Not your grandma’s authoritarians Today’s authoritarian rulers realize that civil society has the potential to support democracy and pry loose their grip on power.
—
Christopher Justin Einolf,
The Conversation,
26 Sep. 2025
Even as long-reigning autocrats such as Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are removed from power, the outlook for the global state of democracy remains highly uncertain.
—
Yana Gorokhovskaia,
Washington Post,
19 Mar. 2026
Trump’s attacks may have raised some doubts in China that Xi’s backing of autocrats is wise.
Biden put this sentiment into action by working with Netanyahu despite serious moral and political failures in Gaza, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on NATO expansion, and with Gulf potentates on the region’s security architecture.
Ready to meet the season's new allies, enemies, tyrants, and giants?
—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Mar. 2026
At the time, Athens had just emerged from a period of dictatorship and some of his students had been among the tyrants who sought to take down Athens’ democracy.
Although American forces have arrested Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and killed several Iranian leaders, removing the dictators has not dislodged the dictatorships in either Caracas or Tehran.
—
David A. Graham,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
Long before the birth of Julius Caesar, the Roman Republic appointed all-powerful dictators to protect their state in times of crisis.
Thus, to be real peace-makers, whether Christian or not, responsible leaders need to be aware that the approach of pacifism often paves the way for dictators and despots to inflict more and more violence.
—
Bill Keane,
Hartford Courant,
15 Mar. 2026
These despots will continue to lash out at America.
—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
4 Mar. 2026
That would overlook how quickly Israel’s allies can turn into tomorrow’s religious oppressors.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Mar. 2026
Israel’s message behind the assassination campaign is clear — the Islamic regime is beyond salvaging, and Iranians need to take to the streets to help oust their oppressors themselves.
—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Mar. 2026
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