Autocracy, Inc

The propagandists share resources—the troll farms that promote one dictator’s propaganda can also be used to promote the propaganda of another—and themes, pounding home the same messages about the weakness of democracy and the evil of America.

Anne Applebaum is one of the wisest, best informed and most trenchant commentators on global politics. This book, which should be compulsory reading for every G7 head of government and foreign minister, sets out in disturbing detail the assault overt and covert by autocrats everywhere on liberal democracies and open societies. She demonstrates how we should not only fight for liberal values against Russia, China and all their cronies, but also live up to them ourselves

Autocracy, Inc. offers an eloquent indictment of Western collusion in the creation of these autocracies… a clear-sighted and unflinching look at the ideas, resentments, assumptions and practices of the regimes that are challenging liberal democracy

Clear-sighted and fearless … a masterclass in the marriage of dodgy government to international criminality … (both) deeply disturbing; it couldn’t be anything else [and is] a lively pleasure to read

Autocracy, Inc. is a valuable book for many reasons, but the focus on illicit wealth creation and on those in democracies who enable it is especially timely. So is Applebaum’s recommendation that we wage war on autocratic behaviors wherever they occur

Rigorously researched, bracing and realistic… But she is by no means fatalistic, urging free nations to confront the complicity of financial, legal and communications professionals in enabling Autocracy, Inc

Applebaum deserves credit for drawing attention to the alarming new alliances of dictatorships seeking to shackle freedom, undemrine human rights, and usurp our values – along with the complacency of democracies that have done so little to stop the flood of fake news ... and flows of dirty money

In under 200 pages of breathless, urgent prose ... Applebaum highlight(s) the unlikely partnerships among the world’s autocratic regimes [and] does an excellent job laying out the corrupting effects these autocracies have on western democracies

Excellent … clear … a call to arms to defend our societies

A fearsomely active journalist ... Autocracy, Inc. is an-up-to-the moment examination of how modern-day autocracies, not just that of Russia's President Putin, but also including China, North Korea, and Iran, act as a kind of informal bloc to challenge what they see as the West's 'hegemony'

The strength of Autocracy, Inc. lies in its description of how autocrats bend and distort opinion, and find allies across national boundaries

Anne Applebaum is the author of Gulag: A History , which won the Pulitzer Prize, of Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1944-1956 , which won the Cundill Prize, of Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine which won the Lionel Gelber and Duff Cooper prizes, and of the best-selling Twilight of Democracy . She is a columnist for The Atlantic and a senior fellow at Johns Hopkins University. She divides her time between Britain, Poland and the USA