The Revenge of Power: The Global Assault on Democracy and How to Defeat It

Naím, Moises. The Revenge of Power: The Global Assault on Democracy and How to Defeat It. 2021. 320p. ISBN 9781250279200.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, a wind of hope blew around the globe. Democracies had won the Cold War, and now could cash out the peace dividend that was promised by moving spending away from defense and into social programs. Authoritarian regimes, it was thought, were heading for extinction as people secured rights through civilian government, court enforcement of legal judgement, and civilian control of the military. Having lost their backers, authoritarian regimes were destined to the dustbin of history

Unfortunately, this peace proved short-lived, as authoritarian regimes found new ways to survive and even thrived in a unipolar world. As democracies sat on their laurels and focused inwards, authoritarians like Vladimir Putin of Russia, Viktor Orbán of Hungary, Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines, and Jair Bolsonaro of Brasil came into power with claims that inside and outside forces were corrupting their countries, and they were the only ones who could save them. Once in power, these individuals used power to serve themselves, to eliminate the opposition, and to undermine the rule of law. Post truth and alternative facts become part of the narrative, and are present not necessarily to be accepted, but to undermine the conversation and alter the perception of reality, instilling doubt into people's minds.

The danger of authoritarian regimes is not limited to illiberal democracies like Poland and Hungary and autocratic states like Russia and Turkey. It can, and has affected democracies that people would never have thought could fall prey to populist right wing sentiment. Yet, both the United Kingdom and the United States elected demagogues as leaders, and those leaders were willing to do everything to retain power, even if it meant undermining the rule of law, allowing corruption to fester, and promoting the welfare of themselves and their cronies at the expense of the public good.

In a compelling argument, Naím argues that democracies must do more to protect their societies from the disinformation coming from authoritarian regimes. They must rein in their social media platforms to avoid the kind of manipulation Russia engaged in during the 2016 U.S. election and Brexit. Democracies and their citizens must push back against populism, polarization, and the concept of post truth. What this book lacks, however, is a narrative that outlines steps we can all take to prevent the further slide of our democracy into autocracy. Still, The Revenge of Power is clear, concise, and does a great job of outlining the steps autocrats take to guarantee themselves power. It is a must read for fans of history, as it accurately describes the world of the last few decades.