We live in a time when the world is facing a tide of so-called neo-authoritarian rulers, such as the US’s Donald Trump, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and so on.

It’s often said that dictators tend to be charismatic, luring people to trust and support them, but I believe reality is far more complex.

Voting against rather than for something

When governments and institutions fail to meet people’s needs, the people will eventually turn to anyone who takes their frustration seriously. As author Richard David Hames put it:

“People understandably gravitate toward rulers who validate their frustrations, even if they exacerbate the underlying problems. The more incompetent the leadership becomes, the more fervently it's defended by those who will suffer most from its failures. This is not just facile political polarisation; it represents something deeper and more dangerous: a collective flight from the yoke of reality.”

Hames’ point is spot on. Dictators gain ground not because of who they are, but because existing governments weren’t paying attention or couldn’t mitigate the people’s frustration. Simply put, it’s not about who these wannabe dictators are—it’s about what they promise to fix. In the end, we’re here not because people are voting for someone, but because they’re voting against something.

The quiet dismantling

Once a wannabe dictator has gained power, the next step is to dismantle the democratic systems. This is often masked by a wave of media-grabbing actions. By creating drama and conflict, these authoritarian rulers shift the spotlight away from what matters—the slow destruction of democratic systems. Many act as national or global bullies, targeting anyone or anything standing in their way. They lie, cheat, and stir up violence, often behind the vague promise of restoring their country to its former glory. In reality, they’re attacking the fundamental structures that uphold democracy. So while we’re left stunned by the actions of Trump, Putin, Erdogan, and Netanyahu, our democratic rights are being stolen behind our backs.

Focus on what matters

Those of us living in a democracy share one key responsibility: to protect our democratic systems. A crucial factor here is ensuring that democratic institutions remain independent from the government. These institutions exist to provide checks and balances on power, so that no single entity becomes too powerful or authoritarian. By functioning independently, they help prevent abuses of power, corruption, and the erosion of democratic principles.

It doesn’t matter what our stance is on taxes, schooling, immigration, or climate change. We are the protectors of our democratic systems. We cannot let ourselves be emotionally manipulated into accepting the dismantling of the very structures that were put in place to protect us.