I’ve covered authoritarian regimes all around the world. We know how we got here: 1. A Supreme Court that has given the Executive almost unchecked power 2. A broken political party system where the party in power refuses to act as a check on the executive and a leaderless (for now) opposition 3. A federal government that has been gutted of independent levers of power 4. A President who seemingly believes he has total authority to use crushing federal power and is emboldened and enabled by his cabinet. 5. An activated and angry civilian population that has no trust in institutions. 6. The use of federal forces in defiance of the will of states 7. A business and elite class that is largely willing to bear the cost of the chaos. 8. A weakened independent Press and an expanding propaganda network that profits from partisan alliances on the left and right.