I Love Jeddah in the Springtime

As American troops take control of Haiti, debate rages on: Should Raoul Cedras, the allegedly soon-to-be-ex-dictator, stay on in Haiti after giving up power? Or should he opt for sybaritic exile? A look at the current life-styles of other former strongmen and presidents-for-life might help him make up his mind:

Idi ("Big Daddy") Amin fled Uganda in 1979 with his wife and 23 children for sanctuary in Saudi Arabia. Occasionally he dons traditional Arab garb and joins other Ugandan exiles for coffee in a downtown Jeddah hotel. A devout Muslim, Amin lives quietly in a modest villa outside the city, tending a vegetable patch and feeding his goats and chickens.

Jean-Claude ("Baby Doc") Duvalier has fallen on hard times. Following his 1986 flight from Haiti to the French Riviera, he installed his shopaholic wife Michele and their children in a palatial home near Cannes. Two years ago, Mme. Duvalier divorced him, taking the children and a large chunk of the assets. Duvalier quickly ran through his remaining funds -- once estimated at $400 million -- and now lives with his mother Simone, 80, in a scruffy villa with no telephone (cut off for unpaid bills) and a broken wire fence surrounding an unkempt garden. Last week he disappeared for parts unknown.

Jean-Bedel Bokassa, the so-called Butcher of Bangui who was deposed as Emperor of the Central African Republic in 1979, was released from prison last September. During his six years of incarceration he underwent a mystical conversion to Christianity and declared himself the 13th Apostle of Christ. He lives alone, under informal guard, in a small three-bedroom house in downtown Bangui.

Alfredo Stroessner, the dean of western despots after 34 years of iron rule in Paraguay, was ousted in 1989 after a military coup. He fled to Brazil, where he lives in a well-guarded mansion in Brasilia. Stroessner is said to enjoy fishing and traveling around the country visiting his former military buddies. He is also known to be an ardent fan of Xuxa (pronounced Shoo-shah), Brazil's Barbie-esque kiddie-show hostess.