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Authoritarian regimes from the left and the right are far more similar to each other than not. This idea was already implemented in Ven's 1999 constitution courtesy of leftist Hugo Chávez. It's the preamble to one-party rule. apnews.com/article/el-sal…

Trump is talking about a third term. Hmm. What do we know about presidents who defy constitutional term limits in Latin America? The typical path: they become dictators (Chávez, Ortega, Bukele, Fujimori). Another path: bring on the chaos (Zelaya, Morales, Fujimori, Lugo).

Appeasing, or siding with?

Mexico has helped massively reduce the flow of migrants to the lowest level in 25 years, hit fentanyl trafficking hard, and sent 29 top cartel figures to the US steamrolling their extradition processes. If Trump still puts full tariffs on Mexico now, is he overplaying his hand?

Democratic backsliding can occur slowly (a bite at a time) or through multi shooting. We are seeing the latter. The idea is: Hit multiple targets in rapid succession. There is a logic. When you have multiple explosions in rapid succession, the public can’t focus on any.

Central paradox of autocratic-populist rule: To defend "the rule of law," the state violates the rule of law. Respond to illegality with illegality. Vintage autocratic legalism surl.li/kptalg

How do democracies turn more authoritarian ? Here's a well known route: 1) President engages in power grabs. 2) Citizens begin to protest 3) The state begins to criminalize protest, now calling it terrorism (see quote below). 4) The coercive side of the state expands.

The rebellion against crown rule in the 13 colonies, which led to the birth of the U.S., was prompted partly by tariffs. Just saying.

How Tariffs Erode Democracy: In all tariff-based regimes, backroom deals proliferate. This works very well for dictators, at least at first. foreignaffairs.com/south-america/… via Foreign Affairs

El politólogo más promisorio de Europa es… latinoamericano, como los dos últimos papas. Felicitaciones Luis L. Schenoni y SAAP! ecpr.eu/News/News/Deta…