Autocracy, Inc: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World

The propagandists share resources―the troll farms that promote one dictator’s propaganda can also be used to promote the propaganda of another―and themes, pounding home the same messages about the weakness of democracy and the evil of America.

All of us have in our minds a cartoon image of what an autocratic state looks like, with a bad man at the top. But in the 21st century, that cartoon bears little resemblance to reality. Nowadays, autocracies are run not by one bad guy, but by sophisticated networks composed of kleptocratic financial structures, security services and professional propagandists. The members of these networks are connected not only within a given country, but among many countries. The corrupt, state-controlled companies in one dictatorship do business with corrupt, state-controlled companies in another. The police in one country can arm, equip, and train the police in another. The propagandists share resources―the troll farms that promote one dictator’s propaganda can also be used to promote the propaganda of another―and themes, pounding home the same messages about the weakness of democracy and the evil of America.

Unlike military or political alliances from other times and places, this group doesn’t operate like a bloc, but rather like an agglomeration of companies: Autocracy, Inc. Their relations are not based on values, but are rather transactional, which is why they operate so easily across ideological, geographical, and cultural lines. In truth, they are in full agreement about only one thing: Their dislike of us, the inhabitants of the democratic world, and their desire to see both our political systems and our values undermine.

That shared understanding of the world―where it comes from, why it lasts, how it works, how the democratic world has unwittingly helped to consolidate it, and how we can help bring it down―is the subject of this book.

Review

Anne Applebaum is one of the wisest, best informed and most trenchant commentators on global politics. This book, which should be compulsory reading for every G7 head of government and foreign minister, sets out in disturbing detail the assault overt and covert by autocrats everywhere on liberal democracies and open societies. She demonstrates how we should not only fight for liberal values against Russia, China and all their cronies, but also live up to them ourselves ― Chris Patten, Former British Governor of Hong Kong

Autocracy, Inc. offers an eloquent indictment of Western collusion in the creation of these autocracies… a clear-sighted and unflinching look at the ideas, resentments, assumptions and practices of the regimes that are challenging liberal democracy -- Michael Ignatieff ― Literary Review

Clear-sighted and fearless … a masterclass in the marriage of dodgy government to international criminality … (both) deeply disturbing; it couldn’t be anything else [and is] a lively pleasure to read -- John Simpson ― Guardian

Autocracy, Inc. is a valuable book for many reasons, but the focus on illicit wealth creation and on those in democracies who enable it is especially timely. So is Applebaum’s recommendation that we wage war on autocratic behaviors wherever they occur -- Ruth Ben-Ghiat ― Washington Post

Rigorously researched, bracing and realistic… But she is by no means fatalistic, urging free nations to confront the complicity of financial, legal and communications professionals in enabling Autocracy, Inc -- Matthew D'Ancona ― New European

Applebaum deserves credit for drawing attention to the alarming new alliances of dictatorships seeking to shackle freedom, undemrine human rights, and usurp our values – along with the complacency of democracies that have done so little to stop the flood of fake news ... and flows of dirty money -- Ian Birrell ― Spectator

In under 200 pages of breathless, urgent prose ... Applebaum highlight(s) the unlikely partnerships among the world’s autocratic regimes [and] does an excellent job laying out the corrupting effects these autocracies have on western democracies -- Yuan Yi Zhu ― The Times

Excellent … clear … a call to arms to defend our societies -- Tim Judah ― Financial Times

A fearsomely active journalist ... Autocracy, Inc. is an-up-to-the moment examination of how modern-day autocracies, not just that of Russia's President Putin, but also including China, North Korea, and Iran, act as a kind of informal bloc to challenge what they see as the West's 'hegemony' -- Dominic Lawson ― Daily Mail

The strength of Autocracy, Inc. lies in its description of how autocrats bend and distort opinion, and find allies across national boundaries -- Lloyd Green ― Guardian

About the Author

Anne Applebaum is the author of Gulag: A History, which won the Pulitzer Prize, of Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1944-1956, which won the Cundill Prize, of Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine which won the Lionel Gelber and Duff Cooper prizes, and of the best-selling Twilight of Democracy. She is a columnist for The Atlantic and a senior fellow at Johns Hopkins University. She divides her time between Britain, Poland and the USA