COMMENT | If you ever wondered how democracies can accidentally elect dictators, good news: history has left us a very clear instruction manual.

It is neither hidden nor complicated. Unfortunately, like most people who buy electronics, voters rarely read the manual - and then act surprised when the device catches fire.

Time and again, democracies keep electing dictators who couldn’t care less about the rule of law, human rights, or even democracy itself. And then we act shocked when they behave exactly as advertised.

Let us begin with US President Donald Trump - a walking, talking case study in how someone with obvious authoritarian tendencies could be popularly elected in one of the world’s most liberal democracies.

He demonstrated that...