16 Comments

Ruthless people who use their power to wrap their tentacles around every possible thing!

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Even if autocracy works for a while (Pinochet in Chile) it substantially attacks and kills its own citizens who have a different view. Other than Lee Kwan Yew, a benevolent dictator always ends up a cruel dictator and perpetrates a family rule (Lee’s family still controls politics in Singapore).

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Trump's proto-fascism was cheered on by our neoliberal economic order, in the hopes that they could finally have their cartel economic system seen in fascist nations. They wanted a grifter's paradise and would have gotten it, had Trump been reelected.

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Agree, I'll write more about neoliberalism in the future

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There is a connection between Ayn Rand (a sociopath) and our current neoliberal economics, as she influenced Alan Greenspan.

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I can't help but think that over the last century the tragedy of the lessons not learned and in addition to 'disappeared' people and the cruelty that is inflicted on populations, the environment will have the last word with authoritarians moving forward. Monsanto, the oil companies, big pharma and big ag seem to be tightly woven with kleptocrats who care less about the planet. Maybe my grandparents said the same thing, but I don't see how this plunder with Putin, the RQP's and autocrats can continue for long. Either that or our climate emergency makes this exactly the moment for the autocrats with their toxic bitcoin to really solidify the world that was envisioned starting with Reagan. I feel like a Debbie Downer these days and everyone I know (intelligent and educated people) don't want to hear it.

Thank you for this Ruth and for your book. Following you, PressRun,Troy, Bandy Lee, and O'lear.

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more good follows: Sarah Kendzior, Jennifer Cohn, Molly Mckew & John Sipher:)

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Thank you! I agree it is not sustainable, these strongmen are also no longer young and there will be a generational change - the Navalnys of the world.

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Hello from Japan - I have been wondering, how would you analyze Japan's war against the China, Russia, the US, etc in the 20th century? I think we had a very totalitarian government but I can't think of anyone who can be described as 'strongman'.

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Agree, not all authoritarian govts have "strongmen," for example Brazil's military dictatorship had no one commanding figure emerge from its junta, whereas Pinochet's in Chile did.

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Thank you for replying!

Are they then fundamentally different - authoritarian regimes with or without a strongman at the top - I heard of claims that such men are just convenient public figures for the real operatives below (I can't quite imagine that to be the case with Mr. Trump, though 😅)

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The Emperor was literally God to them. Difficult to get any stronger than that. There was a definite cult of personality there.

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The cockwomble, traitor, rapist, draft dodger, murderer, grifter, crook, inept, incompetent mentally deficient idiot will be in jail soon, with family and friends.

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Looks like Vietnam era loser Bob Mueller really let you down.

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Is it true Mussolini was a rapist and, generalising, is it accurate to say authoritarianism is not “only” financially/economically corrupting but, by incarnating “the rule of man” vs the rule of law, violently reinforces patriarchy? Thank you.

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