By Benard Rowan
The world today stands in the gaudy and dangerous grasp of autocracy. Leaders of too many powerful nations are veering toward autocracy. Seemingly blinded, blindsided and blithe populations increasingly divided by invidious distinctions are allowing it to occur. And unwelcome parallels to early 20th century leaders are starting to emerge.
North Korea, Russia, China, the United States, the Philippines and Syria are the main countries caught in this virus of autocracy. An autocrat is a ruler who values and aspires to the one-person rule of a state without proclaiming his monopoly on power. In the past, autocracies were empires, kingdoms, and monarchies. Today, autocrats benefit from modern to advanced bureaucratic, military, communication, and technological means. Self-aggrandizing leaders make the power of one stand for all.
It's not good, unless one wishes away the following: "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." This statement credited to Lord Acton enshrines the realist's understanding that public power and public political power need limits. Limited power more likely serves the public will. No leader of a present-day nation can claim legitimacy to rule in the name of just one person, not even a Pope or mullah. Autocratic leaders convert government into an apparatus of personal power. No one is immune to the tendency, now or in history, where or when power centralizes in the image of one person.
Look at Kim Jong-un, Xi Xinping, Vladimir Putin, and Donald Trump. To what lengths do they go to preserve their chances to keep ruling. Here's a leader who kills anyone who might oppose him. Another government enshrines one as "leader for life." Another stifles all opposition so political life is his self-image. Finally, the leader of the free world often mentions his admiration for people, powers and positions that are an anathema to his nation's Constitution. He praises autocrats and likes many of their trappings.
The autocratic leader wants his impress on everything. He (few are women it seems) wants to loom larger than life on the radar of every person in his state. He uses the press to substitute discussion of his personality by discussion of positions, policies and actions. Just look at the absurd mega-coverage of this gaggle of self-aggrandizing men and their retinues. It fills the airwaves, papers, television screens and online news stories, with gossip trumped up as analysis and criticism.
The world has experienced an implicit shrinking of mass proportions. It's far easier now to see what's going on in most corners of the globe. The indices of dissatisfied and distressed peoples in autocrats' countries are increasing. Meanwhile, autocrats support policies that poorly share income and opportunities, and scapegoat those who disagree, including entire demographic groups. Autocrats play to the masses but rarely serve their interests. That's because their positions preclude positive results.
Today, global communities face great upheaval because of regional conflicts, growing inequalities of income and wealth, and increasing amounts of time spent in work for less pay in real terms. Too many people mistake those who promise instant, dramatic, and certain gains and answers for real leadership. The autocrat almost invariably is a would-be populist engaging in quackery coined on the pipe dream wishes of an underserved public.
To counter the autocratic moment, we must measure leaders by their promises. Why do autocrats use conflict to substitute for commerce and peace? They stoke nationalist fantasies of greatness to prop up their inadequacies as leaders. They focus on hatred, fear, resentment, and death. They predict dire results and fancy themselves as "tough" enough to tell it like it is.
We must overcome autocrats and put them out of power. They play with economic downturns, war, violence and bloodshed. They not so subtly pit their own people against each other. They're prone to use ill will, prejudice, and scapegoating of other nations to prosecute their projects of self-perpetuation.
Many pundits, scholars, and observers note that we're now amid a volatile and dangerous global environment. The people of this world must put autocrats in their place. Start by voting down and putting out autocrats. This moment should end.
Bernard Rowan is associate provost for contract administration and professor of political science at Chicago State University. He is a past fellow of the Korea Foundation and former visiting professor at Hanyang University. Reach him at browan10@yahoo.com
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North Korea, Russia, China, the United States, the Philippines and Syria are the main countries caught in this virus of autocracy. An autocrat is a ruler who values and aspires to the one-person rule of a state without proclaiming his monopoly on power. In the past, autocracies were empires, kingdoms, and monarchies. Today, autocrats benefit from modern to advanced bureaucratic, military, communication, and technological means. Self-aggrandizing leaders make the power of one stand for all.
It's not good, unless one wishes away the following: "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." This statement credited to Lord Acton enshrines the realist's understanding that public power and public political power need limits. Limited power more likely serves the public will. No leader of a present-day nation can claim legitimacy to rule in the name of just one person, not even a Pope or mullah. Autocratic leaders convert government into an apparatus of personal power. No one is immune to the tendency, now or in history, where or when power centralizes in the image of one person.
Look at Kim Jong-un, Xi Xinping, Vladimir Putin, and Donald Trump. To what lengths do they go to preserve their chances to keep ruling. Here's a leader who kills anyone who might oppose him. Another government enshrines one as "leader for life." Another stifles all opposition so political life is his self-image. Finally, the leader of the free world often mentions his admiration for people, powers and positions that are an anathema to his nation's Constitution. He praises autocrats and likes many of their trappings.
The autocratic leader wants his impress on everything. He (few are women it seems) wants to loom larger than life on the radar of every person in his state. He uses the press to substitute discussion of his personality by discussion of positions, policies and actions. Just look at the absurd mega-coverage of this gaggle of self-aggrandizing men and their retinues. It fills the airwaves, papers, television screens and online news stories, with gossip trumped up as analysis and criticism.
The world has experienced an implicit shrinking of mass proportions. It's far easier now to see what's going on in most corners of the globe. The indices of dissatisfied and distressed peoples in autocrats' countries are increasing. Meanwhile, autocrats support policies that poorly share income and opportunities, and scapegoat those who disagree, including entire demographic groups. Autocrats play to the masses but rarely serve their interests. That's because their positions preclude positive results.
Today, global communities face great upheaval because of regional conflicts, growing inequalities of income and wealth, and increasing amounts of time spent in work for less pay in real terms. Too many people mistake those who promise instant, dramatic, and certain gains and answers for real leadership. The autocrat almost invariably is a would-be populist engaging in quackery coined on the pipe dream wishes of an underserved public.
To counter the autocratic moment, we must measure leaders by their promises. Why do autocrats use conflict to substitute for commerce and peace? They stoke nationalist fantasies of greatness to prop up their inadequacies as leaders. They focus on hatred, fear, resentment, and death. They predict dire results and fancy themselves as "tough" enough to tell it like it is.
We must overcome autocrats and put them out of power. They play with economic downturns, war, violence and bloodshed. They not so subtly pit their own people against each other. They're prone to use ill will, prejudice, and scapegoating of other nations to prosecute their projects of self-perpetuation.
Many pundits, scholars, and observers note that we're now amid a volatile and dangerous global environment. The people of this world must put autocrats in their place. Start by voting down and putting out autocrats. This moment should end.
Bernard Rowan is associate provost for contract administration and professor of political science at Chicago State University. He is a past fellow of the Korea Foundation and former visiting professor at Hanyang University. Reach him at browan10@yahoo.com
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