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