The Dictator's Learning Curve

It's not easy being a dictator these days. With the end of the Cold War and the rise of new media, tyrants must adapt and change if they are to survive. Drawing on first-hand testimony from both dissidents and government sources, this fascinating book explores the way authoritarian regimes in Russia, China, Venezuela, Egypt, Malaysia and the Middle East are seeking more subtle and sophisticated means of controlling their citizens while representing themselves as 'democracies'.

WILLIAM J. DOBSON is politics and foreign affairs editor for Slate. He has been an editor at Foreign Affairs, Newsweek International, and Foreign Policy. During his tenure at Foreign Policy, the magazine was nominated for the coveted National Magazine Award for General Excellence each year and won top honors in 2007 and 2009. His articles and essays have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal, and he has provided analysis for ABC, CNN, CBS, MSNBC, and NPR. He lives in Washington, DC.