Book description
It's not easy being a dictator these days. Since the end of the Cold
War, dictatorships worldwide have been on the decline and those that
survive have changed dramatically. Not so long ago, blunt weapons were
used to keep citizens under control, but in a globalised world
connected to new media more subtle methods for preserving power have
replaced yesterday's forms of intimidation.
The Dictator's Learning Curve gives a fascinating insight
into the way dictators are adapting to the demands of the modern
world, and their insidious efforts to disguise their regimes as
democracies. Mubarak, Ben Ali and Gaddafi may be gone, but the Arab
Spring is only the latest front in a worldwide battle between freedom
and oppression. In this page-turning and authoritative book, William
J. Dobson illuminates the connections and differences between
authoritarian regimes in places as far apart as Russia, China,
Venezuela, Egypt and Malaysia. Drawing on first-hand testimony from
those close to these governments and those who challenge them - from
incarcerated dissidents, student revolutionaries, to Serbian and
American 'trainers in nonviolent revolution' -Dobson shows that we are
witnessing an incredible moment in the war between dictators and democracy.
William J. Dobson is politics and foreign affairs editor for
Slate
. He has been an editor at
Foreign Affairs
and
Newsweek International
. Under his direction,
Foreign Policy
won the coveted National Magazine Award for General Excellence in 2007
and 2009. His articles and essays have appeared in
The
New York Times
,
The
Washington Post
, and
The
Wall Street Journal
. He lives in Washington, DC.
