Current Events
In a recent post, I wrote that what we’re living through isn’t classic authoritarianism — it’s the Mob, in the Mafia sense. Power maintained through loyalty, fear, and intimidation. What we’re seeing is that same ethos turned into government practice: public displays of dominance meant to send
Modern Authoritarianism
Trump’s government runs on loyalty, intimidation, and silence—the same tools every mob boss uses until justice speaks up. Americans hear terms like oligarch or authoritarian tossed around a lot. They’re useful words, but they often feel distant—like problems in Russia, China, or other faraway places. For
Modern Authoritarianism
A Star Wars Day Reflection at the End of the Modern Authoritarianism Series May the Fourth Be With You — And May We Keep Fighting for Democracy Cue the credits crawl… Over the past week, we’ve walked through some dark territory: * How authoritarianism creeps in through elections, not coups * How
Modern Authoritarianism
Authoritarianism doesn’t win because it’s strong. It wins because too many people believe they’re powerless. But here’s the truth: you are not powerless. Democracy isn’t something we inherit. It’s something we do. And right now, doing it matters more than ever. You don’t
Modern Authoritarianism
Authoritarianism can feel inevitable once it takes hold—like a tide you can’t fight. But history says otherwise. Countries have fought back. They’ve overturned power grabs, rebuilt institutions, and reawakened civic trust. It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t fast. But it was possible. Today, we’re looking
Modern Authoritarianism
Authoritarianism spreads when people give up—when institutions crumble, when watchdogs stay silent, when citizens look away. But that’s not the whole story. Because even now, in the midst of a coordinated effort to concentrate power and dismantle democratic norms, some people, some systems, and some truths are holding
Modern Authoritarianism
Authoritarianism doesn’t emerge from a vacuum. It’s not chaos—it’s strategy. Whether it’s Orbán in Hungary, Erdoğan in Turkey, Modi in India, or Trump in the United States, the pattern is shockingly consistent. These regimes don’t all look the same, but they follow a shared
Modern Authoritarianism
The United States doesn’t look like Hungary. Or Turkey. Or India. We have a different history, a different constitution, and stronger institutions—at least, we used to. But modern authoritarianism is adaptable. It doesn’t require tanks or crownings. It works within the system—until it breaks the system.
Modern Authoritarianism
Modern authoritarianism doesn’t rise in secret. It happens in plain sight. Democracies across the globe have voted themselves into crisis—choosing strongmen who promise to restore pride, clean up corruption, or defend tradition. What follows is a pattern: leaders consolidate power, weaken oversight, attack critics, and change the rules
Modern Authoritarianism
You don’t wake up one morning to find yourself in a dictatorship. That’s the oldest myth in the book. In the modern world, authoritarianism doesn’t kick down the front door. It slips in quietly—through elections, headlines, executive orders, and court decisions. It looks like patriotism. It