Authoritarianism

List of Authoritarianism articles

  • A collage illustration shows half of the face of Joseph Stalin and half of the face of a larger Vladimir Putin alongside a star with a Z on top of it.
    A collage illustration shows half of the face of Joseph Stalin and half of the face of a larger Vladimir Putin alongside a star with a Z on top of it.

    Russia Is Back to the Stalinist Future

    With a Soviet-style election, Vladimir Putin’s Russia has come full circle.

  • Local residents listen to the Turkish President's speech next to his a banner with his portrait during a rally in the Beyoglu district on the eve of the presidential and parliamentary elections, on the European side of Istanbul, on May 13, 2023. Images)
    Local residents listen to the Turkish President's speech next to his a banner with his portrait during a rally in the Beyoglu district on the eve of the presidential and parliamentary elections, on the European side of Istanbul, on May 13, 2023. Images)

    Local Elections Will Soon Decide Turkey’s Future

    If Erdogan’s party wins back the country’s biggest cities, big shifts in Turkish politics could follow.

  • People walks past traditional Russian matryoshka dolls portraying Russian and Soviet leaders (from L) Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, Boris Yeltsin, Mikhail Gorbachev, Konstantin Chernenko, Vladimir Andropov, Leonid Brezhnev, Nikita Khrushchev, Joseph Stalin and Vladimir Lenin displayed in a gift shop in downtown Moscow on Dec. 16, 2018.
    People walks past traditional Russian matryoshka dolls portraying Russian and Soviet leaders (from L) Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, Boris Yeltsin, Mikhail Gorbachev, Konstantin Chernenko, Vladimir Andropov, Leonid Brezhnev, Nikita Khrushchev, Joseph Stalin and Vladimir Lenin displayed in a gift shop in downtown Moscow on Dec. 16, 2018.

    Soviet Succession Was Bad. America’s Is Worse.

    Authoritarian elites often botch undemocratic transitions. Choosing to return Trump to office would be an own-goal of historic proportions.

  • Protesters hold Taiwan’s flag as they confront supporters of Chinese President Xi Jinping during demonstrations at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco.
    Protesters hold Taiwan’s flag as they confront supporters of Chinese President Xi Jinping during demonstrations at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco.

    Beijing’s Blind Spot on Taiwan

    China’s hard-line stance on reunification is fueling anxiety about lost freedoms and bolstering a distinct Taiwanese identity.

  • The leader of the Palestinian Hamas movement, Ismail Haniyeh, shakes hands with Iranian Chief of Staff for the Armed Forces Mohammad Bagheri and the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard force, General Hossein Salami, during the swearing in ceremony for Iran's new president at the parliament in the Islamic republic's capital Tehran on August 5, 2021.
    The leader of the Palestinian Hamas movement, Ismail Haniyeh, shakes hands with Iranian Chief of Staff for the Armed Forces Mohammad Bagheri and the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard force, General Hossein Salami, during the swearing in ceremony for Iran's new president at the parliament in the Islamic republic's capital Tehran on August 5, 2021.

    The 7 Reasons Iran Won’t Fight for Hamas

    A close look at Tehran’s thinking about escalating the war in Gaza.

  • An illustration of Imelda Marcos holding a parasol as she lounges on the sand, leaning on skulls, as shoes and palm fronts swirl around her.
    An illustration of Imelda Marcos holding a parasol as she lounges on the sand, leaning on skulls, as shoes and palm fronts swirl around her.

    The Fabulous Mythmaking of Imelda Marcos

    A new novel claws back history from a family that would otherwise have it disappear.

  • Iranian students attend a parliament session in Tehran on November 15, 2009.
    Iranian students attend a parliament session in Tehran on November 15, 2009.

    Iran Is Doubling Down on Headscarves

    One year after an uprising over women’s rights, the government has passed a harsh new hijab law.

  • A group of police officers, wearing short-sleeved uniform shirts and matching hats, chat with each other as they stand on a sidewalk outside Hong Kong's High Court. Skyscrapers and a cloudy sky are visible behind the officers.
    A group of police officers, wearing short-sleeved uniform shirts and matching hats, chat with each other as they stand on a sidewalk outside Hong Kong's High Court. Skyscrapers and a cloudy sky are visible behind the officers.

    Hong Kong’s Bureaucrats Don’t Make Good Authoritarians

    Local officials are inflexible about implementing Beijing’s orders.

  • A mural depicting Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran’s first supreme leader after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, is pictured as women walk along Enghelab Square in central Tehran on Sept. 10.
    A mural depicting Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran’s first supreme leader after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, is pictured as women walk along Enghelab Square in central Tehran on Sept. 10.

    Why Did Last Year’s Protest Movement in Iran Fail?

    The supreme leader learned what not to do from the Shah.

  • Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.
    Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.

    The End of America’s Middle East

    The region’s four major countries have all forfeited Washington’s trust.

  • An illustration shows a figure laying down beneath the pavement, palms facing up, underneath a Russian tan with the word prisposoblenchestvo, referring to conformism, written in Cyrillic letters.
    An illustration shows a figure laying down beneath the pavement, palms facing up, underneath a Russian tan with the word prisposoblenchestvo, referring to conformism, written in Cyrillic letters.

    Wartime Russians Fall Back on an Ancient Survival Strategy

    Conformism and acquiescence have a long tradition in a culture of chaos and repression.

  • Saudi women walk past a mural depicting Saudi King Salman (center), Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (left), and late King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman (right), the founder of the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, at a park in the capital, Riyadh, on Jan. 16.
    Saudi women walk past a mural depicting Saudi King Salman (center), Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (left), and late King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman (right), the founder of the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, at a park in the capital, Riyadh, on Jan. 16.

    The Arab Gulf’s New Nationalism

    Ambitious leaders in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are restructuring national identity to solidify their rule.

  • Lebanese supporters and members of the Islamic group Jamaa Islamiya wave Turkish and Lebanese flags and flash the four finger symbol known as "Rabaa" during a demonstration to support Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following a deadly but foiled coup attempt by an army faction on July 16, 2016 outside the Islamic Turkish hospital in the southern Lebanese port city of Sidon.
    Lebanese supporters and members of the Islamic group Jamaa Islamiya wave Turkish and Lebanese flags and flash the four finger symbol known as "Rabaa" during a demonstration to support Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following a deadly but foiled coup attempt by an army faction on July 16, 2016 outside the Islamic Turkish hospital in the southern Lebanese port city of Sidon.

    The Muslim Brotherhood’s Survival Is Now in Question

    Turkey has turned its back on the Islamist group, eliminating one of its last safe havens.

  • People attend the ceremony for the installation of commemorative plaques to the victims of Soviet repression on the wall of their former house in central Moscow.
    People attend the ceremony for the installation of commemorative plaques to the victims of Soviet repression on the wall of their former house in central Moscow.

    How Memory Survives in Putin’s Russia

    Russia’s dictator controls its past. But can history that avoids politics live on? This article has an audio recording

  • People demonstrate in Niger's capital, Niamey, to show their support for the coup plotters and Russia.
    People demonstrate in Niger's capital, Niamey, to show their support for the coup plotters and Russia.

    Does U.S. Military Training Embolden Coup Plotters in Africa?

    Weak institutions and underdevelopment also plague nations led by undemocratic regimes.

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