Editors: Edward Dunbar & Milton Bennett
Chapters and abstracts as of February 10, 2026
Chapter One: The New Authoritarianism. Milton Bennett & Edward Dunbar
This introductory chapter reviews the state of authoritarian movements in the twenty-first century. Beginning with a historical recognition of the leader-follower relationship in social groups, we consider the conceptual traditions of authoritarian governance. The form of autocratic leadership is presented from a social, cultural, and psychological perspective. This is illustrated via the backsliding phenomena (Dunbar, 2024) of democratic choice to adopt autocratic governance. The evolution of authoritarianism in the 21st century is then highlighted in terms of the role of emergent technology to socialize and control consumers as well as the new leadership of the modern oligarchs who fund anti-democratic political movements. Themes of nostalgia and national purity, which can lead to intergroup hatred, are frequently employed to establish authoritarian dominance This New Authoritarianism, is then discussed in terms of ecological risk, resource scarcity, the culting of autocratic followers, and the threat of authoritarian notions of governance as eliminating the traditions of a civil society. In this chapter and through the contributions of ourselves and other authors in this volume we will examine some psychological, social, historical, economic, and epistemological factors underpinning authoritarianism and the rise of anti-democratic regimes in the current century. The concluding section speculates on the position of new authoritarianism in the larger sweep of human experience.
Chapter Two: New Authoritarianism Through the Lens of Evolutionary Epistemology. Milton Bennett
Through a lens of evolutionary epistemology, authoritarianism can be seen as a once-viable but now maladaptive form of social organization. This chapter considers two implications of this view. One is the idea that the human consciousness underlying most human social behavior is itself an evolutionary development. Understanding how our unique ability to use metaphoric language has translated into social adaptation provides an insight into why the authoritarian manipulation of language and suppression of self-consciousness so profoundly affects our social world. Secondly, the chapter considers how the more recent evolution of scientific knowledge paradigms – Newtonian positivism and Einsteinian relativism – have created extraordinary adaptive demands on a human social consciousness rooted in shared myth and the reification of self and others. The failure of adaptation by large swathes of populations to these scientific paradigms and the resultant feeling of “unfitness” is likely contributing to the epistemological backlash underlying new authoritarianism. Some new epistemological adaptations associated with the Quantum paradigm are suggested as forms of resistance to archaic authoritarianism.
Chapter Three: The Hate Element in Authoritarian Regimes. Brian Levin
During President Trump’s second non-consecutive term, observers have noted a substantial expansion of executive authority. Analyses of his public communication and administrative actions suggest that the groups he has frequently criticized follow patterns consistent with those identified in his earlier political career. Similar to other leaders described in the scholarly literature on contemporary illiberal governance, his rhetoric has often framed various populations—such as immigrants, women, racial and religious minorities, transgender individuals, members of the press, and political or legal opponents—as adversarial.
Chapter Four: Contemporary Authoritarianism, the Metamorphosis of Governance and its Impact upon Citizen Wellbeing. Edward Dunbar
An analysis of 174 sovereign states in 2024 assessed the characteristics and consequences of authoritarian governance. Data was derived from international non-governmental organizations. Authoritarianism was classified via the Freedom House democracy ratings and the hierarchical categorization of autocracy levels with the Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI). Dimensions of autocratic control the “Four Horsemen” – dismantling of free elections, suppression of political pluralism, erosion of press freedom, and the undermining of judicial independence – were examined. Additionally, five indicators of government efficiency – gross domestic product, poverty levels, the risk of state-sponsored genocide, prevalence of government corruption, and participation in international treaties were recorded. Of particular interest was the effect of autocratic practices on citizen wellbeing, assessed through both subjective self-reports and objective indicators spanning health, education, and income. Three central questions guided this inquiry: Prevalence: How widespread are anti-democratic forms of governance globally? Impact: Do authoritarian or anti-democratic regimes affect economic performance, public safety, and international engagement? Psycho-social Consequences: What are the societal and psychological repercussions of authoritarian rule on citizens? Findings revealed that authoritarian regimes in 2024 were consistently associated with higher levels of corruption compared to liberal democracies. “Hard autocracies” were more likely to exert extreme media control and exhibited heightened genocide risk. Notably, the curtailment of judicial independence correlated with diminished citizen happiness and increased violence against civilian populations. These patterns underscore a troubling trajectory: as authoritarian regimes endure, the erosion of civil liberties and the socio-economic costs of one-party control appear to rigidify and intensify forms of authoritarian control. This raises urgent concerns for international governance, human rights, and long-term international stability.
Chapter Five: Populist Strategies in Israel: An Examination of Netanyahu’s Approach to Governance. Shahar Gindi
This chapter examines the utilization of populist strategies within Israeli governance under the leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu. Focusing on the period since 2015 and until 2025, it analyzes how specific tactics, including the framing of crises, the construction of national identity, and the manipulation of historical narratives, have been employed. The research aims to contribute to a broader understanding of the dynamics of the new authoritarianism and its impact on democratic processes, using Israel as a case study. The chapter considers the implications of these strategies for governance and social cohesion.
