Autocracy, Inc.

In "Autocracy, Inc.," Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anne Applebaum presents a compelling analysis of the modern alliance among autocratic regimes and their concerted efforts to undermine democratic institutions globally. Diverging from traditional views of isolated dictatorships, Applebaum reveals a sophisticated network of authoritarian governments—including Russia, China, Iran, and Venezuela—that collaborate through financial corruption, shared surveillance technologies, and coordinated propaganda campaigns. These regimes, though ideologically diverse, are united by a mutual desire to maintain power, amass wealth, and evade accountability.

Applebaum delves into how these autocracies support each other economically and militarily, effectively countering international sanctions and suppressing internal dissent. She also highlights the complicity of institutions within democratic nations that, whether knowingly or unwittingly, facilitate the entrenchment of these authoritarian networks through legal and financial systems.

Drawing parallels to George Kennan's seminal call for the "containment" of the Soviet Union, "Autocracy, Inc." serves as a timely and urgent treatise. Applebaum advocates for a fundamental reorientation of policies among democratic nations to effectively confront and dismantle this emerging autocratic alliance. Her work is a clarion call to recognize and address the pervasive and interconnected threats posed by modern authoritarianism.

This book has been recognized as one of the "Books of the Year" by The Economist and has received critical acclaim for its insightful and incisive examination of the global rise of autocracy.

From the Pulitzer-prize winning, New York Times bestselling author, an alarming account of how autocracies work together to undermine the democratic world, and how we should organize to defeat them

"A masterful guide to the new age of authoritarianism... clear-sighted and fearless… a masterclass in the marriage of dodgy government to international criminality… (both) deeply disturbing.”—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.

WRITER:  Anne Applebaum

PAPER BACK+ BEAT PGES QAULITY