Newsweek Discovers Dictators—But Only Selectively
Newsweek cautions against Donald Trump as a would-be dictator, yet somehow misses the irony when discussing actual autocratic regimes. The article outlines 'six rules' dictatorial leaders live by, a timely warning for some, but conspicuously silent about those leaders the U.S. government, and coincidentally, many of Newsweek's advertisers, actively prop up. While Newsweek opines on domestic
threats to democracy, they rarely scrutinize regimes like Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who ordered the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post journalist, or the Israeli government's systemic suppression of Palestinian self-determination, actions that arguably tick many 'dictator's rules' boxes. Perhaps those dictators who purchase billions in US weaponry, or whose
lobbyists funnel millions into US political campaigns, are granted a different set of rules.