Chapter Six: The Lives of Others: How Extreme Wealth Curates Authoritarianism. Edward Dunbar
Over the past quarter‑century, the accelerated concentration of global wealth within a minute fraction of the population has coincided with a renewed global drift toward authoritarian governance. This study investigates the political motivations and anti‑democratic tendencies of individuals of exceptional wealth—here conceptualized as oligarchs—by examining the relationship between extreme wealth and political activity among the Forbes 50 wealthiest individuals of 2025. To contextualize this relationship, the analysis synthesizes findings from three relevant bodies of research: (1) experimental psychology on power, motivation, and social cognition; (2) socio‑economic studies of inequality and elite political behavior; and (3) AI‑generated models that simulate patterns of wealth accumulation and elite influence. Drawing on motivational theory, the study considers how the political orientations of ultra‑wealthy actors may be shaped by psychological dispositions associated with extreme wealth. The emerging profile of the authoritarian‑leaning oligarch is characterized by an intensified pursuit of extrinsic rewards, increasing social and psychological distance from non‑wealthy populations, and a tendency to support political systems that employ coercive or exclusionary forms of control. These traits, when combined with disproportionate economic power, may contribute to political behaviors that undermine liberal‑democratic norms. Finally, the analysis identifies two threshold conditions through which the psychological and structural consequences of extreme wealth may elevate societal vulnerability to autocratic outcomes. Together, these findings highlight the need for further interdisciplinary inquiry into the political psychology of extreme wealth and its implications for democratic resilience.
Chapter Seven: Traditionalism as a Trojan of New Authoritarianism. Renato Foschi
The chapter describes the faces of the new authoritarianism connected with contemporary populism, considered a reaction to the silent revolution that began in the late 1960s. This reaction, especially in the US and Russia, has led to a political culture characterized by nostalgia and traditionalism. The return to a glorious past is touted as the solution to the economic and social crises of contemporary times. The chapter then locates the historical origins of this palliative idea of the past and tradition in the political thought of Julius Evola, an Italian far-right ideologue who, surprisingly, is now translated into English and considered a “master” of the international alternative right. The connections between traditionalism and new forms of authoritarianism in the theoretical frame that Eco called Ur-Fascism or
eternal fascism are thus analyzed.
Chapter Eight: The Hydra of the New Authoritarian Leadership in Their Own Words. Edward Dunbar & Vincent Berardi
The influence of authoritarian political leaders in the twenty‑first century remains profound. Dunbar (2024) advanced a historically grounded typology of authoritarian leaders (AL), distinguishing among charismatic, thug, and situational forms of authoritarianism. The present investigation applied this typology to the study of authoritarian persuasion using Pennebaker’s Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC). Forty‑four influential authoritarian political figures were analyzed, with LIWC variables computed for authenticity, emotional tone, clout, analytical thinking, and need for power, both prior to and during their tenure in power. These linguistic indicators were compared across the three leader types. Subsequently, the findings were evaluated using ChatGPT to characterize (1) each leader’s persuasion tactics, (2) follower perceptions, and (3) follower perceptions under conditions of malevolent intent. These assessments were examined in relation to two critical outcomes: the initiation of domestic genocidal programs and the initiation of interstate warfare. An exploratory factor analysis of the LIWC variables identified three latent dimensions of authoritarian persuasion: emotional expressiveness, richness of expression, and Machiavellianism. These factors demonstrated significant differences across leader types and were associated with differential risks of committing genocide while in power and of initiating armed conflict with another nation‑state.
Chapter Nine: The Political Economy of the New Authoritarianism – A Relational Perspective. Josef Wieland
Authoritarian political and economic systems and their leadership pose a significant challenge to the existence and performance of liberal democracies and their relational economies in a networked, regio-global economic order. This article attempts to shed light on some aspects of the new authoritarianism from the perspective of relational economics. First, it highlights the differences and commonalities among authoritarian economic and social systems. Although there are differences between these systems, they also share some commonalities, such as political and state dominance by oligarchic elites aimed at exercising monopoly power and rent-seeking. Second, four governance structures involved in the emergence and development of authoritarian economies are presented and discussed. Third, the central role of cultural patterns and the agency of collective actors in the emergence and diffusion of authoritarian ideology and practice are discussed. The article concludes with some reflections on current and future challenges, as well as some insights into possible future research agendas.
Chapter Ten: Anti-Authoritarian Ethics. Richard Evanoff
This chapter attempts to formulate an anti-authoritarian approach to ethics in response to current trends towards a new authoritarianism. The first part distinguishes between legitimate and illegitimate forms of autonomy, defined as the ability to make free decisions in the absence of external control, as well as between legitimate and illegitimate forms of authority, which may constrain self-determination. The second part develops a relational view of ethics, which suggests that since humans live in the context of the transactions they have with each other, ethics can be constructed at a variety of levels to deal with mutually shared problems. An anti-authoritarian version of discourse ethics is then proposed, which sees norms as having legitimacy only if they are co-constructed through an open and inclusive deliberative process in which all those who are affected by the adoption of a given norm are able to participate in a free and uncoerced manner.
Afterword: Author Commentary
This is an edited collection of transcribed oral and written comments made by chapter authors about the overall focus of the volume and the connection between their own chapters and those of other authors.
