Autocracy, Inc.

The Dictators Who Want to Run the World

By: Anne Applebaum

Narrated by: Anne Applebaum

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.

Fervid and detailed overview of authoritarian strategies

A bold and brave stance on an increasingly effective and overwhelming penetration of democratic societies and polities by authoritarian states.

Anne and her husband are role models for conscious dedication to transparency and ethical behavior despite the challenges these efforts face.

A good overview to begin to understand the parameters of state misinformation and subterfuge.

An important book

This is a very important book that deserves to be widely read. I think the author ought to have used a professional reader. As an amateur reader she does not do justice to her material. Also the mispronunciations are irritating e.g. fiefdom is pronounced ‘feefdom’ not ‘fifedom’.

The urgency of this topic.

A very important reality of our world that we need to act upon. We cannot sit passively.

Autocrats stand together !

I was impressed by how dictators and want to be dictators stand with each other. Their horrible treatment of people is awful and inhuman. May the American voter choose well and vote for the Democratic Party this year!

It could happen here

Applebaum describes the current status of autocracies and the threat to democracies in this world, The coordination of efforts by autocracies presents a real threat, she outlines steps we need to take- Highly recommend this book to those wanting to preserve our democracy-