Anne Applebaum's 'Autocracy, Inc.' explores the connections and risks posed by the world's autocracies, highlighting their differences and the lack of a coordinated challenge to Western powers. The book reveals the financial ties and corruption among these regimes, but questions their ability to unite against the U.S. and its allies.
Anne Applebaum's 'Autocracy, Inc.' delves into the intricate web of relationships among the world's autocracies, emphasizing both their similarities and their significant differences. The book argues that while these regimes share a common resentment of American power and collaborate financially, they lack the unity and capability to mount a coordinated military challenge to Western democracies. Applebaum's investigation reveals how these autocracies use state power to extract resources and launder money, but their divergent interests and strategies make a joint confrontation unlikely. The book also critiques Western democracies for their role in enabling and enriching these authoritarian regimes, highlighting the hypocrisy of promoting liberal values while engaging in business with illiberal regimes. Despite its thorough analysis, the book falls short of proving that these autocracies are planning a strategic confrontation with the West.
Quick quotes
Autocracies, just like democracies, need legitimacy with their people.
The crucial tie is money, hence the book’s title, Autocracy, Inc.
Applebaum offers an eloquent indictment of Western collusion in the creation of these autocracies: 'When Americans condemn Russian, Ukrainian, or post-Soviet corruption, they rarely reckon with the role their fellow citizens have played, or are still playing, in enabling it.