PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
Aleksandar Matovski an Assistant Professor in the Department of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School and an Associate at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University. He was previously National Security Advisor in the Government of North Macedonia.
'Popular Dictators will be a definitive work on electoral authoritarian regimes and the strongmen who rule them. Aleksandar Matovski emphatically portrays mass appeal instead of elite support as the foundation of strongman power, and persuasively traces this mass appeal to the crises and conflicts that preceded strongman rule and discredited these authoritarian regimes' predecessors.' Dan Slater, University of Michigan 'Matovski's book makes a fascinating argument - backed by impressive evidence from Russia and around the globe - that a 'strongman appeal' born of national crisis is often more important than actual repression in keeping authoritarian regimes stable. Engagingly written, it is bound to be an important reference point on the subject for years to come.' Henry E. Hale, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, George Washington University 'Aleksandar Matovski has written a timely and compelling account of electoral authoritarianism - one of democracy's greatest nemeses today. Animated by sweeping and original analysis, this book provides unique insight into how elected strongmen like Vladimir Putin maintain power by exploiting crises and the anxieties of their populations. A must read of all those interested in autocratic resilience.' Michael McFaul, Professor of Political Science, Stanford University and Former US Ambassador to Russia
