51 pages • 1 hour read
Anne ApplebaumAutocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2024A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Complicity of Democratic Nations in Empowering Autocratic Regimes
In Autocracy, Inc., Applebaum analyzes the network of autocratic regimes that maintain power through kleptocracy, intimidation, and disinformation. However, she also highlights a troubling dimension: The role of democratic nations in sustaining these autocratic networks. Applebaum critiques how, in their pursuit of profit, stability, or geopolitical advantage, democratic countries have become enablers of the very systems that erode global democratic values.
Applebaum argues that the complicity of democracies in perpetuating autocracies is often overlooked. For example, while Americans may denounce corruption in Russia, Ukraine, or other post-Soviet states, they fail to recognize “the role their fellow citizens have played, or are still playing, in enabling it” (39). This ignorance stems from the false belief that autocratic corruption is distant, confined to “faraway countries or on exotic tropical islands” (40), when in reality, these practices infiltrate democratic institutions as well.
One key idea Applebaum explores is how economic engagement with autocratic states has frequently led to unfavorable consequences. Chapter 1 recounts the development of trade between the Soviet Union and Western Europe. Leaders such as German councilor Willy Brandt and, later, liberal thinkers like Francis Fukuyama, held an optimistic belief that economic globalization would inevitably lead to democratic political reforms in countries like Russia and China.
However, as Applebaum points out, this view failed to account for the resilience and adaptability of autocratic regimes. Rather than using their newfound economic ties to democratize, regimes like those in Russia and China exploited global trade to strengthen their corrupt internal system and autocratic power structures. The West, lured by potential profits, ignored the increasing authoritarianism in Russia, becoming complicit in the construction of a kleptocratic state.
The book also discusses how autocrats exploit global financial systems, which are often based in democratic nations. In Chapter 1, Applebaum cites the example of Ihor Kolomoisky, a Ukrainian oligarch who laundered money through investments in the US. His ability to manipulate weak financial regulations illustrates how autocrats use the vulnerabilities of democratic countries to enrich themselves while evading accountability. Kolomoisky’s actions helped to maintain kleptocratic power at home and, additionally, undermined the democratic governance of the nations where he operated. Applebaum’s analysis of Kolomoisky’s case reveals that such financial loopholes allow autocrats to export corruption, destabilizing the very nations whose systems they exploit.
Ultimately, Applebaum’s Autocracy, Inc. challenges the notion that democracies are powerless against autocratic regimes. Instead, Applebaum argues that by failing to recognize their role in enabling these regimes, democratic nations undermine their own principles and stability. In doing so, they contribute to the survival and success of autocratic governments, entrenching the very forces they claim to oppose.
The Silencing of Political Dissent
Applebaum devotes significant attention to how autocratic regimes strategically discredit, silence, and weaken opposition forces, both at home and abroad. In doing so, they effectively silence all forms of political dissent against their autocratic power.
One key example Applebaum highlights is that of Zimbabwean activist Evan Mawarire (See: Key Figures). Mawarire attempted to organize civic resistance to Mugabe’s autocratic regime in Zimbabwe, and initially attracted considerable popular support amongst citizens who protested against Mugabe’s oppressive governance and the country’s widespread poverty and corruption. In response, relentless government campaigns sought to brand Mawarire as a “foreign agent” and “criminal” instead of addressing the concerns the Zimbabweans had raised. By labeling dissidents as “traitors,” “criminals,” or simply claiming that they are just as corrupt as the politicians they criticize, autocratic regimes create a hostile environment in which opposition figures lose credibility, irrespective of the truth of the charges against them.
Applebaum argues that autocrats also corrupt the entire process of political engagement. Autocrats create a climate of disillusionment and apathy among citizens, who begin to distrust all political actors and institutions. When people believe that everyone is equally corrupt, they are less likely to engage in meaningful political action, allowing authoritarian leaders to consolidate power with minimal resistance. In Applebaum’s analysis, this strategy is not limited to autocratic states. She draws comparisons with democratic countries, where leaders like Donald Trump and Poland’s Law and Justice Party have similarly attacked the media, judiciary, and other critical voices, thereby blurring the lines between democracy and authoritarianism.
One of the most insidious aspects of these silencing tactics, Applebaum contends, is the way they erode the very foundations of democratic institutions. Autocratic leaders often co-opt courts, media platforms, and social networks to blur the boundaries between truth and falsehood, leaving little room for authentic political debate. In this environment, citizens can no longer trust their political institutions to safeguard democracy or protect them from corruption. Applebaum writes, “Since 2016, these kinds of tactics have spread […] The goal is to spread the same narratives that autocrats use at home, to connect democracy with degeneracy and chaos, to undermine democratic institutions, to smear not just activists who promote democracy but the system itself” (84-85). Here, Applebaum points to the internationalization of smear tactics, where authoritarian regimes export disinformation and propaganda globally to destabilize democracies and cast democratic ideals as inherently chaotic and corrupt.
Applebaum’s analysis stresses the fragility of democratic institutions and how the silencing of political dissent leaves societies vulnerable to autocratic rule. When citizens lose faith in their political institutions and grow apathetic toward civic engagement, they inadvertently create the conditions in which authoritarianism can flourish unchecked, making dissent harder and harder to sustain.
The Use of Disinformation to Further Autocratic Interests
Applebaum frequently highlights the significance of disinformation campaigns for furthering autocratic interests. She argues that disinformation campaigns are not just marginal or occasional strategies, but are instead central to the playbook of modern autocracies, helping leaders maintain control domestically while extending their influence abroad.
Applebaum argues that democratic societies have long been naive in their approach to disinformation, believing that “good information” (163) would naturally win in the “marketplace of ideas” (163). This assumption reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of how disinformation works and how it is propagated. She writes, “there isn’t a marketplace of ideas, or in any case not a free market of ideas. Instead, some ideas have been turbocharged by disinformation campaigns” (163, emphasis added). This “turbocharging”— a heightening of conspiracy, polarization, and focus on marginal issues to deflect from more serious issues—comes from social media algorithms designed to maximize engagement by promoting emotionally-charged and divisive content, a trend that plays directly into the hands of autocratic regimes. Autocracies like Russia and China exploit these dynamics, using social media platforms to spread their narratives and undermine democratic discourse.
Disinformation, in Applebaum’s analysis, is more than a tactic—it is a systemic part of how autocratic regimes operate. It functions as a tool for both external and internal control. Externally, disinformation weakens adversaries, as seen in Russian campaigns to influence elections in Western countries or spread chaos in European democracies. Internally, disinformation is used to maintain control by shaping public perception and suppressing dissent. The effectiveness of these campaigns stems not just from the content of the disinformation itself, but from the speed and scale at which it spreads, often overwhelming the capacity of fact-checkers and traditional media to respond. This creates an environment in which truth is continuously playing catch-up, allowing falsehoods to take root in the public consciousness and creating openings for autocratic influence.
One of the key takeaways from Autocracy, Inc. is that disinformation is not just a challenge to be met with better journalism or more fact-checking. It is a structural issue, deeply embedded in the way information is produced and consumed in the digital age. Social media platforms spread falsehoods faster than they can be corrected. As Applebaum writes, “our old models never acknowledged the truth that many people desire disinformation” (164). This reality requires a fundamental rethinking of the nature of information and how democracies defend themselves against the information warfare waged by internal and external actors.
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