Autocracy, Inc.

ByAnne Applebaum

Release Date: 2024-07-23
Genre: Political Science

Score: 4

From 107 Ratings

Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the Pulitzer-prize winning author, an alarming account of how autocracies work together to undermine the democratic world, and how we should organize to defeat them

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Economist, Financial Times, Foreign Affairs, The Times

"A masterful guide to the new age of authoritarianism... clear-sighted and fearless.”—John Simpson, The Guardian

"Especially timely."—The Washington Post

We think we know what an autocratic state looks like: There is an all-powerful leader at the top. He controls the police. The police threaten the people with violence. There are evil collaborators, and maybe some brave dissidents.

But in the 21st century, that bears little resemblance to reality. Nowadays, autocracies are underpinned not by one dictator, but by sophisticated networks composed of kleptocratic financial structures, surveillance technologies, and professional propagandists, all of which operate across multiple regimes, from China to Russia to Iran. Corrupt companies in one country do business with corrupt companies in another. The police in one country can arm and train the police in another, and propagandists share resources and themes, pounding home the same messages about the weakness of democracy and the evil of America.

International condemnation and economic sanctions cannot move the autocrats. Even popular opposition movements, from Venezuela to Hong Kong to Moscow, don't stand a chance. The members of Autocracy, Inc, aren't linked by a unifying ideology, like communism, but rather a common desire for power, wealth, and impunity. In this urgent treatise, which evokes George Kennan's essay calling for "containment" of the Soviet Union, Anne Applebaum calls for the democracies to fundamentally reorient their policies to fight a new kind of threat.

Reviews

A grim wake up call
5
By Anna-Sofie2011
I wish this excellent book was on every student’s reading list, world-wide!
Completely lacks self awareness
2
By Sadler12213456
Ann does a great job pointing out kleptocratic tendencies in autocracies in both liberal and autocratic nations however does little to address the fundamental roll liberal nations have played in justifying autocratic demeanor in the modern era.
They will never stop trying to take away freedoms.
5
By Tom568
Every American should read. Maybe we would choose our leaders more thoughtfully.
Important
5
By Director_X
The right wingers who feel uncomfortable with this book should examine the side they’re on
Important read
4
By M Gavin 01
Democracy is vulnerable to campaigns of disinformation that autocrats have gained much precision in. The book speaks to truth, but falls short when it covers Trump’s follies. Somehow there is zero mention of other politicians in a book that covers the war in Ukraine in detail. Worthy read, omission aside..
Definitely Missing
1
By Miss Merrylee
She presented information about what dictators around the world have done and are doing. Her strong leftist view unfortunately skewed her from presenting a balanced view of America and the differences of the Biden Trump Presidencies. It has been proven that the Joe Biden family has engaged in getting payoffs from China, Ukraine, Russia. She doesn’t see the parallels in the dictator countries she is writing about.
I would have used my time to a better advantage not reading this book.