Dictators' Wives: A Look At The Women Behind Gaddafi, Mubarak, Assad And Others

United Nations sources claim Britain and France are hoping to slap Muammar Gaddafi's second wife with sanctions that would prevent her from using her multi-billion-dollar fortune to bolster her husband's regime. As the Evening Standard is reporting, officials fear Safiya Farkash will use her wealth to support her husband's attacks on civilians if her assets aren't frozen in advance. The Gaddafi controversy is casting new light on the women wed to the world's most feared leaders, including those ex-leaders and dictators targeted in anti-government demonstrations raging across the Middle East and North Africa. From Egypt's Suzanne Mubarak to Syria's Asma al-Assad, these women are the focus of rampant speculation, simultaneously revered and maligned by the public as they stand, usually well-dressed, beside powerful husbands. As the Telegraph reports, some are politically driven while others are content to assume more passive roles -- in some cases, rarely or never being seen at all.

Take a look at facts at some of the world's most-feared leaders' wives below: