Autocrats Unite: How the World’s Dictators Work Together
BOOK REVIEW: Autocracy, Inc: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World
By Anne Applebaum/Doubleday
Reviewed by: Lt. Gen. James R. Clapper, USAF, Ret.
The Reviewer – Lt. Gen. Clapper served from 2010 to 2017 as the fourth Director of National Intelligence. Prior to that, he served in two administrations as the second Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence. Previously he was the third Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. He served for 32 years in the Air Force, with his last assignment as the 11th Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller FACTS AND FEARS: Hard Truths from a Life in Intelligence, and is a contributing national security analyst on CNN.
The views expressed below are the author’s and do not imply endorsement by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Intelligence Community, or any other U.S. Government agency.
REVIEW — Pulitzer Prize winner and Washington Post columnist Anne Applebaum has written a thoughtful and thought-provoking treatise on how autocracies have transformed from the way they operated in the 20th Century to the new modus operandi of the 21st in her new book: “Autocracy, Inc: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World.”
She describes how autocrats have grown far more sophisticated, capitalizing on the symbiotic relationship between money and the instruments of political power. As she states, “kleptocracy and autocracy go hand in hand, reinforcing each other and undermining any other institutions that they touch.” Putin comes to mind as the arch example of this behavior. He exploited the worst features of capitalism to line his pockets and those of his cronies. Indeed, that, in large measure accounts for his lengthy, unchallenged rule of Russia. He keeps his potential competitors at bay with their share of the largesse or eliminates them if they cross him. Others, for example, Chavez in Venezuela, have astutely gone to school on Putin’s example. They are, at its very root, highly motivated by simple greed.
But they don’t just stop there. They’ve also learned the critical importance of controlling the message, by tightly restricting information, and conveying only the messages they wish the masses to hear and see—thus making transparency and accountability ever more difficult. They impose a “firehouse of falsehoods” on their citizenry, and alternative sources of information are deliberately and systematically emasculated.
In fact, controlling the narrative has become an art form for them.
As Applebaum states, “If you can’t understand what’s going on around you, then you are not going to join a great movement for democracy, or follow a truth telling political leader, or listen when anyone speaks about positive political change.”
Through these means, Applebaum asserts, the autocrats seek to re-write the rules and norms of their own countries, and then collectively strive for the same goals globally.
And this brings us to the main point of her book—the “INC.”
Applebaum makes the case that what is new, different, increasingly pervasive, and dangerous, is that the autocrats are acting in league. They are helping each other more and more—whether providing weapons and munitions to each other, helping each other to evade sanctions, assisting each other in tracking down dissidents, or supporting each other in the UN. They see strength in mutually supporting each other, as they attack and erode the international order, as it was first constituted in the wake of WWII. The bases for this order were respect for human rights, fostering liberal democracy, and individual and collective prosperity. That order of things doesn’t suit their purposes, so they are hell-bent on suppressing these attributes, both in their own countries, as well as everywhere else. In other words, use all the tools and levers available to stay firmly in power for as long as possible.
Most of Applebaum’s book is devoted to description of the nature, causes, and effects of Autocracy INC. She spends one chapter on prescription—what to do about the problem—which this reviewer found a bit unsatisfying. It is unrealistic to hope for coalitions of the willing to somehow rise above the intimidating barriers and obstacles the autocrats have imposed on them. Like-minded lawyers, activists, and other believers are expected to come together, organize and seemingly galvanize the downtrodden populations of countries ruled by autocrats—and use some of the same tactics and techniques as the autocrats do. No small task. It is in my view exceedingly difficult for this to happen in a systematic, persistent way, given the increasingly tight control Autocracy INC wields over their repressed populations.
Finally, the book doesn’t really dwell much on former President Trump, but the inference is clear: based on past behavior, Applebaum seems to consider him a likely addition to Autocracy INC.
Applebaum is a skilled writer; her book is short, succinct, and compelling, and she is obviously passionate about and expert on the topic. An excellent read for anyone concerned about the fate of the liberal world order—in this country and, for that matter, universally.
Autocracy Inc. earns an impressive 3.5 out of 4 trench coats
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