The Revenge of Power: How Autocrats are Reinventing Politics in the 21st Century By Moises Naim
I found this a very good book for consolidating and affirming my beliefs of what is wrong in America today. Unfortunately, this book with find readers in my camp but not in the group who should read it. Those being the Trump followers or former Republicans who have no tribe they can associate with.
A troubling aspect of this book is it highlights that the US is not alone in its trajectory toward authoritarianism but as Mr. Naim describes the similar paths in Turkey, Hungary, Venezuela, The Philippines and the UK. Not a group we as Americans would consider for the most part our party of.
The book highlights the ploy used by these new autocrats to make believe they can make the future better by a return to the past. The key factors being

o Fears of migration “racism”
o Economic insecurity of the middle class
o Identity politics
o Fear of AI and globalization
These autocratic leaders may have different ideologies but take power the same way.
They obtain power legally but then through : Populism, Polarization and Post-Truth dismantle institutions that are there to prevent the takeovers.
Mr. Naim refers to Hannah Arendt in 1951. “totalitarianism in power invariably replaces all first-rate talents, regardless of their sympathies with those crackpots and fools whose lack of intelligence and creativity is still the best guarantee of their loyalty.”
Mr. Naim describes quite well the horror of “Post Truth” which I find such a detestable use of the English language for communicating thoughts and idea. Post-Truth is when there is not a shared objective standards for truth. It is a condition that arises in public life when the dividing line between facts and knowledge and belief and opinion withers away and used interchangeably so often the dividing line between them is no longer possible to agree upon.
We see these factors becoming a basis in the Identity Politics playing out in the “Making America Great Again.
I almost long for the early days of Trump when The Times debated could they refer to something said as a lie or even Trump was a liar.
If there is a big fault with this book; it is I can not see a way out of this mess we are in. So, I started reading with optimism but then found myself at the end hoping I can hunker down and live out my life ignoring, if possible, the brainwashed people who follow “alternative acts”.