Book Review: Autocracy, Inc by Anne Applebaum

One of the most impressive aspects of the Ukraine war has been how over 40 countries, led by NATO, have rallied together to offer military, financial, and humanitarian support to Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022.

But one of the most disturbing aspects has been how fellow autocratic regimes, notably China, Iran, and North Korea, have been providing substantial support to Russia.  Without this support, Russia’s war efforts would have most likely collapsed quite some time ago.  This is just one example of how modern autocracies are joining forces against their “common enemies”, the group of capitalist democracies and the rules-based world order, according to Anne Applebaum’s new book, Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World.

From photo by Andrea De Santis on Unsplash.

Liberalism vs. Autocracy

Applebaum argues that liberalism’s ideas—democracy, rule of law, transparency, civil society, independent judiciary, and independent media—represent a direct threat to autocrats’ power. Indeed, their domestic oppositions, such as the Navalny movement in Russia, demonstrators in Hong Kong, the Iranian women’s movement, and the Venezuelan opposition, use these ideas.

Autocracies identify these ideas with the democratic world, so we are now in a war of ideas, not a cold war—ideas about how to organise society. Autocracies’ basic narrative is that dictatorships are safe, stable, and secure. They portray dictatorships as protecting traditional values and family life, differing from divided, chaotic, and degenerate democracies.

New Breed of Autocrat

Applebaum argues that today’s autocrats are a different breed from strongmen like former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, who was much more interested in power and glory than money.  Today’s autocracies are run by billionaires like Vladimir Putin or Xi Jinping, even if their billions are hidden away with relatives and friends.

Today’s autocracies run through sophisticated networks, which work together in matters like business, security, and propaganda measures, propping each other up and protecting one another.  Autocracies forge networks when companies invest in fellow autocracies.  For example, Iran invests in Russia, Russia invests in Venezuela, and the Chinese invest everywhere.  A company like the Russian energy giant Gazprom is majority state-owned and functions as an arm of the Russian state, as it is one of the actors carrying out Russian foreign policy.

Ideology is Diverse

Unlike during the Cold War, no common ideology like communism binds these autocracies together. China practices authoritarian state capitalism. Iran is a theocracy. Russia is essentially a nationalist, imperialist state. Venezuela is the home of Bolivarian socialism. Cuba is run by the Communist Party of Cuba.

But what these countries have in common is the shared desire to maintain their power (meaning absolute power, with no checks and balances), repress their people, and preserve their wealth.  They work together, back each other up, and scheme to undermine the very idea of democracy and the liberal world order.  Indeed, autocracies are trying to fracture democratic institutions and networks like NATO, the EU, and America’s security alliances.

Surveillance Dominates

These autocracies share surveillance technology and ideas about social control based on their countries’ different experiences. China has employed surveillance and control through the internet, then linked that to street cameras. China calls this “smart city technology,” but it really means a city where everybody is monitored all the time. The Chinese are now working towards a system to detect political dissent before it even emerges.

China now shares its surveillance technology with other autocracies to help them in their quest for social control. In contrast, Russia’s approach to social control emphasises disinformation and turbo-charged propaganda. China and Russia are working together, with Russian propaganda now appearing on Chinese information networks and China borrowing ideas from Russia.

Global Reach

The contest with autocrat-controlled societies is not a simple battle between autocracy and democracy.  Within democratic societies are far-right-wing groups that admire the autocratic form of government.  This is especially true for business people who like to operate without being bothered by the rule of law.  Elements of the US Republican Party, Germany’s AfD, and France’s National Rally have become consumers of Russian propaganda and can be easy to manipulate.  Indeed, almost every country in Europe has pro-Russian factions or politicians.

Disappointment with Democracy

Some citizens in capitalist democracies are courted by autocratic influence operations trying to divide democracies.  The attraction of authoritarianism is often a reaction to people’s disappointment in democracy.  In today’s world, democracies become dictatorships not so much through coups d’etats but through democratically-elected governments undermining institutions, as in the cases of Hungary, Turkey, and Venezuela.

Business Involvement

Autocracies also find allies in the more shady areas of the business world in lawyers and accountants who facilitate money laundering and help autocrats move their money around the world and hide it. It is through these Western business links that the corruption of the autocratic world is coming back to haunt us.

War in Ukraine

Applebaum argues that by invading Ukraine, Putin sent a message of defiance to the democratic world – that he is not bound by the rules-based world order or the United Nations and that he does not care about American diplomacy or power or the EU.  Russia wants to behave in the international realm as it behaves at home – with no checks and balances, no judges, no media, and no real opposition.  Thus, Russia has been kidnapping thousands of Ukrainian children and locking up Ukrainian prisoners in concentration camps.  In short, the Ukraine war is a conflict of ideas and visions of how the world works.

Miscalculation

Putin miscalculated, as he did not imagine that a large international coalition would oppose him.  He didn’t imagine that the Ukrainians would be able to push him out of the Kyiv region.  He believed his own propaganda.  At the same time, liberal democracies did not anticipate that Autocracy Inc. would mobilise to help the Russians.   This caught liberal democracies flatfooted without any real plan.

Consequences

China is not entirely happy about the Ukraine war.  But China is sticking with Russia.  Both Xi and Putin focus on pushing back against Western democracy.  If Russia loses the war, it would be a big loss for Autocracy Inc.  A victory for Putin would be to give great encouragement to China for its ambitions regarding Taiwan.

Applebaum argues that Ukraine must win the war.  A victory would have enormous repercussions all over the world.  The world would see that Putin’s attempt to defy the democratic world has failed.

How can democracies better stand up to the threat of Autocracy Inc.?

Applebaum insists that the democratic world must take the challenge of Autocracy Inc. seriously, something it has not done to date. Democracies must reform their financial systems so that autocrats can no longer use them to hide their money—even if US tax haven states like Delaware, South Dakota, and Wyoming would never want to give up this business.

Democracies need to understand that we are in a “war of ideas,” a “narrative war,” and that we must build a counter-messaging operation to seriously expose their information-laundering operations. We must battle autocratic narratives and disinformation, even if some democracies are reluctant to do so. Further, Applebaum argues that we need more self-confidence in our values and better prepare for the conflicts of the future.

Conclusion

Applebaum’s book is relatively short and not intended to offer the last word on the subject.  Its intent is to provoke thought and discussion about the challenge of Autocracy Inc.  It certainly does that.  This is a very well-researched and written book.  She is, after all, a distinguished historian who won the Pulitzer Prize for her book Gulag: A History.  Applebaum has written other important works, namely,

• Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944–56,
• Red Famine: Stalin’s War on Ukraine,
• Between East and West: Across the Borderlands of Europe, and
• Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism.

She is also a journalist at The Atlantic.