The Dictators' Playbook
Not just your grandparents' old canasta pals
Nimrod. The Pharaohs. Alexander the Great. Ghenghis Khan. Attila the Hun. Sulla. Caligula. Ivan the Terrible. Franco. Stalin. Hitler. Mussolini. Pol Pot. Mao Zedong. Tojo. Idi Amin. Napoleon. Charlemagne. Richard III. Torquemada. Tamerlane. Cromwell. King Philip. The Abbasids. King John.
Infamous dictators from the past. But the past will not sleep. It never dies. Open a newspaper today. Watch a podcast. Scan the news. The names have been joined by the latest crop of want-to-be dictators.
It can’t happen now, you say. Not here, not now. The world has come too far, learned too much.
Unfortunately not. Putin. Xi. Kim Jong-un. Orban. Erdogan. Khamenei. Bukele. Duterte. Trump? Not one of them had to start from scratch. They learned from the past, what contemporary academics and scholars on the subject call “The Dictator’s Playbook.”
The "Dictator's Playbook," as described by scholars like Timothy Snyder, Ruth Ben-Ghiat and others, outlines common strategies used by authoritarian leaders to consolidate power, undermine democratic institutions, and entrench their rule. Snyder, particularly in his book On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, draws on historical examples, especially from the 20th century, to illuminate these tactics. Here’s a summary of key components often associated with the dictator’s playbook:
1. Undermine Truth and Trust
Control Information: Authoritarians manipulate or suppress media, creating a state-controlled narrative. They attack independent journalism, branding it as "fake news" or "enemy of the people."
Flood the Zone with Falsehoods: Disseminating conspiracy theories and disinformation creates confusion and makes it difficult for people to discern reality.
Rewrite History: They often distort or erase historical truths to suit their agenda and shape collective memory.
2. Erode Democratic Institutions
Weaken Checks and Balances: Dismantling or neutralizing independent judiciary, legislature, and oversight bodies consolidates power in the executive.
Subvert Elections: Rigging elections, suppressing voter turnout, or delegitimizing electoral processes ensures prolonged rule.
Exploit Legal Systems: Using laws selectively to target opponents while shielding allies.
3. Encourage Loyalty Over Competence
Patronage Networks: Elevating loyalists regardless of their qualifications ensures personal control over key institutions like the military, police, and bureaucracy.
Dismantle Merit-Based Systems: Undermining professional norms and replacing experts with cronies.
4. Create or Exploit Crises
Manufactured Emergencies: Declaring states of emergency or fostering crises allows for the suspension of rights and the centralization of power.
Us vs. Them Narrative: Exploiting fear of external threats (e.g., immigrants, foreign powers) or internal enemies (e.g., minorities, dissidents) to rally support and justify repression.
5. Divide and Conquer
Polarization: Encouraging divisions within society, such as along ethnic, racial, or ideological lines, weakens collective opposition.
Selective Targeting: Persecuting specific groups serves as a warning to others while uniting the ruler's base.
6. Undermine the Rule of Law
Legal Arbitrary Actions: Using laws as tools of oppression while ignoring them when inconvenient.
Eliminating Judicial Independence: Courts are co-opted to serve the regime’s interests.
7. Suppress Opposition
Silencing Critics: Through intimidation, imprisonment, or even assassination of journalists, activists, and political opponents.
Control Public Spaces: Suppressing protests and criminalizing dissent while monopolizing cultural and public narratives.
8. Foster Cults of Personality
Myth of the Leader: Promoting the ruler as infallible, indispensable, or even godlike ensures personal loyalty.
Media Glorification: Saturating public life with propaganda celebrating the leader’s achievements.
9. Destroy Civil Society
Control Civic Organizations: Regimes often co-opt, suppress, or outright ban unions, NGOs, and other independent organizations.
Discourage Collective Action: Fear of surveillance or retaliation discourages people from organizing or protesting.
10. Maintain a Climate of Fear
Surveillance State: Pervasive monitoring intimidates citizens into self-censorship and compliance.
Arbitrary Punishment: Perpetuating fear that anyone could be punished fosters widespread submission.
Sound like anyone you know?
Timothy Snyder emphasizes the importance of recognizing these tactics early and acting decisively to counter them. His lessons advocate defending institutions, supporting a free press, engaging in civic action, and resisting normalizing authoritarian behavior