Literature Network » Niccolo Machiavelli

Modern dictators: third world coupmakers, strongmen, and populist tyrants.

Content courtesy of

From: National Review
Date: 19870925
Author:Francis, Samuel T.

Modern Dictators: Third World Coup-Makers, Strongmen, and Populist Tyrants

by Barry Rubin (McGraw-Hill, 385 pp., $17.95)

BARRY RUBIN'S study of modern dictatorships in the Third World is redolent of the analytical approach of James Burnham, and though Burnham is not mentioned by name, his principal mentor, Niccolo Machiavelli, is frequently cited. Mr. Rubin is coolly dispassionate in his dissection of the anatomy of contemporary tyranny, attentive to the social forces that underlie and perpetuate it, and pessimistic in his estimate of its future. His conclusions should ...

Read the rest of this article with a Free Trial at HighBeam Research.

Other Articles on Niccolo Machiavelli

About Our Articles: We've partnered with Highbeam Research to provide these article excerpts for your research needs. However, due to copyright laws, we cannot publish the whole article. To view these articles in full length you'll need to use the link above to access the free trial at Highbeam.