1117: Anne Applebaum | Inside The Fortune 500 of Modern Dictatorships

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Feb 18, 2025

Anne Applebaum, a renowned historian and author specializing in autocracy, dives into the intricate networks among modern dictatorships. She explains how these regimes, like Russia and China, collaborate for financial gain and technological advancement while undermining democratic values. Applebaum highlights the chilling evolution of China's surveillance technology and addresses how slow, insidious declines in democracy catch citizens off guard. She emphasizes the importance of local political engagement to combat polarization and strengthen democratic resilience.

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INSIGHT

Autocracy, Inc.

Modern autocracies form opportunistic networks, not ideological blocs, collaborating against democracy.
They share financial interests, technology, and mutual support, despite differing political systems.

ANECDOTE

Venezuela's Autocratic Support

Venezuela, a failed state, receives support from Russia, China, and Cuba, demonstrating autocratic collaboration.
This support helps Maduro maintain power despite losing elections and lacking legitimacy.

INSIGHT

US Alliance Strength

The US maintains values-based alliances built on long-term relationships, unlike opportunistic autocratic networks.
These alliances are based on shared culture, military ties, and personal connections, fostering win-win cooperation.

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From Russia to China: Autocracy, Inc. author Anne Applebaum reveals how modern autocrats create a new world order by working together against democracy.

What We Discuss with Anne Applebaum:

Modern autocracies form opportunistic networks rather than ideological blocs, collaborating through financial interests, technology sharing, and mutual support against democratic ideals — despite having different political systems.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine represents a deliberate challenge to international law and norms, with Putin demonstrating he can violate conventions without consequences.
China's surveillance technology has evolved to potentially predict political dissent by combining online monitoring, real-world tracking, and AI analysis — and this technology is being exported to other authoritarian regimes.
The decline of democracy is typically gradual, often taking decades as institutions are slowly undermined, while many citizens may not realize their democracy is eroding until it becomes impossible to elect alternative leadership.
Citizens can strengthen democracy through active local engagement: participating in local politics, joining community organizations, and building real-world connections across political divides. This practical involvement in addressing concrete local issues helps counter online polarization and maintain democratic resilience.
And much more...

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