How Personalist Politics Is Changing Democracies

Qadhafi, dominate their country's political systems to such a degree that they become virtually indistinguishable from the regimes they rule.In the case of Russia, Putin has tightened his grip on power since his election in 2000 by systematically eliminating checks on his authority, including from the legislature, judiciary, regional governments, and civil society.He has also demolished any perception of a viable alternative to his leadership, even from individuals within his regime, and instead installed loyalists in key positions of power.Personalism refers to the domination of the political realm by a single individual.The leader's personality has an outsized impact on policies and outcomes, often trumping institutions and rules.In contemporary politics, we typically associate this sort of rule with authoritarian regimes.In such a personalist autocracy, the leader governs absent the constraints of other actors: Not even the leader's political party (should it exist) or the security apparatus exert independent control.Policy choices, in turn, reflect the whims of the ruler.Personalist rule is not a new phenomenon: For the bulk of political history, from the pharaohs of Egypt and the emperors of Rome to the czars of Russia, it was commonplace.The late twentieth century marked a departure from that norm as representative democracies emerged in