Michael
Anne Appplebaum’s Autocracy, Inc. is a short, readable and terrifying book. Her thrust is revealed in the chapter titles: The Greed that Binds, Kleptocracy Metastasizes, Controlling the Narrative e, Changing the Operating System, Smearing the Democrats (she is not talking about the US political party). In the book she talks about the interconnected ness of autocratic countries, kleptocracy, and media propaganda. I had no idea about how close the cooperation is among autocratic countries. Although they have very different pollical systems, cultures, and religions Iran will help Russia which helps Cuba, which helps North Korea, etc., etc. These countries, and the dictators that control them enable each other. Autocrats are united in their belief that the “west” wants to destroy or defeat them. Democrats are not united, which is what makes these countries vulnerable. In addition, western companies that only care about the bottom line and lining the pockets of CEOs and upper management bankroll these autocratic kleptocracies.
In any case, this is well worth reading if you are up to being very depressed by the end.
On the other hand, the US and the west get off a little too easily, and the book sometimes seems a little superficial. However, this is a short book and is best approached as an introduction to the subject. I know I learned a lot.
I didn’t like the ending. It is hopeful and feels a bit too optimistic (her dedication is “for the optimists”). This was written 2024, before President Trump took office for his second term. It seems we are following the road of the autocrats, so this last section seems a little like fantasy. I am not an optimist.
Anne Appplebaum’s Autocracy, Inc. is a short, readable and terrifying book. Her thrust is revealed in the chapter titles: The Greed that Binds, Kleptocracy Metastasizes, Controlling the Narrative e, Changing the Operating System, Smearing the Democrats (she is not talking about the US political party). In the book she talks about the interconnected ness of autocratic countries, kleptocracy, and media propaganda. I had no idea about how close the cooperation is among autocratic countries. Although they have very different pollical systems, cultures, and religions Iran will help Russia which helps Cuba, which helps North Korea, etc., etc. These countries, and the dictators that control them enable each other. Autocrats are united in their belief that the “west” wants to destroy or defeat them. Democrats are not united, which is what makes these countries vulnerable. In addition, western companies that only care about the bottom line and lining the pockets of CEOs and upper management bankroll these autocratic kleptocracies.
In any case, this is well worth reading if you are up to being very depressed by the end.
On the other hand, the US and the west get off a little too easily, and the book sometimes seems a little superficial. However, this is a short book and is best approached as an introduction to the subject. I know I learned a lot.
I didn’t like the ending. It is hopeful and feels a bit too optimistic (her dedication is “for the optimists”). This was written 2024, before President Trump took office for his second term. It seems we are following the road of the autocrats, so this last section seems a little like fantasy. I am not an optimist.