Strong economies, strongman leaders: how China (and America’s) AI boom could create a new class of kowtowing elites

The article discusses how economic liberalization, once believed to promote democracy, has instead contributed to autocratization in many countries. It references the V-Dem Project's findings that 41% of the global population lives in autocratizing nations and highlights José Kaire's theory that economic reforms empower autocratic elites rather than fostering political freedoms. Examples include Mexico, Malaysia, and Senegal, where liberalization coincided with increased repression.