4 ways to identify a dictator
Building on the work of political scientist Juan Linz – who was raised during Spain’s civil war – the authors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt developed a set of four behavioural warning signs that can help identify an authoritarian government when we see one. What are those 4 signs?
A dictator isn't always born in a day. It may be a slow build-up, a crescendo reaching a cacophony. But how do you spot a dictator?
1.
Dictators often show penchant for cancelling elections, violating the constitution and banning certain organisations, alongside curtailing basic civil and political rights. They also look for violent insurrections.
2.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Dictators often describe the opposition as subversive, treating them as an existential threat. They also label their rivals as criminals and baselessly suggest they are foreign agents working for a foreign government.
3.
Dictators have ties to armed gangs, paramilitary forces and other organisations which engage in illicit violence. They encourage mob attacks on opponents and refuse to condemn and punish those carrying out violence.
4.
They support laws that restrict civil liberties, such as libel or defamation laws. They threaten legal or punitive action against critics and praise repressive measures taken by other governments anywhere else in the world.
