Power Grab

How to capture a state: Step 1: Change the rules Step 2: Control the resources Step 3: Dismantle the checks on power We are witnessing a staggering, cross-continental retreat of liberal democracy, as corrupt leaders the world over follow a systematic pattern of high-level corruption known as state capture. From Zuma in South Africa to Trump in America, Orbán in Hungary to Tuðman in Croatia, global freedom has been in a state of freefall for years. But this is not inevitable, nor is it irreversible. Corruption expert Liz Dávid-Barrett explores the mechanisms of state capture and crucially - examines how nations are clawing back democracy from the clutches of even the longest serving corrupt leaders.