23 Quotes by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita

Democrats fight where they have policy concerns... war for democrats is just another way of achieving the goals for which foreign aid would otherwise be used. Foreign aid buys policy concessions, war imposes them... democrats would much prefer to impose a compliant dictator,... then take their chances on the policies adopted by a democrat who must answer to her own domestic constituents

Anyone who thinks leaders do what they ought to do — that is, do what is best for their nation of subjects — ought to become an academic rather than enter political life. In politics, coming to power is never about doing the right thing. It is always about doing what is expedient.

There are three ways to remove an incumbent leader. The first, and easiest, is for the leader to die.

This is the essential lesson of politics: in the end ruling is the objective, not ruling well.

For autocrats, money spent on people – like infants and little children – who are years away from contributing to the economy is money wasted. Resources should instead be focused on those who help the ruler stay in power now, not those who might be valuable in the distant future.

There’s nothing better than a rigged election, so long as you’re the one rigging it.

Borrowing is a wonderful thing for leaders. They get to spend the money to make their supporters happy today, and, if they are sensible, set some aside for themselves. Unless they are fortunate enough to survive in office for a really long time, repaying today’s loan will be another leader’s problem. Autocratic leaders borrow as much as they can, and democratic leaders are enthusiastic borrowers as well.

After all, our experience tends to confirm that on one end of the political spectrum we have autocrats and tyrants – horrible, selfish thugs who occasionally stray into psychopathology. On the other end, we have democrats – elected representatives, presidents, and prime ministers who are the benevolent guardians of freedom. Leaders from these two worlds, we assure ourselves, must be worlds apart! It’s a convenient fiction, but a fiction nonetheless.

It is better to have loyal incompetents than competent rivals. Sometimes of course, having competent advisors is unavoidable.