Dr. Timothy Snyder talks about his first lesson of “On Tyranny” (3:40)

Is the attempted coup by South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol Tuesday any kind of a forerunner of what may happen following the inauguration of Trump on January 20th? I can imagine that many of us had that very same thought when we heard of what was going on in Seoul.

Koreans are fiercely possessive of their hard won democracy and they are not about to give it up for a tin pot loon. Right now a tinpot loon seems to be what they got. Another fine example of the right wing turn that the world seems to be taking.

There are a lot of differences between Yoon in South Korea and Dictator Donald here in the US. The biggest differences are that the opposition is in the majority in South Korea thanks to an election last March. Here in the US, MAGA has the presidency and the congress, even if only by a slim majority.

Along with the attempted coup in South Korea BY the president we have also recently seen the election of a far right president in Argentina a year ago which is turning their economy upside down; also this week we have a vote of no confidence in France spurred by the far right led by Marine Le Pen; and questionable elections in Georgia that put in a government that is leaning to Moscow even as people protest to return to a move toward Europe.

Professor Timothy Snyder  – most well known for his scholarly “On Tyranny” talked about the attempted coup in South Korea and how that situation compares with America’s tin horn loon future president Trump. Trump has made it perfectly clear he intends to act as a dictator in some ways. Professor Snyder gave us some good guidance and advise in his substack newsletter Wednesday:     

Yoon won a very narrow election, as did Trump. Like Trump, he refers constantly to “fake news” and calls his political opponents enemies of the state (as Trump says, “the enemy within.”) Yoon used this language to justify the imposition of martial law, as will Trump if he decides to invoke the Insurrection Act in the United States.

Like Trump, Yoon telegraphed his move in advance, and not only with such language. He surrounded himself with military men and intelligence officers who were characterized by personal loyalty. Trump is trying to do the same, now, with his proposals for Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence, Kash Patel as director of the FBI, and Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense. He also wants to purge the top ranks of the armed forces.

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But Yoon failed, and very badly. His dictatorship for a day lasted only about six hours. What can Americans learn from his less-than-a-day dictatorship?

First of all, we have to take in a very basic reality: that attempts to establish military dictatorships have been made in democracies, and will be made in other democracies –including, very possibly, in the American one.

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The most worrying moment of Yoon’s invocation of martial law was that, in the beginning, the military acted as he wished that it would. Military leaders initially joined in his coup attempt, with General Park An-su claiming to ban political actions, political parties, political gatherings, and “propaganda,” which can mean anything anyone says. He also claimed to take all media outlets under the control of the military.

The pertinent question for Americans would be: will Trump be able to surround himself with loyalists who will do the same thing? He is trying to do so. And so the Senate, in confirmation hearings, has an obvious question to ask all of Trump’s appointees with any responsibility for national security or intelligence: if Trump attempts to invoke the Insurrection Act to stifle domestic political life, just as Yoon attempted to do in South Korea, would you take part?

For legislators, the lessons are also very clear. The moment Yoon declared martial law, the leader of the parliamentary opposition, Kim, told people to rally at the parliament. Legislators themselves entered its chambers, despite the wishes of the military leadership, and then voted unanimously for the revocation of martial law. Members of Yoon’s own right-wing party, in other words, joined with the opposition in a dramatic demonstration of unity in the face of the threat of a military dictatorship.

For his part in fomenting the attempted coup, South Korea’s Yoon is expected to be impeached quickly. While we know that Trump wants to take over any and all authority of the government in what was known during his last term as the “unitary executive.” As of right now we have no indication that the executive branch will attempt to stage a coup to bring any power they don’t have under their umbrella.

However, we can expect the executive branch to push legislation and through executive orders the usurpation of powers. As citizens we must be very aware of what Dictator Don is up to. Plus the legislative branch, including MAGA congress members and the Judicial branch must also be on utmost alert of the executive branch usurping their powers.

As Professor Snyder observed very astutely following this year’s election: “Do Not Obey In Advance!”

Stay awake and aware!