Abstract

The relevance of contemporary dictatorships as a political-social model of governance is in the political and actual power they possess, despite numerous democratization waves over the past decades. It is important to differentiate between democracy transition states and dictatorships based on ideology or religion. Democracies with their “path dependencies,” their numerous veto players, and their naturally slow decision making processes are put under pressure on a global level by the “modern” fast governance of the twenty-first century. Additionally, doubts remain about the extent to which democracy and economic prosperity continue to be so tightly interwoven as has been the case in past decades. Dictatorship is by no means a historical relic. It represents a pernicious force on the global level and has proven to be more durable and sometimes more economically efficient, than many scholars expected. After all, on a global level, it seems to be more attractive than the west would like to see.