En diktators balansgång

How can an authoritarian leader manage to get reelected for over three decades despite their undemocratic political strategy? This essay aims to explain how this is possible with the theoretical framework dictator’s dilemma, by using a comparative case study between Zimbabwe’s former president Robert Mugabe and Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni. The motivation of the case selection is their long rule from the 1980’s to, for Mugabe 2017 whereas he was forced to resign due to a coup, and for Museveni who continues his rule to this day. Due to the many similarities between the cases, the motive is to try to explain how Mugabe can be overthrown after so many years, but Musevni manages to remain president. The studie shows, based on Bruce Bueno De Mesquita and Alastair Smith’s five general rules for balancing power as an autocratic leader, that Mugabe failed to stay loyal to his inner circle. Museveni on the other hand, handled this differently, and it can therefore be argued that this is one of the reasons why Mugabe was overthrown and Museveni remains.