Latest news with #AnneApplebaum
Tatler Asia
2 days ago
- Politics
- Tatler Asia
Your next read: 8 provocative books curated by Natalie Portman
'Autocracy, Inc.' by Anne Applebaum Above 'Autocracy, Inc.' by Anne Applebaum uncovers how authoritarian leaders share propaganda techniques to maintain power. (Photo: Doubleday) Pulitzer Prize-winner Anne Applebaum delivers a chilling exposé that reframes our understanding of modern dictatorship. Rather than viewing autocratic regimes as isolated entities, this meticulously researched work reveals a sophisticated global network of collaboration. Applebaum's investigation uncovers how authoritarian leaders share strategies, resources and propaganda techniques to maintain power against democratic nations. For readers comfortable with traditional geopolitical narratives, this book presents a disturbing alternative reality where dictatorships operate as a unified, calculated force—a revelation that demands urgent attention and action. 'Saving Time' by Jenny Odell Above 'Saving Time' by Jenny Odell dismantles our fundamental assumptions about productivity and progress. (Photo: Random House Trade Paperbacks) Portman describes her pick as 'an exploration of how we can revise our relationship with time to inspire hope and action'. This radical critique by Jenny Odell dismantles our most fundamental assumptions about productivity and progress. Building on her acclaimed book How to Do Nothing , this work challenges the very foundation of our clock-driven society, arguing that our temporal structures serve profit rather than human flourishing. Odell draws from pre-industrial cultures, ecological rhythms and geological timescales to propose revolutionary alternatives to capitalist time consciousness. This isn't merely lifestyle advice—it's a comprehensive reimagining of how we might structure existence itself, demanding readers question everything they've been taught about efficiency and value. Now read: 7 inspiring wellness books for a grounded, mindful life 'The Safekeep' by Yael Van Der Wouden Above 'The Safekeep' by Yael Van Der Wouden explores the unreliable nature of memory. (Photo: Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster) Van Der Wouden's stunning debut operates as both psychological thriller and historical reckoning. Set in post-war Netherlands, this tense narrative explores the unreliable nature of memory and the buried traumas that shape entire communities. Through the unsettling relationship between Isabel and Eva, the novel forces readers to confront how personal and collective histories can be manipulated, hidden or conveniently forgotten. This isn't comfortable historical fiction—it's a probing examination of how we construct truth from fragments of experience, challenging readers to question their relationship with inherited narratives. 'Saving Five' by Amanda Nguyen Above 'Saving Five' by Amanda Nguyen is an unflinching account of fighting to pass the Survivors' Bill of Rights Act. (Photo: AUWA) Portman thanks author Amanda Nguyen 'for sharing your truth, your light and for writing your story'. Nguyen's memoir transcends typical survivor narratives to become a blueprint for systemic change. Her unflinching account of fighting to pass the Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill of Rights Act exposes the failures within America's justice system whilst demonstrating the power of individual activism. Uniquely weaving her personal trauma with imagined conversations with her younger selves, Nguyen creates a work that's simultaneously intimate and politically urgent. This book challenges readers to move beyond sympathy toward action, questioning their role in perpetuating or dismantling unjust systems. 'The English Understand Wool' by Helen DeWitt Above 'The English Understand Wool' by Helen DeWitt asks whether cultural preferences reflect learned class signalling. (Photo: New Directions) DeWitt's deceptively sharp novella dismantles our assumptions about cultural sophistication and good taste. Through the story of a young woman raised with impossibly high aesthetic standards, this work exposes how markers of refinement often function as instruments of social control. The protagonist's confrontation with New York's cultural sharks becomes a broader examination of authenticity versus performance in contemporary society. The author challenges readers to question whether their cultural preferences reflect genuine appreciation or learned class signalling, making this brief work surprisingly unsettling in its implications. Natalie Portman sums up the novella best: 'darkly funny but honest look at the exploitation of trauma within publishing'. 