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Loading... The Dictator's Learning Curve: Inside the Global Battle for Democracyby William J. Dobson
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An esteemed Foreign Affairs editor and journalist analyzes the ongoing battle between dictatorships and those who oppose them, tracing uprisings in such nations as Egypt, Tunisia and Libya while exploring the sophisticated resources and methods used by modern dictators to maintain their power. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)321.8Social sciences Political Science Political Systems RepublicLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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For example, Putin’s elections, free but structured so that the opposition cannot win, are just as effective as Stalin’s Gulag in keeping the regime in power, but are much less disruptive of Russian society. Dissident media offices are shut down, not by club-wielding thugs, but by having their computers confiscated because they contain unlicensed software.
Dobson’s provides many examples from Russia, China, Serbia, the Middle East, and Venezuela. He also illustrates the ways democracy advocates oppose these new tactics, such as the Egyptian riot policeman who clandestinely publishes a guide for protestors, showing how to stymy his colleagues’ tactics.
Dobson also provides a good introduction to the work of Gene Sharp, the American professor who has developed creative ways around these new techniques of repression. ( )