critics of President Donald Trump often charge him with harboring authoritarian intentions. Scholars and journalists have drawn parallels to his leadership style with that of strongmen in other countries. Democrats claim that the U.S. has moved toward autocracy, a system where one leader is given unchecked authority.
Some argue that calling Trump an autocrat alarmist. After all, he hasn’t suspended the Constitution, forced school children to suspended/a> the Constitution, forced school children to?
Modern autocrats are not always like their predecessors of the 20th century.
They project a polished, professional image, avoid violence, and speak in the language of democratic principles. They wear suits and hold elections, while talking about the will the people. Instead of terrorizing citizens, they use messaging and media control to influence public opinion. Many people gain power through elections, not military coups.
Today’s autocrats have a softer approach to power
Andreas Schedler, a political scientist from the early 2000s coined ” electoral autoritarianism ” to describe regimes which hold elections without any real competition. Steven Levitsky, Lucan Way and others use the phrase ” Competitive Authoritarianism for systems where opposition parties are present but their leaders suppress them by censorship, election fraud, or legal manipulation.
We explore this strategy in my work, along with Sergei Guriev. This is what we call ” Informational Autocracy ” or ” Spin Dictatorship.”
These leaders do not rely on violent suppression. They create the illusion of being competent and democratic defenders, protecting the nation from external threats or internal enemies that seek to undermine the culture or steal the wealth.
Hungary’s democratic façade
Viktor Orban , the Hungarian Prime Minster, is a good example of this. He served as Prime Minister from 1998-2002, returned to office in 2010, and won three elections since then – in 2018, 2014 and 2022. International observers have criticized his campaigns for being ” intimidating and xenophobic.”
Orban has maintained the formal structures for democracy, such as courts, a Parliament and regular elections. But he has hollowed these out.
He also rewrote the constitution in order to limit the judicial review of the actions he took. He tightened the government’s control over independent news.
Orban used state funds to advertise news sites that were friendly. A 2016 ally purchased Hungary’s biggest opposition newspaper, then shut down.
Orban also targets advocacy organizations, and universities. The Central European University was registered both in Budapest and the U.S. It was once a symbol for the new democratic Hungary. A law that penalizes foreign-accredited universities forced the university to move to Vienna by 2020.
Orban, however, has largely avoided violence. journalists are harassed instead of being jailed or murdered. critics are discredited but not abducted. His appeal is based on the narrative that Hungary, by foreigners and liberal elites, is under siege and only he can protect its sovereignty and Christian heritage. This message is resonant among older, conservative rural voters and , but alienates the younger, urban population.
A global shift in autocrats
In the last few decades, spin dictatorships have been seen in Singapore, Malaysian, Kazakhstan, Russia and Venezuela. Leaders like Hugo Chavez or the early Vladimir Putin consolidated power and marginalized their opposition with minimal violence.
This trend is confirmed by data. My colleague Sergei Guriev, and I, based on human rights reports, local media and historical records, found that global political executions and imprisonments of autocrats have decreased significantly between the 1980s and 2010.
Why? Overt repression in an interconnected world has costs. Foreign governments may impose sanctions on journalists and dissidents who are attacked. They can also discourage foreign companies from investing. Free expression can be curtailed without stifling innovation in science and technology, something that even autocrats require to thrive in today’s knowledge-based economy.
Even spin-districts will often resort to traditional tactics when crises arise. Putin of Russia has repressed demonstrators, and jailed leaders of opposition. While more brutal regimes, such as those of North Korea and China, continue to rule through fear. They combine mass imprisonment with advanced monitoring technology.
In the end, terror is being replaced by spin.
America too?
I am one of the many experts who agree that America is still a democracy.
Trump uses tactics that are similar to those of autocrats who control information. He has attacked journalists, disobeyed court rulings and pressured university to limit admissions for international students. The admiration he has for powerful men such as Putin and China’s Xi Jinping or El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele is alarming to observers. Trump regularly denigrates democracy allies as well as international institutions like the United Nations , NATO.
According to some experts, democracy is dependent on the self-restraint of politicians. A system that can only survive if its leaders respect the limits of it is not a very good system. It is more important to determine whether the press and other institutions such as the judiciary, non-profit organizations, churches, unions and universities have the ability and will to hold leaders responsible.
The US and democracy
The U.S. and Canada, as well as many countries in Western Europe, have robust institutions like newspapers, universities and advocacy groups, which act as checks and balances on the government.
These institutions can help explain why populists like Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu or Italy’s Silvio Bernlusconi, despite being accused of violating electoral laws and undermining the independence of courts, haven’t completely destroyed
The Constitution of the United States provides an additional layer of protection. To amend, it takes a majority of two thirds in both chambers of Congress as well as ratification from three quarters of states. This is a much higher hurdle than the one faced by Orban in Hungary who only needed a majority
Even the U.S. Constitution could be compromised if a President defies the Supreme Court. This could spark a Constitutional Crisis, and alienate key supporters.
The American democracy is not immune to erosion. Its institutional foundations, however, are older and deeper than many of the more recent democracies. The federal structure of the country, which has multiple veto powers and overlapping jurisdictions, makes it difficult for one leader to dominate.
The rise of fake democracy around the world is a global phenomenon. Autocrats are using this to manipulate their citizens. Understanding their methods may help Americans preserve the real thing.
