Dr. Ruth Ben-Ghiat
Professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University (NYU); Author of "Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present".
Registration for this event closes on March 26.
PATRON EVENT
In person only
April 2, 2024
6:30- 8:00pm
The Century Association
7 West 43rd Street
ABOUT THE TOPIC
Around the world, in countries from Israel and China to Russia, Turkey and even in the U.S., leaders with autocratic tendencies (strongmen) are having an outsized influence on their countries’ politics, economics, and world affairs. One-man rule stirs up negativity, populism, nationalism and militarism. The big question is: how do we overcome these bullies and the contexts that allow them?
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Ruth Ben-Ghiat is Professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University. She writes about fascism, authoritarianism, propaganda, and the threats these present to democracies around the world. Her most recent book, Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present examines how illiberal leaders use propaganda, corruption, violence, and machismo to win authority. Importantly Ben-Ghiat writes about how these strongmen can be defeated.
Ben-Ghiat's insights into the authoritarian playbook and democracy protection have made her an expert source for television, radio, podcasts, and online events around the globe. She writes for CNN, The Economist, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic. She is an MSNBC opinion columnist and frequently provides television commentary on that network. She has appeared in many documentaries about dictators and threats to democracy, such as Netflix's How To Become a Tyrant and PBS's The Dictators' Playbook.