Are the Autocrats Winning?
Autocracy and authoritarianism are spreading like a virus, I know, an overused metaphor, but a relevant one. It seems that one autocrat emboldens others. From China, to the Philippines, Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Hungary, Poland, Belarus, the Central Asian republics, Egypt, Venezuela and Brazil, autocracy is thriving. And this is far from a complete list. There are many more. What is particularly concerning is that it now includes previously burgeoning or entrenched democracies such as Brazil, Turkey and now even India.
Countries like Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic, the poster-children of post-communist transition to democracy, have slid seriously backwards. Also, Politicians with authoritarian tendencies have made strong gains in many Western European democracies and of course in the United States. To quote Marvin Gaye: What’s going on? Why is this happening? Is it a short-term blip that will be reversed, or are we moving into a darker age of authoritarianism? Will the autocrats in fact prevail? Or can this trend be reversed? How will this affect us in Canada? Are we at risk of authoritarianism? Do we in fact already display some elements of it? In this course we’ll explore these issues and look at how authoritarianism is playing out in a number of specific countries.
Date and Time: Fridays, September 11 to October 9 (5 weeks), 2-4PM
Moderator: John Simke
Cost: $30
Maximum Attendees: 50
Booking: You can book a spot with a credit card payment on or after the enrolment day using the link that will be visible then. See Terms and Conditions. Please note, maximum of two spots per person per course. When the course is full, to go onto the waiting list, please send us an e-mail at [email protected]
Countries like Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic, the poster-children of post-communist transition to democracy, have slid seriously backwards. Also, Politicians with authoritarian tendencies have made strong gains in many Western European democracies and of course in the United States. To quote Marvin Gaye: What’s going on? Why is this happening? Is it a short-term blip that will be reversed, or are we moving into a darker age of authoritarianism? Will the autocrats in fact prevail? Or can this trend be reversed? How will this affect us in Canada? Are we at risk of authoritarianism? Do we in fact already display some elements of it? In this course we’ll explore these issues and look at how authoritarianism is playing out in a number of specific countries.
Date and Time: Fridays, September 11 to October 9 (5 weeks), 2-4PM
Moderator: John Simke
Cost: $30
Maximum Attendees: 50
Booking: You can book a spot with a credit card payment on or after the enrolment day using the link that will be visible then. See Terms and Conditions. Please note, maximum of two spots per person per course. When the course is full, to go onto the waiting list, please send us an e-mail at [email protected]