Gideon Rachman > Quotes

“Durable political systems ultimately rely on institutions, not individuals.”
― Gideon Rachman, The Age of the Strongman: How the Cult of the Leader Threatens Democracy around the World

“Asian nationalism is driven by rising expectations; the West’s nationalism is driven by disappointed hopes. But the political outcome is surprisingly similar: a call to make the country “great again.”
― Gideon Rachman, The Age of the Strongman: How the Cult of the Leader Threatens Democracy Around the World

“There are four cross-cutting characteristics that are common to the strongman style: the creation of a cult of personality; contempt for the rule of law; the claim to represent the real people against the elites (otherwise known as populism); and a politics driven by fear and nationalism.”
― Gideon Rachman, The Age of the Strongman: How the Cult of the Leader Threatens Democracy Around the World

“Carl Schmitt was a member of the Nazi Party and based at Berlin University (now Humboldt University) from 1933 to 1945. He has been described as the “crown jurist of the Third Reich” and for decades after the defeat of Nazism, his ideas were widely regarded as beyond the pale. But in recent years, there has been a global revival of interest in Schmitt’s work. Chinese legal scholars, Russian nationalists, thinkers of the far right in the US and Europe are all drawing upon the work of the premier legal theorist of Nazi Germany.”
― Gideon Rachman, The Age of the Strongman: How the Cult of the Leader Threatens Democracy Around the World