Ideas

The Tyrant Test

A leader who uses military force to suppress his political opposition ought to lose the right to govern.

First published in The Atlantic on June 16, 2025

by Adam Serwer, The Atlantic

June 19, 2025 | reading time: 8 Min.

For as long as I’ve been alive, American presidents have defined tyrants by their willingness to use military force against their own people in reprisal for political opposition. This was a staple of Cold War presidential rhetoric, and it survived long into the War on Terror era.