According to legend, the ancient Roman statesman Cincinnatus was plowing his fields when news arrived that the Equi,

據傳說，古羅馬政治家辛辛那提正在田間耕作時，傳來了 Equi、

Rome's powerful enemy to the east, had invaded.

羅馬東面的強敵入侵了。

Rome was in need of swift, decisive action, and the Senate had chosen him to serve as dictator, with absolute power over the military and government.

羅馬需要迅速果斷的行動，元老院選擇他擔任獨裁者，對軍隊和政府擁有絕對權力。

Cincinnatus set down his plow, took control, and in a matter of weeks, saved Rome.

辛辛那提放下手中的犁，掌握了控制權，並在幾周內拯救了羅馬。

This story reinforces the myth of the benevolent dictator— the idea of a leader who holds absolute power, yet only uses it for the common good, to address problems efficiently and create a just regime.

這個故事強化了 "仁慈獨裁者 "的神話--一個掌握絕對權力的領導者，只為公共利益而使用權力，高效地解決問題，建立公正的政權。

But can a truly benevolent dictator exist in today's world?

但是，在當今世界，能有真正仁慈的獨裁者嗎？

Nations established modern democracies to safeguard against the potentially destructive whims of a single individual.

各國建立現代民主政體，就是為了防止單個人的突發奇想可能造成的破壞。

When functioning properly, democracies enable a society to be freer and provide stability by protecting against corruption and the abuse of power.

當民主制度正常運作時，它能使社會更加自由，並通過防止腐敗和濫用權力來提供穩定。

This is accomplished by holding regular, free, and fair elections, imposing term limits, and establishing strong legislative branches and court systems.

要做到這一點，就必須定期舉行自由公正的選舉，實行任期限制，並建立強有力的立法部門和法院系統。

Maintaining a free press also helps keep politicians accountable for their actions and encourages citizens to engage in their governments and communities.

保持新聞自由還有助於讓政治家對自己的行為負責，鼓勵公民參與政府和社區事務。

In a dictatorship, absolute or near-absolute power is held by a single individual, who is free to impose their vision on society.

在獨裁統治中，一個人掌握著絕對或近乎絕對的權力，可以自由地將自己的理念強加給社會。

Under certain conditions, the idea of a dictator can sound appealing— like when a democracy isn't functioning as it should due to corruption, economic instability, or extreme political polarization.

在某些情況下，獨裁者的想法聽起來很吸引人--比如當民主制度因腐敗、經濟不穩定或政治極端兩極化而無法正常運轉時。

At these moments, people may be willing to give up some democratic rights and freedoms for hopes of a better future.

在這些時刻，人們可能願意放棄一些民主權利和自由，以換取對美好未來的希望。

Authoritarian-leaning leaders present themselves as the ones who can fix everything.

專制傾向的領導人把自己說成是能解決一切問題的人。

They distill complex problems into simple talking points and promise quick solutions.

他們將複雜的問題提煉成簡單的談話要點，並承諾快速解決問題。

Some of the most overt authoritarian leaders have taken this strategy, including military dictators who seized control through coups, like Augusto Pinochet, Mobutu Sese Seko, and Muammar Gaddafi.

一些最公開的獨裁領導人都採取了這種策略，包括通過政變奪取控制權的軍事獨裁者，如奧古斯托-皮諾切特、蒙博託-塞塞-塞科和穆阿邁爾-卡扎菲。

Gaddafi, for example, initially asserted himself as a revolutionary hero, canceling the country's exploitative foreign oil contracts.

例如，卡扎菲最初以革命英雄自居，取消了該國剝削性的外國石油合同。

But the longer he was in power, the more riddled with paranoia he became.

但他掌權的時間越長，就越是疑神疑鬼。

Like Pinochet and Mobutu, he used his position to target and torture opponents, embark on campaigns of mass violence against everyday people, and build an enormous personal fortune.

與皮諾切特和蒙博託一樣，他利用職務之便打擊和折磨反對者，對普通民眾發動大規模暴力運動，並積累了鉅額個人財富。

Other modern dictators were initially elected democratically, then strategically accumulated power by embracing authoritarian forms of control.

