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Can It Happen Here?
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Can It Happen Here?

Authoritarianism in America

Cass R. Sunstein
Dey Street, 2018

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8

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US President Donald Trump’s harsh rhetoric about immigrants, the media and his political opponents has terrified the left. Even some conservatives are uncomfortable with the coarsening of political discourse. But will Trump turn the world’s leading democracy into an authoritarian regime along the lines of Russia or Turkey? According to the academics who weigh in for this collection of essays, that outcome is highly unlikely. Still, the thinkers agree that an ill wind blows through the US electorate. In one of the collection’s most compelling entries, Duke University professor Timur Kuran argues that the pattern of intensifying intolerance taking hold in the United States is less about party lines than a growing divide between “identitarians” and “nativists.” These rival factions are often encouraged to see the other side as less than fully human, Kuran writes. Other contributors agree with Kuran’s general theme: The United States will remain a democracy, but even after Trump departs the scene, the increasingly tribal politics will make it easier for tyranny to gain traction in the political culture. getAbstract recommends this collection to readers seeking insight into the shifting winds of US politics.

Take-Aways

  • Weakening the press, co-opting Congress and de-legitimizing the courts are ways that Donald Trump could become a tyrant.
  • Trump’s ability to use dictatorial strategies effectively is limited by his lack of popularity.
  • The US government’s size and complexity make it a poor target for a fascist takeover.

About the Author

Cass R. Sunstein is the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard Law School. His latest books are The World According to Star Wars (2016) and The Ethics of Influence (2016).

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