Leaders around the world use fear as a powerful tool to gain support and maintain control. They fabricate threats to rally their people and create a sense of unity. This tactic is not exclusive to autocrats, but is present in all kinds of countries. Fear is a primal emotion that captures attention and imaginations, making it an effective rhetorical device. People are skilled at imagining dangers that are not real, and this fear often manifests as a fear of outsiders or those who are different.