In recent years, political scientists have been starting to talk about "electoral authoritarian regimes" — how dictators make use of some amount of popular support, media, and other tools to stay in power.
I'm no expert, but I find this an interesting line of thought. It feels like a way to more fully understand the specific dynamics of how someone like Putin stays in power in Russia — rather than just calling Putin a dictator.
(Don't get me wrong. I believe in the values of the modern "free world" order that is led by the US, even if it's imperfect. Just want to also better understand how the opponents also think and operate.)
For example "Popular Dictatorships: Crises, Mass Opinion, and the Rise of Electoral Authoritarianism" by Aleksandar Matovski: https://www.amazon.com/Popular-Dictatorships-Opinion-Elector...
I'm no expert, but I find this an interesting line of thought. It feels like a way to more fully understand the specific dynamics of how someone like Putin stays in power in Russia — rather than just calling Putin a dictator.
(Don't get me wrong. I believe in the values of the modern "free world" order that is led by the US, even if it's imperfect. Just want to also better understand how the opponents also think and operate.)