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Why Get Hung up on Democracy? a Modest, “Swiftian” Proposal

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Why Get Hung up on Democracy? a Modest, “Swiftian” Proposal Working Paper 2020/37/EFE Let’s Install Leaders for Life! Why Get Hung up on Democracy? A Modest, “Swiftian” Proposal Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries INSEAD, [email protected] Following Jonathan Swift’s satirical example of a “modest” proposal, this paradoxical article examines the question of having leaders for life. Throughout, it employs the tools of satire to outline the presumed advantages of a leaders-for-life system, revealing that, in reality, it is fraught with danger. In a circuitous way, the article makes clear that having leaders for life is an invitation for social unrest and economic decline. By presenting a number of examples of leaders for life, it becomes clear that the overriding concern is the ever-present danger of the abuse of power. Without the existence of term limits, there will be an increased prevalence of rights abuses, secret or arbitrary arrests and detentions, restrictions on freedom of expression, and police brutality. Furthermore, it is suggested that kleptocratic practices are par for the course. In addition, the article describes how aspiring leaders for life try to circumvent democratic practices, by choosing ways of intervening that makes it appear as if citizens have choice. In this day and age, leaders who want to stay on for life tend to resort to more indirect methods to get their way. They have realized that banning opposition parties, dismissing the legislature, locking up, or even murdering opponents, doesn’t make for good public relations. It is noted that although it may appear that having leaders for life seems to be a thing of the past, the motivation to do so is still very much alive. Leaders in many countries, attracted by the sirens of power and wealth, will go at great length to keep their positions. Given the ease by which countries regress, this article is also a reminder that democracies are very fragile configurations. Key Words: Leaders-for-life; Narcissism; Abuse of Power; Autocracy; Democracy; Corruption; Kleptocracy; Economic Decline; Social Unrest; Terror. Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=3671459 Working Paper is the author’s intellectual property. It is intended as a means to promote research to interested readers. Its content should not be copied or hosted on any server without written permission from [email protected] Find more INSEAD papers at https://www.insead.edu/faculty-research/research Copyright © 2020 INSEAD Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely. —Lord Acton There are no beautiful surfaces without a terrible depth. —Friedrich Nietzsche Introduction It is with great joy and heartfelt satisfaction that I am finally witnessing the idea of “leaders for life” is finally gaining real traction in our world and I have to say I’m over the moon about it. I must admit that I was worried for a while, thinking that this concept had become a thing of the past. But on seeing so many contemporary leaders—among them Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin—boldly recognize its obvious merits and work tirelessly to install themselves as lifetime leaders, I couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Perhaps, what has made a real difference is the renewed life and unique “flare” that many of these visionary leaders have brought to the effort. A prime example is Donald J. Trump of “making America great again” fame. Not long after his inauguration, he recognized the great benefits of having leaders for life. It was encouraging, when on March 2018—while addressing a crowd of donors at his Florida estate—he offered unabashed praise for China’s new constitutional amendment removing presidential term limits and allowing Xi Jinping to serve in that office indefinitely. Talking about Xi, Trump said, perceptive as he always can be: He’s now president for life, president for life. And he’s great. And look, he was able to do that. I think it’s great. Maybe we’ll have to give it a shot someday.1 He couldn’t have been closer to the truth. After all, the Chinese have been imitating the Americans all these years. Isn’t it time for Americans to begin imitating the Chinese? Who knows, having a president for life—Trump truly being a dream candidate—would really make America great again. At a time when the mistrust of politicians in democracies has reached astronomical heights, there is no question that having strongman leaders is going to be the answer. How much more preferable it will be to have them in power compared to these wishy- washy leaders in the so-called democracies. At least, leaders for life give the populace the feeling that there is somebody in charge, somebody willing to protect them. Even if that turns out to be a massive illusion, who cares, right? When I compare the behavior of these leaders with the tricky political games played by many of those alleged democratic politicians, I’m all the more convinced that this leaders-for-life approach is so much better. 1 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/mar/04/donald-trump-praises-xi-jinping-power-grab-give- that-a-shot-china 1 Time-limited leaders akin to “post turtles” Let’s pause and carefully consider what’s wrong with these time-limited leaders. As far as I’m concerned, they are nothing more than “post turtles.” What do I mean by that? Imagine you’re driving on a country road. All of a sudden, you see a turtle balancing on a fence post. Obviously, it didn’t get up there by itself. And naturally, it doesn’t belong there. Also, I’m quite sure it doesn’t know what to do while it is up there, as it is elevated beyond its ability to function. Furthermore, what you may also be asking yourself is what kind of idiot has put this turtle there in the first place. That’s the problem with many of these temporary leaders of these supposed democracies. They are often not fit for the job. And the populace doesn’t realize the dismal outcome that awaits them when they elect these people. Their time horizon is just too short to get anything meaningful done. Given their limited tenures, they will never be experienced enough to do so. They’re like Alice in Wonderland. It doesn’t make them truly a pair of safe hands. Instead, having a leader for life creates the kind of political and policy continuity that most of us are always craving/dreaming of. It is very comforting to have the same person in charge of the affairs of state. A sense of permanence creates feelings of safety. It gives us someone to identify with. Actually, these continual changes of people in leadership positions are far too disruptive. Often, this is just a prescription for chaos. Let’s be honest. The idea of building an inclusive political system that represents the interests of every citizen is nothing but a pipe dream. Finding people who are seriously committed to democratic political and legal institutions, who believe in the value of open debate, who have a desire to create a society that makes it possible for each citizen to lead a fulfilling life, and who want to create an economy that allows its citizens and their institutions to flourish—that’s going to be impossible. Most people in the know have come to realize that democracy in itself is an incredibly unstable system of government. It is far too dependent on the whims and caprices of the general public, people who for the most part are quite ignorant of what’s needed to govern well. Far too often, we can see that the changes they are demanding, undermines what is already a very well running machine. Absolute power is kind of neat Should we be troubled by the statement that “absolute power corrupts absolutely”? To be direct: no. When you think about it, what’s so bad about having some power? Even a lot of power? After all, only through power do things get done. Furthermore, there are always going to be occasions when force is required to keep a population in line. That’s just how it is. Ignorant as the masses tend to be, they can at times become quite unreasonable and even unruly. It’s just good business to clamp down and bring them under control. And why be so negative about using the word/the use of the word “corruption”? Shouldn’t we just accept it as part of the human condition? Isn’t it the inevitable glue that keeps most societies functioning? So, in sum, power, corruption, force—these are the building blocks—the “ABCs”—of a great society, and it’s time we recognized that. All of this becomes clearer when we reflect back on our history. From the Paleolithic times onward, Homo sapiens have always been looking for leaders who provide stability. They have always wanted the kinds of people in charge who they 2 could look up to, who would tell them what to do. That these leaders acquire power is only par for the course. Given the evolutionary makeup of human beings, I do think that the concerns some people may have about leaders having too much power when staying in office too long is very much exaggerated. And this whole idea that the personalization of governmental rule facilitates the abuse of power is just a bunch of hearsay. Generally speaking, a population is in great need of role models. To suggest that there is a strong correlation between entrenched leadership and the economic and social decline of a country is a regrettable exaggeration.
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