Reading “The Dictator’s Handbook”
What is the “Dictator’s Handbook”?
Written by Bruce Bueno De Mesquita, “The Dictator’s Handbook: Why Bad Behavior Is Almost Always Good Politics” explores the topics of political power. The book spells out in over three hundred pages the likes of illness, foreign aid, wars, financial matters, resources, and other means of how politicians use these things to gain and dictate political power.
The non-fiction read fits into a variety of genres as it touches on so many different topics. History, philosophy, political science, and economics are strong topics that are weaved throughout the text of the novel. The main point the author makes is that politicians can remain as top political figures by pleasing a select group of people by meeting these people’s self-interests. Similarities between democracies and authoritative dictatorships are drawn. The largest difference between the two is how authoritative dictatorships cater to smaller inner groups than democracies.
The book speaks of how authoritative rulers tend to hold power longer as political figures. The author reveals in the novel that those who hold political power do beneficial acts for others when it also benefits them. The novel has received both praise and critique for its overview of political power.
Where to get it?
On Amazon, The Dictator’s Handbook: Why Bad Behavior Is Almost Always Good Politics, paperback edition.