'The Coin' by Yasmin Zaher Above 'The Coin' by Yasmin Zaher presents a protagonist whose moral complexity defies easy categorisation. (Photo: Catapult) Zaher's bold debut refuses to provide a comfortable immigrant narrative. Following a young Palestinian woman navigating New York's cultural and economic landscapes, this novel presents a protagonist whose moral complexity defies easy categorisation. Through her eccentric teaching methods and involvement in luxury goods schemes, the narrator challenges conventional expectations about assimilation and ambition. Zaher forces readers to sit with discomfort, presenting a character who embodies contradictions rather than resolution. Portman lauds the author's writing, especially 'about the tension between the body and mind.' 'Consider Yourself Kissed' by Jessica Stanley Above 'Consider Yourself Kissed' by Jessica Stanley examine love's survival against unglamorous reality. (Photo: Riverhead Books) Stanley's novel transcends typical romance to examine love's survival against unglamorous reality. Set against a decade marked by Brexit and Covid, this work asks challenging questions about commitment in an era of constant disruption. Rather than offering fairy-tale conclusions, Stanley presents the complicated negotiations required for long-term partnership, acknowledging both love's resilience and its frequent failures. For readers accustomed to romantic fantasy, this book provides a more truthful—if sometimes uncomfortable—exploration of what sustaining love actually requires in our fractured contemporary world. For Natalie Portman, the book is 'a look at how relationships shift over time as Coralie navigates motherhood, love and her own desires'. NOW READ Female action heroes: 8 women who redefined courage long before 'Ballerina' pirouetted in From screen to your stove: 6 star-studded celebrity cookbooks worth trying 'Mission: Impossible': 7 stunts that redefined high-stakes action cinema Credits This article was created with the assistance of AI tools
BBC News
26-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Newscast The Newscast Summer Tour
Recorded live at Hay Festival, Adam and Alex look at whether President Trump has changed his mind about President Putin and how politician's use statistics. Plus, Newscast continues trying to work out if the goverment's change of policy on winter fuel allowance counts as a U-Turn. They are joined by Anne Applebaum, journalist, historian and author of Autocracy Inc, Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter statistician and author of The Art of Uncertainty, and comedian and broadcaster Marcus Brigstocke. If you want to come and see an episode of Newscast recorded live you can find us at Crossed Wires on the 4th July, Latitude on the 24th July, and at the Edinburgh Fringe from the 4th August! You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast'. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam Fleming and Alex Forsyth. It was made by Anna Harris. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham. Huge thanks to the BBC team at Hay, as well as Chris the festival organisers.
RNZ News
11-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Autocracy Inc: How dictators are teaming up to undermine democracy
Photo: In an era teeming with global crisis liberal democracy is looking increasingly fragile. According to Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and journalist Anne Applebaum, this is not simply due to social forces like rising inequality, cultural polarisation, or social media-driven disinformation. Rather, it's the consequence of something far more insidious - an international alliance of autocrats working collectively to undermine democratic societies. Speaking with Sunday Morning's Jim Mora, Applebaum discussed her latest book, Autocracy, Inc., which reveals how modern dictatorships no longer act alone. "There is now, in effect, a network of dictatorships-communist China, nationalist Russia, autocratic Iran-that have learned to work together economically, politically, but also in the field of information and propaganda," she said. This coalition of authoritarian regimes is not united by ideology. Instead, she said, they share a common enemy - liberal democracy. At the heart of her book, said Applebaum, is the idea that today's authoritarian states are wielding vast financial resources to undermine democratic institutions. "The autocratic world spends a huge amount of money on information," Applebaum said. "Not just official TV channels like RT, but also covert information laundering websites that appear to be from Ecuador or Argentina but are really written in Russia." But it's not just media manipulation. Authoritarian regimes are buying influence directly through investments, think tanks, lobbying, and even ownership of sports teams. The goal is to blur the lines between national interest and private enterprise, making liberal societies unwitting participants in their own corrosion. One example Applebaum pointed to was China's acquisition of a container port in Poland. While it may have seemed like a neutral business decision, during the war in Ukraine, it posed a significant security risk. The Chinese