Defeating the Dictators: How Democracy Can Prevail in the Age of the Strongman

INTERVIEW-Charles Dunst, Author Defeating the Dictators

- Charles Dunst

What inspired you to write a book on defeating dictators, and what sets your approach apart from other authors in the field? 

My experience living and traveling to autocracies like Cambodia, Hungary, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates inspired me to write this book. I wanted to explore why people are attracted to some form of autocracy, and how to counter that impulse. Most importantly, I wanted my book to offer solutions – rather than just detail the problem, as many other books have done.

How do you define a successful democratization strategy, and what key elements must be present to ensure its success?

Legitimacy is based on performance, meaning that democracies must perform to win public support. If Americans, Brits, Hungarians, and others do not feel like their democracies are delivering, they will be more open to new visions – like autocracy. That is in many ways what happened in Hungary. The key elements of democracy, in my view, are strong meritocracies, accountable systems, and a trustworthy government. The government’s ability to deliver on issues like human capital and infrastructure – which is critical to democracy – will flow from having a meritocratic, accountable, and trusted system.

You mention the importance of civil society organizations in creating a robust and sustainable democratic movement. Could you elaborate on how these organizations can be most effective in achieving their goals?