October 13, 2014

Professor Varol’s Video Interview on Trends in Modern Authoritarianism

Professor Varol Gave a Video Interview on Trends in Modern Authoritarianism

Professor Varol recently gave a video interview on trends in modern authoritarianism.  In the interview, he discusses how modern authoritarians use constitutional design and the law to serve their objectives. Professor Varol explains that modern authoritarians have learned to cloak repressive practices under the mask of law, giving them the veneer of legitimacy and making authoritarian practices much more difficult to detect and eliminate.  According to Professor Varol, “modern authoritarian wolves rarely appear as wolves; they are now dressed, at least in part, as sheep.”  The interview is based in part on a paper titled Stealth Authoritarianism authored by Professor Varol.

You can follow Professor Varol’s writing on his blog and download a free chapter from his upcoming book, The Democratic Coup d’État.