government could potentially monitor and control what supplies were flowing into the region. "That has strategic implications," Applebaum warned, noting that the once-prevailing belief that economics could be apolitical "is over." While autocracies are cooperating, liberal democracies are faltering under the weight of their internal divisions. A problem compounded by social media, which thrives on outrage and conspiracy. The sheer scale of disinformation, much of it from foreign states but echoed by domestic actors, is eroding the foundations of democratic debate. "Democracy really only functions if you can have a public debate conducted according to some kind of rules," said Applebaum. But when there's no shared reality, democratic compromise becomes nearly impossible. Autocrats, said Applebaum, are nothing if not ideologically flexible. Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro, China's Xi Jinping, Russia's Vladimir Putin, and Iran's theocrats may have different political branding, but they are united in their disdain for liberal democracy. "The far left and the far right are very happy to work together," said Applebaum. What matters most to these regimes is control. Liberal concepts like the rule of law, free expression, and checks on power threaten the very foundations of authoritarian rule. "Both sides have come to an agreement that the real enemy is not one another. The real enemy is liberal democracy." So, how can democracy fight back? Applebaum offers a three-pronged approach: Despite their growing influence, said Applebaum, autocracies are not invulnerable. Their core weakness is their illegitimacy. Beneath the façade of unity and control lies fear - fear of their own people and fear of democratic ideas. "The ideals of democracy are intuitively appealing to people," she said. This is not lost on the dictators themselves. In 2013, the Chinese Communist Party issued an internal document naming Western constitutional government as the top threat to its survival. These regimes know that once democratic ideas take root, they can be difficult to extinguish. Autocracy, in Applebaum's view, is a system built for survival, but not for progress. Its lack of moral legitimacy, reliance on repression, and inability to deliver lasting prosperity may eventually be its undoing. But if liberal democracy is to survive, she said, it must respond to the coordinated threat now facing it. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
10-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
The dictators who work to keep each other in power
This audio is not downloadable due to copyright restrictions. Anne Applebaum is a staff writer for The Atlantic and a Pulitzer-prize winning historian. In her latest book Autocracy, Inc: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World , she examines the power structures currently running the world. Anne says the title 'Autocracy Inc' describes a network of dictatorships who have nothing in common ideologically, but act like an international corporation to help keep each other in control - co-operating financially, militarily, and sharing information to work against democracy. Photo:
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Page-turners: best books to buy this week
Looking for your next page-turner? Here's our guide to the best books to read. It's 1938 and on a windswept island off the coast of Wales a young girl is pondering her choices: to stay in her father's house or marry and leave. Two anthropologists turn up … are they a ticket to the mainland? And what are we meant to make of the stranded whale? A remarkably assured debut novel. Picador, £9.99 The title says it all: Anne Applebaum (formerly of this parish) identifies the crucial aspect of contemporary autocracies, viz, their mastery of contemporary technologies and kleptocratic financial structures to manipulate opinion and fund elites. Salutary and depressing. Penguin, £10.99 Which of us on the wrong side of the fat divide hasn't toyed with the idea of Ozempic? Johann Hari, three stone overweight, tried it; this is his exploration of the territory. Hari has form in making up quotes, but it's a readable account of a social as well as medical phenomenon. Bloomsbury, £10.99 Virago is publishing new editions of Rumer Godden's most captivating novels. Among the first batch from this unmatched storyteller is The Dark Horse, a 1981 novel set in Calcutta about a disgraced racehorse, a horsetrainer, an Irish nun who loves horses and the mystery of how the dark horse of the title vanishes three days before the Viceroy Cup. A terrific read. Virago Modern Classics, £10.99 This polemic by George Monbiot and Peter Hutchinson is premised on the notion that the belief in globalisation, deregulation and free markets is orthodoxy now. But I wonder how that squares with Trumpian protectionism, tariffs and America First? Whatever. It's combative stuff. Penguin, £10.99
