good morning.
The recent rise in authoritarian rule worldwide is significant and alarming. While strongman leaders like Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin have systematically consolidated their power, a new wave of autocratic rulers is emerging from Asia to South America.
This trend will only be amplified by Donald Trump’s re-election. As democracies around the world strain under authoritarian pressure, the next president of the world’s most powerful country has made clear he wants to use power freely for personal and political gain. As Viktor Orbán’s Hungary and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Turkey have proven, democracies don’t just collapse through coups and rigged elections, as democratic structures and institutions are steadily hollowed out. Decay over time. And unlike in his first term, there will be few people around him to hold him back.
In today’s newsletter, we speak with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and historian Anne Applebaum about her latest book, Autocracy Inc, which explores the nuances of democratic decline in the new Trump era. I did.
Thoroughly: “The danger is that Trump promotes the decline of democracy.”
Hi Anne – could you first define for our readers what “Autocracy Inc” means?
My book describes a group of authoritarian states that are not ideologically connected. We are talking about communist China, nationalist Russia, theocratic Iran, or Bolivarian socialist Venezuela. Some countries are one-party states, while others are run by individual leaders or oligarchy. Yet, over the past decade, they have all begun to work together.
They have common economic, intelligence, military, and geostrategic interests. And what unites them is the understanding that the language and practices of liberal democracy are a threat to them. Rule of law, human rights, transparency and accountability are the language of their opposition. And they came to understand that in order to fight these things, they needed to fight not just at home, but around the world.
How does Donald Trump’s reelection fit into this narrative of the growth of authoritarian networks?
I say with great care that my book and my recent writings are about true dictatorships. These are political systems without checks and balances, political conflict, an independent press, and independent courts. I also wrote about the decline of democracy. This refers to a democratic country where democratically elected leaders are pushing the country in that direction.
This is based on Trump’s own statements, and this is not my interpretation, but I think it can be said that Trump fits into the latter mold. The United States will not become an authoritarian state overnight, but Trump has been talking about changing the way the American political system works by weakening some rules and institutions since his election. The danger is not that America will become a totalitarian state, but that Trump will advance and exacerbate existing problems of democratic decline and increasing authoritarian tendencies and practices.
What are the guardrails of democracy at stake in the United States?
Guardrails are just people, people who behave in institutionally prescribed ways. The last time Trump was president, he was surrounded by a lot of people who were very concerned that he wouldn’t break the rules. He now has another advisor.
President Trump has dropped hints that he wants to change military leadership and talked about replacing “woke” generals. No general has truly woken up, but this may be a way to change the general. That way he can put someone in charge of the military who does what he wants. In other words, they do not necessarily act according to their will, according to their personal will or political desires. Constitution.
Earlier this year, you wrote about how some authoritarian states use propaganda to discredit democracy. What are the main instruments used by these countries?
In my book, I explore how an authoritarian world cooperates and cooperates to create an authoritarian narrative: authoritarianism is stable and secure, and democracy is fragile, divided, and decadent. I wrote a little about how to create such a discussion.
Some of the ways in which the authoritarian world influences the democratic world are quite direct. Last summer, Russian state media Russia Today reported that a group of YouTubers, some kind of media company based in Tennessee, had already released various types of material promoting far-right conspiracy theories. There was an incident where a large amount of information was disclosed. They took it upon themselves to start funding them through a series of shell companies and fake businesspeople. That’s just one example. The information laundering they do is done all over the world.
We saw something else in the last US election. Elon Musk, who owns one of the largest social media platforms, began using X to algorithmically promote pro-Trump and authoritarian discourse. And, of course, it was not a Russian or Chinese conspiracy, but one that took place within the United States. But other democracies should recognize this, as Mr. Musk has specifically talked about using his platform to do in other countries what he has done in the United States. I don’t know if he can do it.
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“There’s always something you can do in your community.”
People are often unaware that the early signs of authoritarianism and democratic decline are actually occurring. Why do you think that is?
I lived in Poland during the beginning of the reign of Law and Justice, a party that is perhaps best described as authoritarian and populist. One of the first things they did after gaining power was to try to change the court system and politicize the courts, and they were partially successful.
Initially, there was a huge reaction to this, and protests and other activities took place. However, over time, it became clear that the loss of an independent court was not something that most people cared about because it was something people did not see in their daily lives. Over time, as the court makes some decisions that affect more people, especially regarding abortion, people begin to understand the relationship between the court and their lives that was not clear before. I started.
One of the side effects of this type of deterioration is that a large amount of breakage occurs. And that’s what people eventually start to realize. That’s what happened in Poland. Corruption had become so great that the public became aware of the increasing level of corruption. And it ultimately led to a kind of popular revolt against the ruling party.
How are people resisting the rise of Autocracy Inc.?
The United States is not a dictatorship, so there will be all kinds of legal, political, and journalistic resistance in the coming years. For civil and political activists in closed societies, it’s a completely different story. I think it’s fair to say that many windows and possibilities for such groups have closed over the past decade. It has become much more difficult to launch a citizen movement organized around a set of ideals than it used to be. The authoritarian world has learned how to use the Internet to wage smear campaigns, undermine leaders, and divide political movements. There is certainly a growing willingness to take really tough measures in Russia, but it is now a far more repressive society than it was a few years ago when the war began.
However, there are still many brave people out there. I’ve talked to a lot of activists over the past 20 years, and one of the lessons I’ve learned from those conversations is that this is probably the mistake that an authoritarian world makes. They rebel against this word, or by separating people from access to information that ends this urge for people to live in a more just society. But the truth is that people are constantly rediscovering that urge.
How can we fight despair?
Because my latest book deals with these big geopolitical issues, I think it leaves people feeling a little helpless. But it’s important to remember that there’s always more you can do in your community, and democracy is strengthened by civic engagement of all kinds. If we want democracy to succeed under this pressure from both external and internal sources, many people need to participate in every way possible.
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