其他現代獨裁者最初都是通過民主選舉產生的，然後通過獨裁的控制形式戰略性地積累權力。

Italy's Benito Mussolini and Germany's Adolf Hitler, for example, gained popularity during waves of mass discontent.

例如，意大利的貝尼託-墨索里尼和德國的阿道夫-希特勒都是在民眾不滿情緒的浪潮中獲得聲望的。

Both channeled economic woes into racist rhetoric and embraced fascism, a type of authoritarianism which exalts the importance of one nation, or race, above all others.

兩人都將經濟困境歸結為種族主義言論，並擁護法西斯主義，這是一種專制主義，將一個國家或種族的重要性置於其他所有國家或種族之上。

Once in office, such leaders gradually dismantle checks on their power, including removing judges who might rule against them, abolishing term limits, or refusing to acknowledge unfavorable election results.

這些領導人一旦上臺，就會逐步瓦解對其權力的制約，包括罷免可能做出不利於他們裁決的法官、廢除任期限制或拒絕承認不利的選舉結果。

Since they punish dissenting voices, dictators are often surrounded with yes-men, who are promoted based on loyalty over expertise.

由於獨裁者會懲罰不同聲音，是以身邊往往都是唯唯諾諾的人，他們的晉升靠的是忠誠而非專業知識。

Ultimately wreaking incalculable economic, social, and environmental costs.

最終造成無法估量的經濟、社會和環境成本。

But these costs can also be hidden from view.

但這些成本也可能被隱藏起來。

Dictators build up cults of personality by minimizing negative coverage and pushing positive propaganda that presents them as strong or heroic.

獨裁者通過儘量減少負面報道，推崇正面宣傳，將自己塑造成強者或英雄，從而建立起個人崇拜。

This can make it almost impossible to accurately measure their success.

這就幾乎不可能準確衡量其成功與否。

Did Mussolini really make the trains run on time?

墨索里尼真的讓火車準時運行了嗎？

It's hard to know, since he would have punished those who said otherwise.

這很難說，因為他會懲罰那些不這麼說的人。

While some modern dictators have brought modest growth to their nation's economies and industries, most have enriched the few and left widespread destruction in their wake.

雖然一些現代獨裁者給本國經濟和工業帶來了適度增長，但大多數獨裁者卻讓少數人暴富，並留下了廣泛的破壞。

Even so-called benevolent dictators, whose regimes lacked overt violence, stand accused of censoring journalists and limiting the rights and freedoms of citizens.

即使是所謂的仁慈獨裁者，其政權雖然沒有公開的暴力行為，但也被指控審查記者，限制公民權利和自由。

Back to ancient Rome.

回到古羅馬

Perhaps the most important dimension of Cincinnati's legendary benevolent dictatorship is not that he held total power, but that he gave it up after only 16 days.

也許辛辛那提傳奇式的仁慈獨裁最重要的一點不是他掌握了全部權力，而是他只用了 16 天就放棄了權力。

Once Rome was safe, he stepped down and retired to his fields.

一旦羅馬安全了，他就下臺，退隱田園。

His willingness to relinquish control to the Senate was as important to the common good as his ability to fend off invaders.

他願意向元老院放棄控制權，這與他抵禦入侵者的能力一樣，對公眾利益至關重要。

In practice, no modern dictator has lived up to this ideal.

實際上，沒有一個現代獨裁者能夠實現這一理想。

Dictators don't willingly walk away from power— they continuously crave more.

獨裁者不會心甘情願地放棄權力--他們不斷渴望更多。

That's why institutions that provide checks on leaders must be safeguarded.

這就是為什麼必須保障對領導人進行制約的機構。

In the hands of an aspiring dictator, even seemingly robust democracies can sink into repressive, authoritarian regimes.

在有抱負的獨裁者手中，即使是看似強大的民主政體也會淪為鎮壓性的專制政權。

To learn the ins and outs of maintaining healthy democracies around the world, the key ingredient is you.

要了解在世界各地維護健康民主的來龍去脈，關鍵因素就是你自己。