s the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues into its fifth month, its geopolitical impact will continue having repercussions across the world. As Vladimir Putin portrays himself as the natural heir of Tsar Peter the Great and Stalin, who both oversaw the growth of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, respectively, a new book written by the Financial Times chief foreign affairs commentator Gideon Rachman aims to portray how the inevitable rise of autocracy and authoritarian leaders across the world in imitation of Putin is raising worries in the free world i.e., the US and its partners in Europe.

The Age of The Strongman: How the Cult of the Leader Threatens Democracy around the World is a chilling read and offers glimpses of how nationalism in the inter-war years led to the rise of fascism under Mussolini and Hitler in Italy and Germany, respectively. However, Rachman whose personal knowledge of the leaders he dubs autocrats or authoritarians is exhibited clearly in the book, charts the rise of the cult of a strongman like Putin in Russia after the unprecedented havoc unleashed during the democratic upheavals under his predecessor Boris Yeltsin, and how it was able to rise out of the tumult providing a leitmotif for leaders like Erdo an in Turkey, Orban in Hungary, Duterte in the Philippines and Xi Jinping in China etc.

The theme of the book provides a distinct outlook as to how one of the world’s largest democracies, India, fell to the cult and charisma of Narinder Modi, ultimately leading to an onset of reprisals against its minorities and the rise of radical nationalism amongst its Hindu majority, which seeks to purge itself of its multiethnic roots that have lasted for centuries. In Turkey, Erdo an who oversaw economic prosperity and growth in his first decade of power turned the tables and reduced the role of the armed forces, purged the judiciary and opponents in the media, and appointed relatives and confidants to prominent positions in his government. Xi Jinping’s control over entire organs of the state and seeking an unprecedented third term as China’s president exhibits his clear ambitions to rule over the coming decades like Putin in Russia.

In the heart of the European Union, leaders like Orban in Hungary, who has overseen a reversal of democratic norms including the diminishing of the judiciary and media independence, railed out against the spectre of immigration, especially Muslims seeking shelter from Syria and Afghanistan in lieu of the violence of the past decade or so. Likewise, Poland’s Kaczynski, taking a page out of Orban’s book, followed a similar programme of reversing the independence of the judiciary and controlling media and schools. Both the countries that played a pivotal role in the collapse of the Soviet bloc, under whose yolk they had chafed since WWII, and had seen the flowering and fruits of democracy since then, have now fallen out with its benefactors in the European Union (EU) and adopted autocracy/ authoritarianism instead.

The use of technology to exploit sentiments of the masses and deep use of disinformation, fake news to target political opponents and silencing of the media shows how the internet has enabled autocratic rulers to further their grip on power.

According to Rachman, leaders like Duterte in the Philippines, Trump in the US and Netanyahu in Israel all distinctly share similar characteristics of the ‘cult’ of leadership and have resorted to nationalism and even outright racism to further their objectives. As Rachman rightly points out, all these leaders have somehow been inspired by Putin and Duterte. Balsonaro and Trump have even complimented the former for his authoritarian style that they believe has led to the revival of Russia after the tumultuous years following the fall of the Soviet Union.

Boris Johnson, the beleaguered prime minister of the United Kingdom who has been surrounded by controversy and scandals since coming to power, isn’t an exception to the rule and has been dealt with scathing criticism by Rachman. The author also explores Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia, the second-most populous nation in the African continent and the promises his coming into power held. The transition from liberalism to authoritarianism has a striking resonance among all the leaders portrayed in The Age of the Strongman.

This book doesn’t just take a swipe at the creeping autocracy these rulers bring but also investigates the reasons why all these countries – some of them, fledgling democracies – have fallen to the ‘charms’ of autocracy. Moreover, the use of technology to exploit the sentiments of the masses and use of disinformation, fake news to target political opponents and silencing of the media show how the internet has enabled autocratic rulers to strengthen their grip on power. Falsehood is a consistent streak employed by autocrats to further their designs, carefully controlling the narratives via a team of internet trolls to mislead the masses as Rachman’s work demonstrates.

A book of paramount importance in the current times, The Age of The Strongman shows how the creeping of autocracy/ authoritarianism in lieu of opposition to globalisation and rising nationalism could eventually lead to destabilisation.

The Age of The Strongman: How the Cult of the Leader Threatens Democracy around the World

By: Gideon Rachman

Publisher: The Bodley Head UK, 2022

Pages: 288

Price: Rs 2,995

The reviewer is a freelance journalist. He tweets @MohammadFarooq