Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World

Anne Applebaum’s Autocracy, Inc. argues that liberal democracy is increasingly threatened by the rise of authoritarian regimes and far-right ideologies. Applebaum’s analysis is informed by an ideological commitment to liberal democracy, and it is therefore essential to understand Applebaum’s approach to her work as a liberal intellectual in order to understand the framing of her arguments.

One of the central focuses in Autocracy, Inc. is Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, which Applebaum portrays as emblematic of the broader conflict between autocratic regimes and liberal democracies. For Applebaum, Ukraine’s defense of its sovereignty is an essential struggle in the global fight for democracy. Applebaum argues that the war in Ukraine exposes the fragility of liberal democratic institutions, both within Europe and globally. She critiques the West’s hesitance in standing up more firmly to Russia in the years preceding the invasion, suggesting that the failure to impose severe consequences on Moscow earlier encouraged Putin’s aggression.

Nevertheless, Applebaum’s framing of the war in Ukraine as a struggle between democracy and autocracy, while accurate in many respects, downplays the nationalistic and historical dimensions of the conflict. She also does not address the extent of Ukraine’s own past and current struggles with corruption and kleptocracy, which somewhat complicates her analytical framework of regarding kleptocracy as a purely autocratic phenomenon.

Applebaum’s book also anticipates the 2024 US presidential election, which had not yet taken place at the time of publication. Applebaum opposes Republican candidate and former president Donald Trump’s ideology, warning of the rise of far-right populism in the US, which, according to her, mirrors global trends that have led to the erosion of democratic norms. For Applebaum, Trump represents a dangerous force, capable of undermining public trust in institutions, the rule of law and, ultimately, democracy itself. She believes another Trump presidency could push the US closer to the kind of illiberal democracy seen in countries like Hungary or Poland. In her view, defending democracy in the US requires a renewed commitment to the principles of liberalism, such as freedom of the press, an independent judiciary, and the protection of minority rights.

However, Applebaum pays less attention to the economic and social inequalities within liberal democracies that have fueled populist discontent. She tends to regard the rise of authoritarianism as an external threat rather than as a response to the failures of liberal democratic systems to address the concerns of many voters. Autocracy, Inc. has been criticized for what left-wing analysts identify as a conservative, uncritical liberal position. As Samuel Mcilhagga of Jacobin argues in “Anne Applebaum’s Dystopia of Rules,” Applebaum does not address the inherent issues in liberal democracies, such as corruption that does not stem from external agents and ideological discourse that functions in a similar way to the type she attributes to autocratic regimes, focused on patriotic tropes and lack of alternatives.

Mcilhagga also criticizes Applebaum for not providing a solution for the rise of autocratic regimes and their influence on democratic governments. Rather than focusing on providing inclusive solutions, which would involve the redistribution of wealth and the democratization of the labor market, Applebaum provides only the solution of expanding technocratic proficiency—a limited and ineffective solution, according to critics.

Overall, while Applebaum’s defense of liberal democracy is thorough, her ideological commitment to a centrist liberal position also presents certain limitations in her analysis, leading her to overlook the possible internal weaknesses of these systems.