In the West, the study of dictatorship has acquired an almost exotic dimension. However, authoritarian regimes remain a painful reality for billions of people worldwide, with their freedoms violated and their rights undermined in every possible way.

What is the nature of dictatorship? How does it prevail? What conditions and circumstances allow it to flourish? And by what means do dictators manage to maintain power even when mocked and ridiculed by the governed?

“An important book that captures a defining political moment in the history of the entire region.” Eugene Rogan

“Al-Aswany first and foremost reminds all novelists in the world that at this point they have a moral obligation to face reality head-on and tell the story of truth.” Ece Temelkuran

“The Syndrome of Dictatorship is the firsthand, shocking account of how authoritarian governance turned Arab countries into barren land.” Fawaz A. Gerges

“Al-Aswany is a universal writer, transforming his own anxieties into shared human concerns and uniquely illuminating our always astonishing and at times dark and suffocating world.” The Times