Is the U.S. slipping into 'Competitive Authoritarianism?'

"“Elected authoritarians, when they come to power, try to convert the state, which is supposed to be a neutral arbiter, into both a weapon and a shield,” said Levitsky, who co-authored the book How Democracies Die. “It's a weapon to be deployed against political rivals, and it is a shield to protect themselves and to protect their allies who engage in authoritarian or illegal behavior.”"

"“Competitive authoritarian countries have democratic rules and hold competitive elections, but the party in charge uses various tactics to tilt the electoral playing field in its favor to maintain power.”"

"“Levitsky says Trump's pardoning of the people convicted in the January 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol is a prime example.”"

"“We never when we coined this term 25 years ago never imagined that we would apply it to the United States,” said Levitsky. But Levitsky says Trump is following a familiar playbook crafted by leaders such as former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.”"

Competitive authoritarian countries keep democratic rules and competitive elections while the ruling party uses tactics to tilt the electoral playing field and maintain power. The state is converted from a neutral arbiter into a weapon against political rivals and a shield for the incumbents and their allies. The concept was developed in 2002 to describe systems in countries such as Serbia, Kenya, and Peru. The term is now being applied to the United States, including examples such as pardons related to the January 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol. The pattern is compared to strategies associated with leaders such as Viktor Orban and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, including actions involving the Justice Department and lawsuits targeting media.

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