Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World

“Unlike the fascist and communist leaders of the past, who had party machines behind them and did not showcase their greed, the leaders of Autocracy, Inc., often maintain opulent residences and structure much of their collaboration as for-profit ventures. Their bonds with one another, and with their friends in the democratic world, are cemented not through ideals but through deals—deals designed to take the edge off sanctions, to exchange surveillance technology, to help one another get rich.”

An important idea in Autocracy, Inc. is the shift from ideological unity to material greed as the primary glue of modern autocratic regimes. Unlike past authoritarian movements driven by party loyalty and ideological goals, today’s autocrats are bound by financial incentives, making profit the driving force of their cooperation. This commercialized nature of autocratic power allows these leaders to integrate more seamlessly with the global economy, undermining sanctions and solidifying alliances through mutually beneficial economic deals.

“Today, the members of Autocracy, Inc. no longer care if they or their countries are criticized or by whom […] The leaders of China and Russia have spent a decade disputing the human rights language long used by international institutions, successfully convincing many around the world that the treaties and conventions on war and genocide—and concepts such as ‘civil liberties’ and ‘the rule of law’—embody Western ideas that don’t apply to them.”

Applebaum illustrates how modern autocrats have become impervious to external criticism, reflecting a significant break from past concerns over international reputation. These leaders rely on nationalist narratives, dismissing critiques as irrelevant or rooted in foreign agendas, which allows them to justify their actions and entrench their power domestically. By reframing concepts like human rights and civil liberties as Western constructs, they challenge global norms and insulate their regimes from the moral authority of international institutions.

“Russia plays a special role in the autocratic network, both as the inventor of the modern marriage of kleptocracy and dictatorship and as the country now most aggressively seeking to upend the status quo. The invasion was planned in that spirit. Putin hoped not only to acquire territory, but also to show the world that the old rules of international behavior no longer hold.”

Applebaum highlights Russia’s unique influence in shaping the current autocratic landscape, where kleptocracy and dictatorship are intertwined for strategic advantage. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is portrayed as a deliberate effort to dismantle the post-Cold War international order, challenging established norms around sovereignty and global governance.