Machiavelli and Emergency Powers: Lessons for Modern Democracies

Machiavelli argued that the Roman Republic benefited from having the capacity to deal with emergencies as part of the constitution. Roman dictators were ordinary magistrates vested with extraordinary powers who were legally appointed and legally regulated during their prescribed time in office. Can modern states use such an institution, suitably adjusted, to deal with emergencies today? Would such an institution be dangerous in modern conditions or beneficial, as Machiavelli argued it was in Rome?