How to seize power and keep it

10 Oct 2012


Want the top job? "To come to power, a challenger need only do threethings," political scientists Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith write in The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behaviour is Almost Always Good Politics (PublicAffairs, £18.99). "First, he must remove the incumbent. Second, he needs to seize the apparatus of government. Third, he needs to form a coalition of supporters sufficient to sustain him as the new incumbent." Easy. Overthrowing the Queen's government is a crime in the UK, but de Mesquita and Smith's rules apply just as well to the office.

Speed is essential

"Once the old leader is gone, it is essential to seize the instruments of power, such as the treasury, quickly," write de Mesquita and Smith. Many different groups may have been involved in overthrowing a regime: make sure you come out on top. "When democratic leaders come to power, they need to seize control, but there is not the rush we observe in autocracies."

Silence is golden

On June 12, 1965, Ahmed Ben Bella, then president of Algeria, announced that there would be a politburo meeting to discuss changes in the cabinet and army command, and the liquidation of the military opposition. And on June 19 Ben Bella was deposed. "There is never a point in showing your hand before you have to; that is just giving the game away.

Pay off your supporters

"Paying supporters, not good governance, is the essence of ruling," write de Mesquita and Smith. You need to offer supporters more than an immediate payoff, though: "Prudent backers must ponder what they expect to receive." That doesn't mean you have to keep your backers. When Samuel Doe seized Liberia, he increased army salaries, but executed 50 of his supporters.

Keep power close

Dictators do well to surround themselves with close ties, usually family. The same goes for CEOs. "Putting outsiders on a board translates into greater risk for a CEO. Since the CEO's interest is rarely the same as the shareholders', CEOs prefer to avoid outsiders. Also, competent people are often potential rivals."

Loyalty is the only quality you should seek.