Profile of Idi Amin, the ruthless Ugandan dictator who seized power in 1971 and conducted a reign of terror for the next eight years in which political enemies were executed : often before the television cameras : and 75,000 Asians were expelled, bringing the country to the brink of economic collapse. Although he claimed to be working toward democracy and gained recognition from Britain, Amin amassed a vast personal fortune and revealed his volatile nature by launching the futile war with Tanzania which eventually led to his downfall
