Review of “Autocracy, Inc.” by Anne Applebaum – The Devil You Know

Until around 2015, I tended to be moderately positive about the world. There were far more democracies than when I started at the BBC in 1966, and significantly fewer dictatorships. Africa and Latin America, once riddled with military dictatorships, were now mostly run by elected leaders. The existential threat of nuclear war had receded. A billion people were being lifted out of poverty.

Yes, Vladimir Putin’s actions in Crimea in 2014 were concerning, and Xi Jinping was beginning to make troubling speeches about Muslims and Uyghurs. However, having witnessed Soviet communism dissolve across Eastern Europe and in Russia itself, I still felt optimistic.

That optimism pretty much ended in 2016. Brexit damaged the European project, and Donald Trump disrupted American leadership. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, based on the false assumption that most Ukrainians would welcome the return of Russian domination, and China’s ruthless suppression of political freedom in Hong Kong, has darkened the 2020s much like the German, Italian, and Japanese interventions darkened the 1930s. Democracy’s tide has turned. Elections have become shams, and government corruption has evolved into a global industry.

Well-intentioned but impoverished governments welcome Chinese cash because no one else will supply it, ignoring or even welcoming the attached strings. Populist movements rise in traditionally moderate and calm countries.

The neo-Whig interpretation of history, which taught that trade would bring us closer and economics would make war impossible, has collapsed. You might think China would perceive peace as essential for its brand of capitalist-Marxism-Leninism to thrive. Yet, you only have to read Bill Clinton’s 2000 speech to see how unrealistic that idea has become. He famously compared the difficulty of government control over the internet to nailing Jell-O to a wall.

Instead of mastering technology, autocrats have learned to harness it. Leaders like Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Narendra Modi, and Viktor Orban run their countries according to personal political interests, recharged occasionally by carefully manipulated elections. Though last month, the voters of India refused to give Modi the majority he needed. Meanwhile, the US, once influential worldwide, now seems as intimidating as a scarecrow in a beet field.

Anne Applebaum, in her book Autocracy, Inc., is well-positioned to catalogue this new age of autocracy. Her clear-sighted and fearless writing shows us how autocratic leaders run their nations. I remember editorial disagreements with her in the early 1990s when she predicted that Russia’s post-communist implosion would one day threaten the West. Events have proven her right.

Autocracy, Inc. is deeply disturbing, but Applebaum’s meticulous research makes it engaging to read. For instance, her examination of Zimbabwe reveals a bizarre cast of characters contributing to the country’s ruination. The presidential envoy and ambassador-at-large, Uebert Angel, a British-Zimbabwean evangelical pastor, claims to teach the “fundamental aspects of becoming a millionaire.” His assistant, another Brit named Pastor Rikki, allegedly offers face-to-face meetings with President Mnangagwa for a hefty fee. Though Rikki insists that an Al Jazeera documentary featuring him was deceptively edited, Applebaum adeptly illustrates how financial hubs like Dubai promote the influence of governments like Zimbabwe and facilitate China’s growing financial control over neglected countries.

This work, more an extended essay than a comprehensive study, is a masterclass in the marriage of dubious governance and international criminality. Applebaum excels in detailing information-laundering outfits, “typosquatters” that mimic reputable sources (e.g., Reuters.cfd instead of Reuters.com). These entities pump out pro-Russian material, spreading misinformation that can incite real-world violence, as seen with last year’s fake NATO press release in France.

We live in a disturbing world, but understanding its dynamics, keeping our counsel, and knowing whom to trust have never been more crucial. Anne Applebaum, who foresaw our current trajectory three decades ago, is one of those trusted voices.

Source: The Guardian