Defeating Dictators: Fighting Tyranny in Africa and Around the World

by George B.N. Ayittey

Overview

The recent turmoil in North Africa and the Middle East disproves the idea that dictatorships are acceptable to the people of these nations. From the uprising in Tunisia to the overthrow of Egypt's Hosni Mubarak and rebellion across the region, the tide is turning against oppressive regimes. In this timely and urgent narrative, White House advisor on Africa George Ayittey takes a hard look at the fight against dictatorships around the world, from Eastern Europe in the twentieth century to the present turmoil in the Middle East. He describes the historic circumstances that led to the rise of brutal dictators and explains how, despite the best intentions and billions of dollars in aid, Western governments have been complicit in helping dictators consolidate power. He not only shows how the popular uprisings underway can best bring about democracy, but warns how democratic movements can inadvertently pave the way for more dictators. Ayittey examines strategies that have worked in the struggle to establish democracy through revolution, and suggests that by harnessing the power of democratic institutions and grassroots efforts, Africans can bring stability and security to the continent.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780230341623
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	12/11/2012
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	207,431
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Dr. George Ayittey was named one of Foreign Policy's Top Global Thinkers in 2009 and is an advisor to the Obama administration on forging a new path for Africa. He is the author of Africa Unchained, Africa in Chaos, and Africa Betrayed, which won the H.L. Mencken Award for Best Book. Ayittey has written for The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The Times of London, among others, and has appeared on such media as ABC Nightline, PBS NewsHour, and CNN. He is also the founder and president of the Free Africa Foundation and professor of economics at American University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vi

Introduction Advancing the Cause of Liberty 1

Chapter 1 Despotic Regimes Today 7

Chapter 2 Traditional Societies 37

Chapter 3 Indigenous Curbs Against Despotism 61

Chapter 4 The Modus Operandi of Despotic Regimes 85

Chapter 5 The Demise of Despotic Regimes 111

Chapter 6 Stirrings for Freedom 137

Chapter 7 The Strategy 163

Chapter 8 Reversals in Revolutions-And How to Avoid Them 189

Chapter 9 International Impotence and Hindrance 215

Chapter 10 Epilogue 239

Notes 261

Bibliography 274

Index 277

Editorial Reviews

[Ayittey's] forthright language, lucid analyses, and pragmatic attitude make this a compelling and timely challenge to the despotism-as-usual status quo.” —Publishers Weekly

“As George Ayittey, Obama adviser and veteran Africa author and analyst, knows too well…there is far more to ousting dictators than convening a crowd, as in Tahrir Square…There are few greater experts in the nature of and flaws of tyranny [than Ayittey]. His record in opposing authoritarian misrule in his native Ghana is unimpeachable.…All those labouring under authoritarian systems that seem invulnerable, from Zimbabwe to Jordan and even maybe China, should heed Ayittey's strictures. So should their rulers. So too should western officials tempted to water down their principles when working in illiberal regimes.” —Alec Russell, Financial Times

From the Publisher

The only good dictator is a dead one,” argues this hard-nosed, outspoken pro-democracy manifesto and how-to manual. Economist Ayittey (Africa Unchained) surveys current and former dictatorships, aka “vampire states,” from his native Ghana, where he helped lead a successful movement against the despot Jerry Rawlings, to Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela, Alexander Lukashenko’s Belarus, and the tottering tyrannies of the Arab world. Ayittey mixes right-leaning socioeconomics—he champions capitalism against socialist development schemes—with a bullet-pointed primer for activists, one that’s full of practical insights on the need for unity among opposition groups, the centrality of independent radio stations and other “free media,” the potency of civil service strikes against military rulers, and the usefulness of motor oil for toppling antidemocracy thugs from their scooters. Ayittey’s unorthodox political theories—he favors traditional modes of “consensus” decision making over Western-style multiparty majority votes, and insists that political reform must precede economic liberalization—will be as controversial as his one-size-fits-all conception of dictatorship, lumping together countries as dissimilar as China and Ethiopia, which can seem simplistic. Still, his forthright language, lucid analyses, and pragmatic attitude make this a compelling and timely challenge to the despotism-as-usual status quo. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

How to deal with despots in Africa and other parts of the world.

The founder of the Free Africa Foundation,Ayittey (Economics/American Univ.; Africa Unchained: The Blueprint for Africa's Future, 2004, etc.) has struggled for nearly 40 years to advance the idea that despotic governments are not caused by external factors—imperialism, for example—but by internal corruption and incompetence. In fact, the author argues that intervention from the United States and other Western powers often aggravates the problem. His latest work elaborates on "Ayittey's Law," which identifies the sequence of events that accompany what have been successful movements against despotic regimes. Ayittey divides the despotic regimes into "vampire states" and "coconut republics." The worst of the vampire states include Mexico and Nigeria, while Uganda and Tanzania are among the coconut republics. He also provides a helpful list of "the most odious and despicable" of the despotic regimes, which include Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, Than Shwe of Myanmar and Isaiah Afwerki of Eritrea. The author writes that traditional societies can provide a basis for opposing despots and despotisms. In addition to providing recipes for tactics to be employed against differing kinds of despotisms, Ayittey also shows where movements against despots have failed. Freedom of expression and outreach through media access are among the tactics he recommends, and he cites the successful use of radio in Ghana and online activities in Egypt and Tunisia.

A useful step-by-step guide to "help oppressed people...bring democratic change to their countries peacefully—without violence, without firing a shot, and without Western help or intervention."

Kirkus Reviews