Overview
mockumentary-style video (5-8 minutes) about a fictional authoritarian state.
This assignment is designed to help you explore the dynamics of authoritarian regimes through
simulation and possibly even satire, while demonstrating your understanding of political institutions,
regime types, and political relations.
Key Elements (Checklist)
Ensure that your team covers the following aspects of your authoritarian state:
1. State identity
a. State name (invent a state name, such as The Glorious People’s Republic of
Vawdwazia)
b. Fictional state map/flag with key geographic features (where in the world is your
state to help illustrate its geopolitical context)
2. Regime type
a. Identify the type of authoritarian regime (e.g. military junta, personalist dictatorship,
theocratic autocracy, party-state, etc.)
b. Briefly define and justify this regime type in the context of your state’s history or
ideology
3. Regime positions
a. Assign regime positions to team members (e.g. Supreme Leader, Chief of Internal
Security, Minister of Culture, etc.)
b. Optional: Assign the role of an independent investigative or foreign journalist to pose
questions to those holding positions of power in the regime, or who challenges the
regime and adds a critical narrative perspective
4. Regime institutions
a. Explain the core institutions of governance: executive power, legislature (rubber-
stamp or symbolic?), judiciary (independent or controlled?), security apparatus
b. Describe how these institutions function (are they designed for legitimacy,
repression, or co-optation?)
5. Election process (if any)
a. Does your regime allow elections? If yes:
i. Are they sham elections, controlled multiparty, or single-party?
ii. How does the regime use elections to maintain legitimacy?
6. Key cultural features that influence politics
a. What cultural values or ideologies sustain the regime? Nationalism? Traditionalism?
Technocracy? A personality cult?
b. How are the arts, media, religion, or education controlled?
7. Economic structure
a. What is the economic system? Command economy, oligarchic capitalism, state
capitalism?
b. Who benefits economically (the elite, military, foreign investors)?
8. Defence structure
a. Who controls the military and police?
4b. What kind of internal surveillance systems or censorship mechanisms are in place?
9. Foreign Relations
a. Who are your key allies and enemies?
b. How does your regime justify its position on the global stage? (e.g. anti-colonial
rhetoric, regional power ambitions)
Some points to consider when making your “documentary”: How does your authoritarian regime see
itself in relation to the world? Why have you chosen to follow an authoritarian system of rule (i.e.
how do you justify authoritarian rule)? What perceived benefits are there (for yourselves as the
political elite and for the populace)? How do you respond to international criticism?
BE CREATIVE!
Use interviews, propaganda segments, leaked footage, or state media broadcasts. You may structure it
like a(n):
Korea)
You are encouraged to take on “personas” and act them out in your “documentary”. Try to include
music, visual effects, or mock archival footage for creative flair. Here, AI might even be useful for
creating visuals and placards. However, any use of AI must be referenced. It can be used to create,
edit or refine visuals (the creative side of the project) – but should not be used to “answer the
questions”. Examples of text-to-visual AI include Sora: https://sora.chatgpt.com/explore (you can
generate 3 free images per day), Invideo AI: https://ai.invideo.io/ (10 video minutes free per week),
and Canva (https://www.canva.com/education/students/). Or use your preferred free video creation
and/or editing programme.
Other sources of inspiration may come from films such as “The Dictator”, “The Interview”, “Moon
over Parador”, or weekly shows such as “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”, or satire such as “Not
the Nine O’Clock News”, “Spitting Image”, “SNL”.