Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World Hardcover – July 23, 2024

Since 2014 I've started feeling confused about the world. This book as well as Barbara F Walter's "Civil Wars" have finally helped me make sense of the world again.Why disinformation?What's true?Why the rise of populism, the hard right and identity politics in the West?Who profits?The book presents a unified and reasonable explanation for these questions, that goes far beyond the little chunks of truth one might find here and there, and that are canceled by a flurry of disinformation and conspiracy theories.Ms Applebaum also tries to provide a solution which, though appealing, failed to convince me, but I still uphold my title to this review.Know thy enemy...Do start now!

Outstanding…and so timely. Should be mandatory civic reading! The time to act on Anne’s words is now. We have to stop our blooming (US) autocracy in its tracks. Only the people can. Our government is weak and will not represent our real values.

Informative and readable. Horrifyingly current.

Anne Applebaum is a Superbowl historian who really puts the politics and horror of authoritarianism in clear view. Ms. Applebaum, here, shows that dictatorship is spreading worldwide. I recommend her books Red Famine and Gulag, also

I have twice Read this book, Which should be used as a textbook I believe. But, as Situations change It's time to revise and update This reading. But thank you , Ms. Applebaum, for this book.

Excellent book, although the subject is frightening. As I write this review in February 2025, and watch Trump and Musk disassemble the Federal government with the full-throated support of their MAGA followers, it's like I can check off every tactic Ms. Applebaum lists for the creation of an American Autocracy.Convince followers to ignore and disparage a free press, check.Destroy credibility of the FBI, check.Appoint cronies to muzzle the military and intelligence agencies, check.'Wood Chipper' USAID that annoys other autocrats, check.Command Justice department to turn a blind eye to bribery and foreign influence investigations, check.I'm afraid what tomorrow will bring, but I'm sure it will be on this author's hit list. It was apparently written before the 2024 election, so expect another book soon that deals with living in an autocracy for Americans who thought this could never happen here.Sobering and a call to fight back if you want the US to ever be close to the democracy it once was.

This book talks about how dictators stay in power and how they work together across international borders to help each other. This fraternal assistance is almost always transactional, helped by the fact that a dictator in one place may have financial interests in other such places. Appelbaum emphasizes the hard-core aristocrats of Russia, Belarus, China, Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, and the like, though “lighter” versions of autocracy in Hungary, Poland, and various petrostates also appear. While Appelbaum only mentions Donald Trump in passing, since this was published before his second term, readers today will notice some overlap between his actions and those of some other dictators.If you are heavily news-involved, as I am, the doings of autocrats will not surprise you. Perhaps you’ve read some of Anne Appelbaum’s articles on the topic in news or opinion monthlies. For us, the main advantage of this book will be bringing her many threads together in one place. If you’re a less-obsessive news hound, you’ll learn much about how these systems work.The “Epilogue” – really a conclusion – adds new content to Applebaum’s magazine articles. Here, she sees the people opposed to authoritarianism as a transnational movement just like the autocrats they oppose. She explores strategies that we can choose TOGETHER to oppose autocracy in many countries around the world – including our own. The solutions would probably work if passed into law and then enforced, but wealthy people in each democracy would likely oppose such reforms, for their own selfish reasons.This is a very short little book, written in an accessible style. If you haven’t thought about autocracy, it will open your eyes. If you have, that conclusion will help you think through your options.

Anne Applebaum makes a case for liberal democracy, the rule of law, and human rights that’s currently under attack by dictators and autocrats around the globe in this book. This is a required reading for all those who care about freedom and democracy in this challenging and changing world today. Big kudos to Anne for focusing the spotlight on the most pressing challenges in world affairs and international relations today. Highly recommended book.