Democracy Rules (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), by Jan-Werner Müller

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Jan-Werner Müller makes some good points about the rise of authoritarian populism across the world. Donald Trump, Recep Erdogan, Jair Bolsonaro and their ilk play on nationalism (often with easily discerned racist undertones) and claim to represent “the people” (their opponents are “enemies of the people”). Their art of grievance and condemnation of globalization is a mask for their own international kleptocracy.

Distinct from fascism and its left analogues, the new authoritarians aren’t guided by a worked-out ideology. They pretend to be democratic while undermining democracy in pursuit of power. “The threats democracies face today are not openly announced; rather, they are vulnerable to the stealthy capture of independent guardians of democracy.” What about resistance through civil disobedience? The Princeton social sciences professor worries that those messages can often get lost or distorted in today’s social media through his memorable phrase: “drowned in info-feces.”