Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
informative
fast-paced
informative
fast-paced
Viele gut recherchierte Aspekte. Leider sehr unkritisch ggü. der Rolle des Westens.
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Barely hopeful, not because her ideas aren’t good, but because I don’t think we have the will to implement them while there’s still time.
hopeful
informative
reflective
informative
fast-paced
Summary of the book….
Russia, China, Iran, a list of African and South American countries…..BAD
USA, Western Europe….GOOD.
Little to no mention of the US and its foreign policy interventions over the decades. Oh….and between 2022 to 2024, there was only one war. Ukraine. Apparently nothing else happening. And the Middle East was all peace, love and mung beans.
Mercifully short and deeply flawed.
Russia, China, Iran, a list of African and South American countries…..BAD
USA, Western Europe….GOOD.
Little to no mention of the US and its foreign policy interventions over the decades. Oh….and between 2022 to 2024, there was only one war. Ukraine. Apparently nothing else happening. And the Middle East was all peace, love and mung beans.
Mercifully short and deeply flawed.
As an overview of what an autocracy is, how it opperates, how it fights to maintain itself, and how different autocratic nations interact or support each other, this book gives a good broad overview; it's readable, slender, to the point. Applebaum highlights the important resistence work of a few individuals (Evan Mawarire for example). And there's even a hopeful tone in later chapters as she outlines some practical solutions to guard against autocracy.
However... however lol...
There are certain areas she shies away from. Perpetuating the Covid 19 lab leak conspiracy at one point. The role of US foreign policy that has historically upheld or supported autocratic states. There's also a mention but no meaningful interrogation of 'autocracy lite' nations (my phrasing, in broad summary): democracies with "autocratic tendencies" like Singapore, Israel, among others.
She just kind of seems to plop in a list as a disingenuous nod to these countries' policies, internal and foreign. I also raised an eyebrow when she mentioned human rights violations in Gaza (current situation was well under way at the time of writing) only to vehemently condemn the aid workers there, for declining to share coordinates of hospitals, accusing them of perpetuating 'lawless violence', accusing them of colluding with and directly comparing them to Hamas. No mention at all of Israel's role in this, or Netanyahu's own autocratic tendencies.
Frankly, I found it a bit rich to handwave decades of state violence, but okay.
However... however lol...
There are certain areas she shies away from. Perpetuating the Covid 19 lab leak conspiracy at one point. The role of US foreign policy that has historically upheld or supported autocratic states. There's also a mention but no meaningful interrogation of 'autocracy lite' nations (my phrasing, in broad summary): democracies with "autocratic tendencies" like Singapore, Israel, among others.
She just kind of seems to plop in a list as a disingenuous nod to these countries' policies, internal and foreign. I also raised an eyebrow when she mentioned human rights violations in Gaza (current situation was well under way at the time of writing) only to vehemently condemn the aid workers there, for declining to share coordinates of hospitals, accusing them of perpetuating 'lawless violence', accusing them of colluding with and directly comparing them to Hamas. No mention at all of Israel's role in this, or Netanyahu's own autocratic tendencies.
Frankly, I found it a bit rich to handwave decades of state violence, but okay.
informative
fast-paced
Well written, depressing but also hopeful. This book manages to explain current world politics beyond the manichean view of countries divided between west and east, democracies and dictatorships, allies and enemies.
challenging
informative
reflective
fast-paced