Authoritarian Systems
A basic element behind any "evil" nation or national leader is authoritarianism. On the one hand, there is the authoritarian nature of non-democratic, man-made, systems. On the other is the authoritarian personality, that authoritarian systems tend to protect and empower.
Humans have created different systems within what we call nations. Primary among these are political, economic and religious systems. From the beginning, men created most of these systems of, by and for men. The dominate, monotheistic religious systems are authoritarian by nature with their imaginary social hierarchies for justifying superiority and inequality.
Authoritarian PersonalityA common element within these testosterone-driven systems has been right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) personality. As John Dean and Professor Robert Altemeyer have documented, leaders of authoritarian systems, like the GOP, tend, significantly, to have an authoritarian personality. Some of these leaders can be religious fundamentalists (Zionists, Islamists, or Christianists).
Based on Altemeyer's psychological testing, Putin would probably score as a "social dominator" personality. He may even test as a more dangerous "double high" personality. RWA Putin rules Russia. The Russian nation consists of authoritarian politics (dictatorship), authoritarian economics (oligarchy) and religious fundamentalism.
Authoritarian ComparisonsFor comparison, what nation could be more "evil" than Putin's Russia? Consider this first. How much more "evil" could Nazi Germany have been if they had started with almost 800 military bases in over 80 nations and had a mushrooming budget of over $800 billion in today's dollars?
Authoritarian CoupNow imagine it's 2030. America is now an oligarchy more "evil" than Russia in 2022. It started with a massive take-over of Congress by the GQP Cult of Trump in 2022. In 2024, Republicans completed the coup. A group of Republican state legislatures rejected the results of the 2024 presidential election and replaced their voter-selected state electors with a group of white, evangelical RWA electors.
Next, imagine a constitutional convention to re-write the US Constitution and to codify the 1980 Libertarian Party platform of David Koch. Next, imagine there have been additional SCOTUS decisions that totally eliminate the separation of church and state including ending Roe v Wade and mandating Christian prayer in all public gatherings.
NightmareAt this point, eight years from now, the U.S. has become a totally authoritarian nation, with over 800 military bases and a trillion-dollar military-domination budget - far more threatening than either Russia or Nazi Germany. The destruction of our democratic political system was completed under the leadership of the GQP corporate lackeys. Our authoritarian economic system has become more absolute under the control of individual and corporate oligarchs who have veto power over all government legislation under the new constitution. Add to this, the work of our RWA SCOTUS to create a Christianist caliphate.
The entire world is now condemned to extreme inequality, slavery, baby farms with women dressed in red and world domination as originally planned in 1997.
Nightmare AntidoteThe antidote to this nightmare is turning the spectators in our failing democracy into participants. In 2020, we had over 80 million spectators!!!
