Hitler, Stalin, and Mao ruled through violence, fear, and ideology. But in recent decades a new breed of media-savvy strongmen has been redesigning authoritarian rule for a more sophisticated, globally connected world. In place of overt, mass repression, rulers such as Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Viktor Orb谩n control their citizens by distorting information and simulating democratic procedures. Like spin doctors in democracies, they spin the news to engineer support. Uncovering this new brand of authoritarianism, Sergei Guriev and Daniel Treisman explain the rise of such 鈥渟pin dictators,鈥� describing how they emerge and operate, the new threats they pose, and how democracies should respond.
Spin Dictators traces how leaders such as Singapore鈥檚 Lee Kuan Yew and Peru鈥檚 Alberto Fujimori pioneered less violent, more covert, and more effective methods of monopolizing power. They cultivated an image of competence, concealed censorship, and used democratic institutions to undermine democracy, all while increasing international engagement for financial and reputational benefits. The book reveals why most of today鈥檚 authoritarians are spin dictators鈥攁nd how they differ from the remaining 鈥渇ear dictators鈥� such as Kim Jong-un and Bashar al-Assad, as well as from masters of high-tech repression like Xi Jinping.
Offering incisive portraits of today鈥檚 authoritarian leaders, Spin Dictators explains some of the great political puzzles of our time鈥攆rom how dictators can survive in an age of growing modernity to the disturbing convergence and mutual sympathy between dictators and populists like Donald Trump.
Awards and Recognition
- Bronze Medal for the Arthur Book Award, Council on Foreign Relations
- Winner of the Zerilli-Marimo Prize, Academy of Moral and Political Sciences
"Timely and indispensable."鈥�Atlantic
"A fascinating new book."鈥�The Economist
"[A] well-researched and entertaining book."鈥擳ony Barber, Financial Times
"Entertaining and disquieting."鈥擥ideon Rachman, Financial Times
"With meaty graphs and well-organized evidence . . . Guriev and Treisman advance subtler arguments, as they show that authoritarian rulers can come to power by democratic means and stay there."鈥擜dam Gopnik, New Yorker
"If we failed to end tyrants, we played our part in helping to mould them. As Sergei Guriev and Daniel Treisman observe in their intelligent, important book Spin Dictators, throughout this time something far more interesting and dangerous was happening. The most sophisticated dictators were reforming themselves, and the lesson they internalised was not the need to be democratic 鈥� that, after all, went against who they were 鈥� but the need to look democratic."鈥擠avid Patrikarakos, Spectator
"As Sergei Guriev and Daniel Treisman persuasively argue in Spin Dictators, their absorbing, meticulous study of the evolution of authoritarianism in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, craft and deception have in recent decades supplanted fear and terror as the defining characteristics of today鈥檚 autocratic rulers. . . . In diagnosing a critical problem and proposing a prophylactic, Guriev and Treisman have performed a great service to the field of geopolitics."鈥擬ichael M. Rosen, Washington Examiner
"Sergei Guriev and Daniel Treisman have written the most astute account of the system that has risen to challenge liberal democracy in the 21st century. Their book, Spin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st Century, describes the methods which have made it possible for Putin, Viktor Orban, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and others to rule over societies that in most cases had developed reasonably well functioning democracies. Other scholars and journalists have written about the tactics used by 21st century autocrats to secure control over the institutions of a free society. But Guriev and Treisman have assembled the most thorough analysis of the building blocks of contemporary dictatorships."鈥擜rch Puddington, American Purpose
"A deeply researched tour d鈥檋orizon of the evolving dark arts of authoritarian politics."鈥擥. John Ikenberry, Foreign Affairs
"The authors carefully document dozens of strategies used by authoritarian regimes around the world to successfully pass themselves off as populist supporters of democracy when the actual goal is tyranny and absolute power. As depressing as this scenario may be, the authors do politically concerned readers an immense favor, enabling us to recognize these tactics and, with that knowledge, ultimately oppose this new breed of dictator."鈥�Booklist
"Thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening."鈥擩oshua Huminski, Diplomatic Courier
"The dictatorships of the 20th century rested on violence and direct coercion. This book argues that the 21st century has seen the emergence of a new kind of spin dictatorship 鈥� in places as diverse as Hungary, Singapore and Turkey 鈥� that adopts the forms of democracy while subverting the substance."鈥擥ideon Rachman, Financial Times
"An excellent overview of the authoritarian landscape of the early twenty-first century and how it operates within a global environment. It is well-researched, and its references are comprehensive. The excellent narrative provides a compact history and analysis of political leadership in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries."鈥擡rwin Warkentin, European Legacy 鈥嬧�嬧�嬧�嬧�嬧�嬧��
鈥泪苍 Spin Dictators, Guriev and Treisman go right to the heart of one of the most difficult issues of our time: The abuse of modern communications technology by authoritarian leaders for propaganda, spin, and manipulation. Anyone concerned about the future of democracy should read this book.鈥濃�擜nne Applebaum, staff writer for the Atlantic and author of Twilight of Democracy
鈥�Spin Dictators traces the evolution of modern authoritarian government, and the way it has adopted many of the techniques of democracy itself, while exploiting the latter鈥檚 vulnerabilities. It serves as a timely warning of the challenges facing democracies today.鈥濃�擣rancis Fukuyama, author of Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment
鈥淕uriev and Treisman have written a brilliant book, identifying and explaining a new type of autocracy. Spin Dictators is an instant classic鈥攁 must-read for anyone interested in understanding the resilience of these dictatorships as well as their possible future demise.鈥濃�擬ichael McFaul, former U.S. ambassador to Russia and author of From Cold War to Hot Peace: An American Ambassador in Putin鈥檚 Russia
"Today鈥檚 autocrats are different from yesterday鈥檚; they claim to be democrats and eschew open repression and violence. This insightful and highly original book explains how they rule by manipulating information, shaping public narratives, and bending the formal rules of democracy to their will. Guriev and Treisman have produced an exemplary book鈥攂ased on serious research yet readable and accessible."鈥擠ani Rodrik, Harvard University
