The Dictator's Handbook Summary

The desire to preserve political authority, has motivated leaders, both autocratic and democratic, to make decisions since the dawn of time. The Dictator's Handbook banishes political idealism and hones in on the innate human desire for wealth and power. Mesquita and Smith further defend a cynical take on politics and a realist worldview through ample real-world examples and distinct economic analysis. The authors articulate the rules leaders abide by, what the motivation for government spending is, what causes order and revolt in a political system, and what must be done to pave the way for a brighter future.

Mesquita and Smith break down the rules leaders abide by in order to maintain political authority. They begin by initially point out

They state, "Money is essential for anyone who wants to run any organization"(74). Leaders must have money or have a plan of how to acquiesce money, in order to offer their supporters a reason to support them, which is nothing more than a means to maintain political authority. The authors state, "Taxes, after all, generate much needed revenue, which can then reward supporters"(77). Both autocracies and democracies are in favor of taxation and borrowing funds, because this grants them the revenue they need to buy support from their essentials. Mesquita and Smith further argue that foreign aid can be understood in the same light. They state, "Aid is a tool for buying influence and policy." In this sense, the two groups are really only separated by the sizes of their various selectorates, as their motivations for government spending and foreign aid are almost identical.

Mesquita and Smith explain how corruption is inherent to power. They state, "Neither a smokescreen nor a witch hunt will root out sleaze"(160). Sleaze is therefore inherent to gaining and cultivating power. They state that counter corruption measures are either meant to look good to voters or to be used as a weapon against political opponents. The solution by Mesquita and Smith is to increase the accountability of leaders so that politics becomes a competition for the best idea rather than a crock

I agree that democratic nations and authoritarian nations are far more similar than we give them credit for being. Most leaders do seem to be motivated by self-interest, and they do seem to care primarily about maintaining, growing, and sustaining power. The abundance of examples offered in this book illustrated to me that foreign aid is often about buying influence and political power, and that corruption often coincides with power. I would have to disagree with the authors in that I do believe some leaders are motivated to take certain actions because of an inherent ethical framework, whether instilled in them by their society or by the the Lord. This is not true for all leaders, but even the authors point out that Singapore's leader is "benevolent", which is certainly a trait many authoritarian leaders do not need to posses. This book was an insightful read and certainly challenged many preconceived notions that I had about the world around