Op-Ed: Americans have overly dramatic view of authoritarianism

Thomas Pepinsky, associate professor of government, writes in this Vox opinion piece that Americans have a "fantastical" and "cartoonish" image of authoritarianism, while life for people living in authoritarian countries is similar to the daily life of many Americans.

"Living in Malaysia and working on Malaysian politics has taught me something important about authoritarianism from my perspective as an American," Pepinsky writes. "That is, the mental image of authoritarian rule in the minds of most Americans is completely unrealistic, and dangerously so."