"We have in our heads specific images of authoritarianism that come from the 20th century: uniformed men goose-stepping in jackboots, masses of people chanting party slogans, streets lined with giant portraits of the leader, secret opposition meetings in basements, interrogations under naked light bulbs, executions by firing squad. Similar things still happen-in China, North Korea, Iran. But I'd be surprised if this essay got me hauled off to prison in America."
"Political scientists have tried to find a new term for it: illiberal democracy, competitive authoritarianism, right-wing populism. In countries such as Hungary, Turkey, Venezuela, and India, democracies aren't overthrown, nor do they collapse all at once. Instead, they erode. Opposition parties, the judiciary, the press, and civil-society groups aren't destroyed, but over time they lose their life, staggering on like zombie institutions, giving the impression that democracy is still alive."
Daily routines and ordinary pleasures can mask a deeper political transformation as democratic norms erode without dramatic ruptures. Modern authoritarianism abandons grandiose 20th-century trappings and instead preserves formal institutions while hollowing out their effectiveness. Electoral processes persist but are manipulated through control of electoral machinery and legal challenges; constitutions remain on paper while lacking enforcing mechanisms. Opposition parties, courts, media, and civil-society organizations are weakened incrementally, becoming ineffective 'zombie' institutions. Civil servants and other actors face pressures to demonstrate loyalty rather than competence. The result is a normalized authoritarianism that appears democratic while concentrating power and undermining accountability.
Read at The Atlantic
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