Are strongmen a particular ’breed’ of political figures?

Trump, Putin, Erdogan and Bolsonaro - We know much about the behaviour and policies of right-wing autocrats, but little was known about their personality profile. Alessandro Nai (University of Amsterdam) and Emre Toros (Hacettepe University, Ankara) analysed the profiles of 157 leaders worldwide and show that, when compared to 'mainstream' politicians, right-wing autocrats score high on narcissism, psychopathy and Machiavellianism. Autocratic political leaders in liberal democracies - like Trump in the USA, Putin in Russia, Erdogan in Turkey, and Bolsonaro in Brasilhave all come to power through the ballot box. But they embody a shift towards autocracy and democratic deconsolidation by pushing for the centralization of executive power, hierarchical governance, muscular treatment of opponents and the media, and the promotion of traditionalism and nationalism. Are these strongmen a particular 'breed' of political figures? Alessandro Nai of the University of Amsterdam and Emre Toros of the Hacettepe University in Ankara mapped the personality profiles of 157 leaders who competed in 81 elections worldwide between June 2016 and July 2019, including 14 leaders with autocratic tendencies. 'The personality of political leaders matters for electoral outcomes and effective governance, so we ought to know more about when, and for whom some personality traits are more likely to be present or absent', say Nai and Toros. 'Looking at personality profiles could be a new way to understand the rise and success of strongmen worldwide.' - The Big Five and Dark Triad.