Modern Authoritarianism Abroad: What Hungary, Turkey, and India Teach Us
Modern authoritarianism doesn’t rise in secret. It happens in plain sight.
Democracies across the globe have voted themselves into crisis—choosing strongmen who promise to restore pride, clean up corruption, or defend tradition. What follows is a pattern: leaders consolidate power, weaken oversight, attack critics, and change the rules to stay in control.
If it feels like what’s happening in the U.S. is unprecedented, it’s not. It’s familiar.
Today, we’re looking at three countries—Hungary, Turkey, and India—where democracies were dismantled not with a coup, but with applause.
Hungary: The Blueprint for Democratic Backsliding
In 2010, Viktor Orbán returned to power in Hungary with a supermajority and a message: Hungary would be “illiberal”—a democracy in name, but not in substance.
He moved fast.
Rewrote the constitution to cement Fidesz party dominance
Packed the courts with loyalists and curtailed judicial review
Cracked down on independent media, cutting off funding and licensing to critical outlets
Demonized immigrants and minorities as threats to “Christian civilization”
Redrew electoral districts and changed voting laws to ensure continued power
Orbán didn’t hide it—he called it a new model of governance. Other leaders took notes.
Turkey: Purges and Presidential Power
Turkey’s slide began earlier, but accelerated dramatically after a failed coup attempt in 2016. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan used the crisis to declare a state of emergency, giving himself sweeping powers.
What followed:
Over 100,000 civil servants, teachers, and judges were purged
Thousands of journalists and academics were arrested
Media outlets were shut down or bought by government allies
The constitution was rewritten via referendum to expand presidential powers and eliminate checks
Elections were increasingly tilted, with opposition voices silenced or criminalized
Turkey still holds elections—but they’re no longer free or fair in any meaningful way.
India: Majoritarian Nationalism and Institutional Erosion
India, the world’s largest democracy, has seen democratic backsliding under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP. Unlike the other two, India remains more pluralistic—but the warning signs are mounting.
Modi’s government has:
Used religious nationalism to target minorities, particularly Muslims
Pressured media and journalists, including through arrests and tax raids
Weakened the independence of courts and electoral bodies
Silenced dissent using sedition and anti-terrorism laws
Created a chilling effect where open criticism of the government can lead to harassment, job loss, or imprisonment
The danger in India isn’t a dictatorship tomorrow—it’s the normalization of authoritarian tactics.
Why These Cases Matter
None of these countries became authoritarian overnight.
All of them held elections. All of them had constitutions.
And in each case, democracy was eroded step by step—through legal means, aided by fear, distraction, and public fatigue.
These examples matter because they show how democracy dies with a legal pad, not a gun.And they offer a chilling preview of what can happen when institutions are too weak—or too captured—to resist.
The Authoritarian International: CPAC and the New Global Right
These aren’t isolated cases. What we’re seeing isn’t just a coincidence—it’s a shared strategy.
Over the last few years, global right-wing movements have begun to collaborate openly, and CPAC—the Conservative Political Action Conference—has become their meeting ground. Originally a U.S. political event, CPAC has expanded internationally, hosting gatherings in Hungary, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, and elsewhere, inviting authoritarian-aligned leaders to share their vision.
Viktor Orbán has been featured as a keynote speaker at CPAC, where he laid out his model of “illiberal democracy” and called for international cooperation among nationalists. In his speech, Orbán stated: “We must take back the institutions in Washington and Brussels. We must find friends and allies in one another and coordinate the movement of our troops.”
Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro, who sought to overturn his own election loss, has appeared at CPAC and continues to enjoy MAGA support.
American conservatives, including GOP lawmakers and MAGA-aligned figures, have praised these leaders, echoed their talking points, and adopted their tactics—on immigration, press suppression, election integrity rhetoric, and more.
CPAC is no longer just a place to talk about tax cuts and gun rights—it’s become a hub for authoritarian ideologues to share tools, language, and strategy.
The MAGA movement isn’t just mimicking these regimes—it’s learning from them.
And in many cases, it’s helping export the model right back out to the world.
Coming Up: The Playbook Comes to America
Tomorrow, we’ll turn the lens back home.
The United States may have stronger institutions than Hungary or Turkey—but the same tactics are already being used here. And the guardrails are weaker than many Americans think.
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