Demagogues and dictators Democracies are on the brink

Democracy and tyranny are closer together than you might expect. Distinguished political thinker John Keane reveals why this should worry us all. We live in turbulent times, marked by a sinister trend that is gaining the upper hand everywhere: the triumph of authoritarianism not only in countries like Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia, but also in countries ruled by popularly elected demagogues – Orban, Erdogan, Netanyahu and Trump. John Keane shows why this new authoritarianism defies the laws of political gravity. Instead of relying on fear or brute force, this tyranny encourages a strange type of quasi-democratic government, led by rulers adept at winning the loyalty of the masses through government subsidies, election rigging, legal tricks, weaponizing lies, and talking about enemies. What is worrying is that these leaders hunt in groups. What distinguishes democracy? Keane explains that it is much more than popular self-government based on free and fair elections. Democracy is a collective insistence that unaccountable power is always dangerous and is the best way to prevent demagogues and tyrants from destroying life on our planet. John Keane vividly describes the greed, ambition and political cunning that underpins the world's new age of authoritarianism. Despite his careful analysis, Keane remains optimistic that the true spirit of democracy will prevail in the end. – Victor Mallet, author of “ _Far-Right France: Le Pen, Bardella, and the Future of Europe.”_