Are we entering the age of the autocrat? It is tempting to thinkso after watching Russia's recent clobbering of Georgia. Thatinvasion marks a new phase in world politics, but it is a mistaketo think the future belongs to the Russian strongman Vladimir Putinand his fellow despots.

I wrote an essay in 1989, The End Of History? and in itargued that liberal ideas had conclusively triumphed at the end ofthe Cold War. But today, US dominance of the world system isslipping; Russia and China offer themselves as models, showing offa combination of authoritarianism and modernisation that offers aclear challenge to liberal democracy. They seem to have plenty ofimitators.

Although General Pervez Musharraf finally agreed last week tostep down as president of Pakistan, that key US client has beenruled dictatorially since 1999. In Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe refusesto give way despite having lost an election. In Latin America,democratic freedoms are being eroded by populi...

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