protect either their own security or their economic interests, or both. In the case of Iraq, it was made clear in 1992 that the USA had knowingly provided support in the form of subsidies before the Gulf War towards the buildup of nuclear, biological and weapons technology, some of which was successfully obtained from the USA. The UK's support of Pol Pot in Cambodia, and President Moi in Kenya are other notable examples over recent years.