Making Sense with Sam Harris - Subscriber Content #376 - How Democracies Fail
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Jul 19, 2024 
Anne Applebaum discusses the nature of modern autocracies, Putin's rise to power, Western enabling of autocracies, American democratic decline, anti-liberal tendencies, political effects of Trump's potential second term, challenges in American foreign policy, radicalization of Trump's support, erosion of democracy, impact of social media on promoting chaos and conspiracy theories.
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Modern Autocracies: A Network
- Modern autocracies aren't ideological monoliths but rather a network of dictatorships.
- They share common interests like financial gain and undermining liberal democracies, using Western institutions for both.
The Power of Ideas
- The instinctive human reaction to dictatorship is to demand rights, even without prior experience of democracy.
- The power of ideas, particularly those of freedom and self-determination, transcends cultural and historical barriers.
Putin's Rise and Western Complicity
- Putin's rise involved stealing from St. Petersburg, laundering money abroad, and then reacquiring assets in Russia.
- This was facilitated by Western bankers and financial institutions, highlighting the West's complicity in enabling autocracies.