From Turkey to Hungary, from India to the United States, authoritarian leaders have gained power under the protective cloak of free elections. Instead, they have doubled down on even more extreme and broadly unpopular leaders and policies, from Trump to abortion and guns. As a minority seeking to exercise control of government, it is actually necessary that the Trumpist G.O.P. If enough voters, Goldstone wrote,are deeply anxious or frightened of some real or imagined threat (e.g. If the same political party controls the House, Senate, judiciary and presidency, and disregards the principles of democracy and independence of officials, then sadly none of the institutions of democracy will prevent arbitrary and autocratic government.

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