Strongmen are rising. Democracies are faltering. How does tyranny end?
Tyrants project invincibility, but all of them fall. This is because they face critical weaknesses that can form a fatal trap. Whether it’s their inner circle turning against them or resentment of elites in the military, the masses alienated by cronyism or revolutionaries plotting in exile, tyrants always have more enemies than friends. And when they fall tyrants don’t quietly retire – they face exile, prison or death. What happens in the aftermath can change the fate of a nation.
Meeting with a revolutionary (codename ‘Satan’) who risked Stasi capture to undermine an oppressive regime, an American-Gambian activist who plotted to liberate his homeland on breaks during his construction job and the unapologetic former leader of a Burundian rebel group which carried out a massacre, internationally renowned security expert and political scientist Dr Marcel Dirsus draws on extensive field research and personal interviews with coup leaders, rebels and soldiers to examine the workings and malfunctions of tyrants.
But understanding dictators isn’t enough. How Tyrants Fall is the gripping, deeply researched blueprint for how to bring them down.
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Reviews
In How Tyrants Fall, Marcel Dirsus exposes the precarious reality behind the façade of the dictator's absolute power. With keen insight and gripping narrative, Dirsus reveals how the very strategies tyrants use to stay in control sow the seeds of their ultimate downfall. An essential and captivating look at the perils of authoritarian rule and the remarkable ways in which even the most ruthless despots can be toppled.
Bradley Hope, co-author of BILLION DOLLAR WHALE
Fascinating, sweeping, and jaw-dropping. Dirsus takes everything you think you know about dictators and turns it on its head, with provocative insights into the warped minds of despots and the twisted systems that keep them on top. With dazzling stories and convincing analysis, How Tyrants Fall provides a roadmap to a world with fewer Putins and Kim Jong-Uns.
Brian Klaas, author of CORRUPTIBLE
A compelling and intricate portrait of how dictators survive and how they fall. Grounded in the latest research, it uses colourful real-world experiences to shed light on the central tensions underlying the reign of today's tyrants... How Tyrants Fall expertly captures the complex nature of strongman rule.
Professor Erica Frantz, Michigan State University
A smart, accessible, engaging reminder of the brittleness of tyrannical regimes. It is also a resource for policies that can weaken those repressive governments and prevent chaos in their aftermath. We in the West have lost confidence in the university of our political values; this excellent book ought to restore our commitment to advancing those values.
Kori Schake, Director of Foreign and Defense Policy at the American Enterprise Institute
How Tyrants Fall is a sparkling read full of original observations and captivating insights. This handbook on the vulnerability of tyrants is an important contribution to our political discourse at a time when democracy is once again competing against the lure of autocracy.
Katja Hoyer, author of BEYOND THE WALL
Timely, authoritative and accessible ... Essential reading.
Professor Nic Cheeseman, University of Birmingham