Picture this: You’re sitting in a quaint English village pub, sipping a pint and chatting with the locals. Suddenly, you learn that the grand estate down the road was just purchased by the wife of a former Moscow mayor—for a cool £5.5 million, no less. Oh, and the transaction was made through some obscure shell company called “Skymist Holdings Limited.”
Sounds like the opening of a John le Carré novel, right? Well, buckle up, because Anne Applebaum’s latest tour de force, “Autocracy, Inc.,” reveals that such surreal scenarios are becoming disturbingly commonplace in our interconnected world. And they’re just the tip of a very dangerous iceberg.
The New Face of Dictatorship: It’s Not Your Grandpa’s Iron Curtain
Applebaum, the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian who’s made a career of dissecting totalitarian regimes, delivers a knockout punch with this urgent, meticulously researched exposé. Forget the cartoonish despots of yesteryear—today’s autocrats are savvy, well-connected, and alarmingly adept at manipulating the very systems meant to keep them in check.
The book’s central thesis hits you like a splash of cold water: modern dictatorships aren’t isolated rogues, but a loosely aligned network of kleptocrats, security services, and propagandists who’ve figured out how to game the global economy and information landscape. It’s less “Evil Empire” and more “Corrupt Conglomerate”—hence the chillingly apt title, “Autocracy, Inc.”
From Russia with Greed: Putin’s Kleptocratic Playbook
Applebaum wastes no time diving into the belly of the beast, using Vladimir Putin’s Russia as her primary case study. And boy, does she deliver the goods. We’re treated to a masterclass in how a former KGB operative transformed a fledgling democracy into a mafia state, all while maintaining a veneer of legitimacy that would make Tony Soprano blush.
The author’s prose crackles with righteous indignation as she lays bare the mechanics of Putin’s rise:
“By the time Putin became president, he was well acquainted with the double standards of Western democracies, which preached liberal values at home but were very happy to help build illiberal regimes everywhere else.”
Ouch. But Anne Applebaum’s not just here to point fingers—she’s connecting the dots between seemingly disparate events, showing how the tentacles of “Autocracy, Inc.” reach far beyond Russia’s borders.
The Global Corruption Conga Line: From Caracas to Harare
One of the book’s greatest strengths is its panoramic view of modern authoritarianism. Applebaum takes us on a whirlwind tour of kleptocracies-in-the-making, from Hugo Chávez’s Venezuela to Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe. The parallels are striking, and the author’s keen eye for detail brings these far-flung locales to vivid life.
Consider this nugget about Venezuela’s currency manipulation scheme:
“The truly well connected worked out how to claim tens or hundreds of millions of dollars to import spare parts, medical supplies, telecommunications equipment, chemicals, computers. If Venezuela needed to import anything, then someone would be generating the fake paper trails and making discreet payoffs, just to unlock access to cheap currency.”
It’s like a Ponzi scheme on steroids, and Applebaum’s sardonic tone perfectly captures the absurdity (and tragedy) of it all.
China’s Techno-Dystopia: Big Brother is Watching (and Exporting)
No examination of modern autocracy would be complete without a deep dive into China’s surveillance state, and Applebaum doesn’t disappoint. She paints a chilling picture of the CCP’s efforts to create an all-seeing, all-controlling system that would make George Orwell’s head spin.
But here’s the kicker—they’re not content to keep this tech to themselves:
“‘Safe city technology,’ surveillance, and AI systems have been sold by the Chinese tech behemoth Huawei to Pakistan, Brazil, Mexico, Serbia, South Africa, and Turkey.”
The implications are staggering, and Applebaum’s warning is clear: the tools of oppression are becoming a hot export commodity.
The Information Wars: When Truth Becomes a Casualty
If there’s one area where Applebaum truly shines, it’s in her analysis of how autocracies manipulate the information landscape. Drawing on her background as a journalist, she provides a masterful breakdown of modern propaganda techniques, from Russia’s “firehose of falsehood” to China’s more subtle narrative control.
The section on transnational disinformation campaigns is particularly eye-opening. Applebaum reveals how autocracies work together to amplify each other’s messages, creating a cacophony of confusion that undermines faith in democratic institutions:
“Even some outside the echo chamber, or those whose news outlet of choice does not have a content-sharing agreement with Xinhua, also heard the story, thanks to the other, more clandestine pathways Autocracy, Inc., uses to magnify its messages.”
It’s enough to make you want to throw your smartphone out the window and live in a cave. But Applebaum isn’t here to induce despair—she’s sounding the alarm.
Hope on the Horizon? The Resistance Fights Back
Just when you think all is lost, Applebaum introduces us to the brave souls fighting back against the tide of authoritarianism. From Hong Kong pro-democracy activists to Venezuelan opposition leaders, we meet the men and women risking everything to preserve freedom in their homelands.
The author’s admiration for these individuals is palpable, and their stories provide a much-needed dose of inspiration. Take this passage about Evan Mawarire, the Zimbabwean pastor who sparked the #ThisFlag movement:
“Mawarire presumed people would understand why he had left and would be pleased that he was safe. Zimbabwe’s legendary anticolonial revolutionary leaders, Mugabe and Mnangagwa, had spent time in exile too. Instead, some of Mawarire’s own supporters began echoing the words of Jonathan Moyo and the mocking, jeering regime media. See, we told you he was a traitor. See, he’s going to live abroad, supported by his paymasters.”
It’s a sobering reminder of the uphill battle faced by pro-democracy activists, but Applebaum refuses to let their efforts go unnoticed.
A Call to Arms: Democracy’s Last Stand?
As “Autocracy, Inc.” hurtles towards its conclusion, Anne Applebaum doesn’t pull any punches. She lays out a stark choice for democracies worldwide: adapt or perish. The final chapters offer a rallying cry for renewed commitment to transparency, accountability, and the rule of law.
Her proposals are bold and wide-ranging, from cracking down on anonymous shell companies to creating a global anti-corruption alliance. Some may seem idealistic, but Applebaum makes a compelling case that the stakes are too high for half-measures:
“The autocracies want to create a global system that benefits thieves, criminals, dictators, and the perpetrators of mass murder. We can stop them.”
The Verdict: A Must-Read Wake-Up Call
“Autocracy, Inc.” by Anne Applebaum is not a comfortable read, but it’s an essential one. Applebaum’s prose is razor-sharp, her research impeccable, and her arguments impossible to ignore. This book stands shoulder-to-shoulder with her previous works like “Gulag” and “Iron Curtain,” cementing her status as one of our most vital chroniclers of tyranny.
If you care about the future of democracy (and you should), put this book at the top of your reading list. Just be prepared—you may never look at the world the same way again.
Beyond the Book: Further Reading and Action
For those hungry for more insights into the world of modern autocracy, I’d recommend pairing “Autocracy, Inc.” with some of these complementary reads:
- “The Perfect Weapon” by David E. Sanger – A deep dive into cyber warfare and its implications for democracy.
- “Kleptopia” by Tom Burgis – An investigation into how dirty money is conquering the world.
- “This Is Not Propaganda” by Peter Pomerantsev – A firsthand account of the global disinformation crisis.
And remember, knowledge is power. Support independent journalism, fact-check before you share, and stay engaged in your local democratic processes. The fight against “Autocracy, Inc.” begins with each of us.
