How I Learned to Spot an Autocrat

Authoritarians like Trump follow a familiar pattern. Trygve Olson has an eight-part guide on how they operate — and how they can be defeated.

By Trygve Olson

This is the introduction to an eight-part series on the lessons I've learned confronting autocrats over the past thirty years. From post-Soviet capitals, across Africa, Asia, and South America to the frontline in America Today, I’ve seen how authoritarianism grows — and how democracy survives.

I didn’t grow up thinking I’d become an expert…