The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics
by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith
October 17, 2020 — October 31, 2020
Los Angeles, CA
POWER & MONEY. Those are the two things that rule the world and they’ve formed a complicated relationship that holds an exchange cycle between them. This book points out how entire nations are based on the leader’s decision and thought, how history and life can be shaped by one person, and how that person’s only two goals are coming to power and staying in power. Everything is in self-interest, everything. There’s a dynamic array of emotions that hit when reading this book. I highly recommend it. You will see how international relations and public affairs are actually leader relationships and personal ambitions in full force. When it comes to ruling a nation, money moves everything, it will determine decisions, explain actions, and control outcomes. It was really interesting to see how it’s not just dictatorships, but also democracies and corporate organizations that have similar practices, presenting examples from small-town councils, entire nations’ histories, and Fortune 500 companies. It’s just that each one has its own game, but remember, everything is in self-interest, nothing is ever for the cause or the people.
In the beginning, I felt like this book was telling me traits I already knew in a dictatorship. Then it got deeper and at times I was stunned, it was truly an eye-opener for many practices and events that have occurred. There’s a huge emphasis on the coalition and its size, the nation’s gang basically, who will influence what the leader does and what the people will have to endure as a result. All decisions are made to make sure that these key supporters remain loyal, which includes controlling how money is spent, all to make sure that these key supporters continue backing the leader. The whole nation can be pissed off, but as long as the coalition is happy, the leader will stay (yes, even if there’s a revolution, the way the book laid out why the Arab Spring was actually possible was so mind-boggling: it was an underpaid coalition (military) who figured it was better that people overthrow the leader). The whole chapter on foreign aid was insane, which has caused me to be distasteful about it. It’s literally all about bribery. The outcomes of wars were not based on strength and pride, it was based on how much the leader was willing to pay and how much they wanted to keep aside for themselves.
The world is ruthless and the lives of people are being determined by a few people that are balancing the future of the entire world with the current desires of their crews (coalitions, everything is about the coalition and its money). The same goes for democracy (bullshit) and corporate companies, we’re all living in a game.