The world is currently experiencing the lowest levels of democracy we have seen in over thirty years. Autocracy is on the rise, and while the cost of autocracy seems evident, it nevertheless remains an attractive option to many.

While leaders like Viktor Orbán disrupt democratic foundations from within, autocrats like Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin do so from abroad, eroding democratic institutions and values and imperilling democracies that appear increasingly fragile. There are even those who, disillusioned with the current institutions in place, increasingly think authoritarianism can deliver them a better life than democracy has or could.

The China Research Group is delighted to host a discussion of Charles Dunst's latest book, Defeating the Dictators, in which he tells us how we can defeat the dictators, strengthen democracies, and build a better future for generations to come.

Charles Dunst is deputy director of Research & Analytics at The Asia Group, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a contributing editor of American Purpose. He is the author of Defeating the Dictators: How Democracy Can Prevail in the Age of the Strongman.

Cindy Yu is an assistant editor of The Spectator and presenter of the acclaimed bi-monthly Chinese Whispers podcast.

Joseph Sternberg is a member of the Wall Street Journal's editorial board and the Political Economics columnist. He is author of The Theft of a Decade: How the Baby Boomers Stole the Millennials' Economic Future.