Authoritarianism professional Ruth Ben-Ghiat says Donald Trump is falling into the identical entice that has undone authoritarian-minded leaders all through historical past.
“I have seen this brand of strongman megalomania and the adverse effects it can ultimately have on leaders and their governments,” wrote Ben-Ghiat, the creator of “Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present.”
Ben-Ghiat, a professor of historical past at New York University, described the phenomenon as “autocratic backfire.” It happens when leaders “cut themselves off from expert advice and objective feedback,” “promulgate unscrutinized policies that fail” after which “double down and engage in even riskier behavior,” she stated.
“The result: a disillusioned population that loses faith in the leader and elites who begin to rethink their support,” she wrote, citing Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and Russian President Vladimir Putin as historic examples of the sample she sees rising round Trump.
Ben-Ghiat has lengthy drawn parallels between Trump and previous dictators.
She has beforehand famous that his bombastic self-praise echoes a fascist slogan from Mussolini’s Italy: “Mussolini is always right.”
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ruth-ben-ghiat-donald-trump_n_6981cdc8e4b0feb4ec4e3bfb