Recently there was an interesting interview by WHYY’s FreshAir’s Dave Davies with the Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt about their new book “How Democracies Die.” I’m adding it to the collection because they echo my own memories and thoughts and these guys are scholars who can explain themselves with a degree of evidence and authority I couldn’t dream of. I’m just a witness, that’s why I’m sharing.
This is important for fully appreciating the situation we are in. Following the FreshAir quotes, I add some highlights to a Guardian article by these authors and also two reviews of their book.
Will Democracy Survive President Trump? Two New Books Aren’t So Sure By Jennifer Szalai
Rights aren’t given, they are taken and currently the oligarchs with an incredibly loud and smooth PR machine are taking as many rights as they can grasp. Democracy use it or lose it.
'How Democracies Die' Authors Say Trump Is A Symptom Of 'Deeper Problems’
January 22, 2018 | Dave Davies interviews Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt
https://www.npr.org/2018/01/22/579670528/how-democracies-die-authors-say-trump-is-a-symptom-of-deeper-problems
Davies… If watching President Trump and listening to American political discourse these days makes you feel something's gone wrong, our guests today will tell you it's not your imagination. Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt have spent years studying what makes democracies healthy and what leads to their collapse. And they see signs that American democracy is in trouble.
In a new book, they argue that Trump has shown authoritarian tendencies and that many players in American politics are discarding long-held norms that have kept our political rivalries in balance and prevented the kind of bitter conflict that can lead to a repressive state. Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt are both professors of government at Harvard University. Levitsky's research focuses on Latin America and the developing world. Ziblatt studies Europe from the 19th century to the present. Their new book is called "How Democracies Die.” …
In a new book, they argue that Trump has shown authoritarian tendencies and that many players in American politics are discarding long-held norms that have kept our political rivalries in balance and prevented the kind of bitter conflict that can lead to a repressive state. Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt are both professors of government at Harvard University. Levitsky's research focuses on Latin America and the developing world. Ziblatt studies Europe from the 19th century to the present. Their new book is called "How Democracies Die.” …
