Dictators and their Secret Police
Coercive Institutions and State Violence

This book explores the secret police organizations of East Asian dictators: their origins, operations, and effects on ordinary citizens' lives.

Sheena Chestnut Greitens (Author)

9781107139848, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 16 August 2016

336 pages, 18 b/w illus. 1 map 13 tables
23.5 x 15.6 x 2 cm, 0.69 kg

'Dictators and their Secret Police is an important, thoughtful and well-researched contribution to the large and growing body of literature on authoritarianism. It not only fills multiple important gaps, but - as any good book - suggests a number of avenues for future inquiry. Conceptually, the book introduces the useful distinction between fragmented-exclusive and unified-inclusive repressive apparatuses, which immediately raises the question whether there are mixed types (for example, fragmented-inclusive coercive systems), how and why these are chosen, and how they affect coercion in authoritarian regimes. Theoretically, the book not only provides the first systematic and coherent explanation for the particular design of repressive apparatuses and their effects on the human rights tally of authoritarian regimes, but also reminds students of authoritarian politics that repression is the result of agency and strategic considerations by rational actors who react to (or aim to preempt) real or perceived structural threats.' David Kuehn, Democratization

How do dictators stay in power? When, and how, do they use repression to do so? Dictators and their Secret Police explores the role of the coercive apparatus under authoritarian rule in Asia - how these secret organizations originated, how they operated, and how their violence affected ordinary citizens. Greitens argues that autocrats face a coercive dilemma: whether to create internal security forces designed to manage popular mobilization, or defend against potential coup. Violence against civilians, she suggests, is a byproduct of their attempt to resolve this dilemma. Drawing on a wealth of new historical evidence, this book challenges conventional wisdom on dictatorship: what autocrats are threatened by, how they respond, and how this affects the lives and security of the millions under their rule. It offers an unprecedented view into the use of surveillance, coercion, and violence, and sheds new light on the institutional and social foundations of authoritarian power.

Part I. The Puzzle and the Argument: 1. Introduction
2. A theory of coercive institutions and state violence
Part II. The Origins of Coercive Institutions: 3. Organizing coercion in Taiwan
4. Organizing coercion in the Philippines
5. Organizing coercion in South Korea
Part III. Coercive Institutions and State Violence: 6. Coercive institutions and repression in Taiwan
7. Coercive institutions and repression in the Philippines
8. Coercive institutions and repression in South Korea
Part IV. Extensions and Conclusions: 9. Extending the argument: coercion outside East Asia
10. Conclusion
Appendix. A note on sources.

Subject Areas: Comparative politics [JPB]