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Articles on Authoritarianism

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U.S. President Donald Trump waves to supporters as he departs after playing golf at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling Va., on Nov. 8, 2020. Trump is refusing to concede the election, a common tactic of authoritarians. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Trump lost, but racism is alive and infused in U.S. history

Trump is reminiscent of strongmen like Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A good portion of the electorate like what he’s selling anyway. That’s a bitter pill for the U.S.
U.S. President Donald Trump staged a visit in front of St. John’s Church June 1 in Washington after authorities cleared protestors from the area, prompting the bishop overseeing the church to express outrage. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Donald Trump is hardly the ‘Republican Jesus’

The Republican political strategy that uses Christian language to cast Trump as a divinely appointed protector of an authoritarian Christian nation warrants more scrutiny than it’s received.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Carson City Airport on Oct. 18, 2020, in Carson City, Nev. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Can America survive the re-election of Donald Trump?

Americans can survive a second Trump term if they resurrect a language of critique and possibility that draws from history and shields the U.S. from authoritarianism.
European Council President Charles Michel (R) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speak as they attend a news conference following a virtual summit with Chinese President in Brussels, on June 22, 2020. Yves Herman/Pool/AFP

The EU’s new defensive approach to a rising China

Long lenient toward China, Europeans have recently taken a firmer approach. Beijing’s conduct during the Covid-19 pandemic and its general intransigence have had a lot to do with this.
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Russian disinformation in the time of Covid-19

The Covid-19 epidemic has given rise to an avalanche of fake news, and accounts managed by Russian interests lead the way. How does this misinformation work, and what are its aims?
Ugandan activist and writer Stella Nyanzi outside a Kampala court after a ruling in her favour against President Yoweri Museveni Sumy Sadurni/AFP via GettyImages

Naked protest: how ordinary citizens reveal truth to repressive regimes

When protesters strip naked to amplify their political voice, it is often a last resort within very restrictive regimes.
State police officers during a “Reopen Virginia” rally around Capitol Square in Richmond on April 22, 2020. Getty/Ryan M. Kelly / AFP

Are we living in a dystopia?

‘Dystopia’ is a term that’s gained popularity during the coronavirus pandemic. But it’s not a synonym for ‘a bad time,’ and a government’s poor handling of a crisis does not constitute dystopia.
A supporter of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen outside her campaign headquarters in Taipei on January 11, 2020, the day of her re-election. Sam Yeh/AFP

‘Make noise in the east, then strike in the west’: Taiwan in China’s crosshairs

By providing assistance to many countries affected by the pandemic, the People’s Republic of China is seeking to create a diversionary tactic to quietly put increasing pressure on Taiwan.
Hungarian police officers check cars at the closed Austria-Hungary border, March 18, 2020. Alex Halada/AFP via Getty Images

Coronavirus versus democracy: 5 countries where emergency powers risk abuse

National emergencies allow for the purest expressions of sovereign power, testing the government’s commitment to human rights. Some leaders are failing the coronavirus test, experts say.

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