BREAKING DOWN DEMOCRACY: Goals, Strategies, and Methods of Modern Authoritarians

BREAKING DOWN DEMOCRACY: Goals, Strategies, and Methods of Modern Authoritarians who have little interest in the democratizing mission traditionally espoused by mainstream parties with deep roots in the global struggles of the 20th century. The new mood is reflected in the democracies foreign poli- cies, many of which are aimed more at seeking national advantage than at promoting the common good. The rise of populist politics in democracies could give modern authoritarianism a new lease on life. While it may no longer be as useful for entrenched autocracies to mask their nature with an illusion of pluralism, free- ly elected leaders with authoritarian ambitions can use similar techniques to replace genuine democratic institutions with hollowed-out fagades. This process is already under way in the countries that have been dubbed “illiberal democracies." With states across the spectrum shifting in an authoritarian direction, there is not much comfort in the fact that repressive regimes are fundamentally more unstable and vulnerable to breakdowns than democracies. Major authoritarian governments may collapse in the face of economic crises, popular protests, or succession battles. But in the absence of international pressure and support, it seems doubt- ful that they would be replaced by aspiring democra- cies. Indeed, they could be succeeded by something even worse. 1. Tyler Roylance, “The Twilight of ‘Modern Authoritarianism,” Freedom at Issue, October 29, 2014, https://freedomhouse.org/blog/ twilight-modern-authoritarianism. 2. Daniel Lansberg-Rodriguez, “In Venezuela, Political Prisoners as Pawns,” New York Times, July 1, 2016, http://www.nytimes. com/2016/07/02/opinion/in-venezuela-political-prisoners-as-pawns.html. 3. Albaraa Abdullah, “Egypt Fills Its Prisons, But Don’t Worry, It'll Make More,” Al-Monitor, February 3, 2016, http://www.al-monitor. com/pulse/originals/2016/02/egypt-authorities-prison-free-speech-sisi.html. 4. “Bahrain,” in Annual Report (London: Amnesty International, 2016), https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/middle-east-and-north- africa/bahrain/report-bahrain/. 5. “China: List of Political Prisoners Detained or Imprisoned as of October 11, 2016,” U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China, http://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20161011 1433.pdf. 6. Tom Phillips, “Swedish Activist Peter Dahlin Paraded on China State TV for ‘Scripted Confession,” Guardian, January 19, 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/20/swedish-activist-peter-dahlin-paraded-on-china-state-tv-for-scripted-confes- sion. 7. “Venezuela,” in Freedom of the Press 2015 (New York: Freedom House, 2015), https://freedomhouse.org/report/free- dom-press/2015/venezuela. 8. “Turkey,” in Freedom of the Press 2016 (New York: Freedom House, 2016), https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2016/ turkey. 9. John Hudson, “Erdogan Allies Accuse Leading Washington Think Tank of Orchestrating Coup,” Foreign Policy, August 8, 2016, http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/08/08/erdogan-allies-accuse-leading-washington-think-tank-of-orchestrating-coup/. 56 HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019290