Gideon Rachman, Chief Foreign Affairs Columnist for the Financial Times, explores the troubling rise of strongman leaders like Putin and Xi Jinping. He discusses how they wield nationalism and enemy narratives to gain power, often manipulating truth through social media. Rachman highlights the simplistic allure of authoritarian rhetoric and examines the dangerous alliance between China and Russia. The conversation delves into historical roots and the need for vigilance against these figures that threaten democracy in today's geopolitical landscape.
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insights INSIGHT
Strongmen's Rise
The strongman era emerged around 2000 with Putin's rise, gaining momentum over the next decade.
Initially perceived as democratic reformers, figures like Putin, Erdogan, and Xi Jinping gradually revealed their authoritarian tendencies.
insights INSIGHT
Strongman Tactics
Strongmen utilize personality-driven politics, claiming they alone can fix a perceived national crisis.
They employ nostalgic nationalism, promising a return to past greatness, often combined with social conservatism.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Soros and Public Humiliation
George Soros is a frequent target for strongmen due to his wealth, Jewish background, liberal views, and political involvement.
Rachman observed Putin employ a tactic of public humiliation, both in 2009 with a journalist and later with a security council member.
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In 'Zero-Sum Future: American Power in an Age of Anxiety', Gideon Rachman explores the shift from a cooperative global environment to one characterized by increasing rivalry and competition. He argues that the win-win logic of globalization is giving way to a zero-sum logic, where major powers are increasingly at odds over resources and influence. The book examines global challenges such as climate change, economic imbalances, and the rise of authoritarian regimes, offering insights into how these issues are reshaping international relations.
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Age of the Strongman
Gideon Rachman
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By launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has started the first war in Europe for a generation, defying the post-Cold War international rules-based order and inflicting great suffering on millions of civilians in the process. Gideon Rachman is chief foreign affairs columnist for the Financial Times and his latest book is The Age of the Strongman: How the Cult of the Leader Threatens Democracy Around the World. The book focuses on how we have arrived in an era in which figures such as Xi Jinping, Jair Bolsonaro, and, of course, Vladimir Putin, have managed to ascend to power and stay there. Hosting this discussion is Carl Miller, Research Director at the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media at the think tank, Demos.
Intelligence Squared 
