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Coming Soon: A New Season of ‘Autocracy in America'
The former world chess champion and lifelong democracy activist Garry Kasparov guides a new series of conversations about society's complacency with liberal values and how this carelessness has fueled a democratic retreat—and a new belligerence among dictators.
New episodes launch every Friday, starting July 11.
The following is a transcript of the trailer:
Frank Luntz: I know you're gonna get into some stuff—some pretty heavy stuff—but this is Garry Kasparov. I can't believe it.
[ Music ]
Garry Kasparov: When I was young, I was lucky because, as a chess prodigy, I could travel outside of the Soviet Union to play tournaments abroad. And I experienced for myself that life felt different in a democracy. The world celebrated in 1991, when the dictatorship of the Soviet Union gave way to new democracies. And I, too, hoped freedom was on the rise.
Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen: Of course, the empire did not want to let us go easily.
Kasparov: But in the decades that followed, we've seen the steady advance of autocratic regimes, a new belligerence from dictators and autocrats worldwide, and democracies in retreat.
Masih Alinejad: For dictators, for the Islamic Republic, for Putin, for all the autocratic regime, America is first. Their first target is the destruction of American values.
Kasparov: Even America, a beacon of hope to me and for countless millions of others, has shown itself vulnerable to the virus of authoritarianism and corruption.
Anne Applebaum: If you lie or your propagandists lie nonstop, then the reaction of the public is to say, Right. You know, politics is a dirty game. I have no idea what is true and what's not true.
Gary Marcus: I mean, that's exactly what's happening in the United States right now—is techno fascism.
Alinejad: You called it hypocrisy.
Kasparov: I'm trying to be diplomatic. I'm the host of the show.
Alinejad: I call it absolutely betrayal.
Kasparov: So I'm fighting the same battle I fought in Russia.
Kasparov: In Russia, we lost the fight. Here, I like our chances, and I like them much more.
Bret Stephens: I mean, this country is big, resilient. And we've made big mistakes and recovered from those mistakes in the past.
Kasparov: But defenders of the free world can no longer take our liberties for granted.
Luntz: You, several times, have tried to get me to tell you, Here's a roadmap to restore our democracy. And you should know, I'm writing that roadmap as we speak.
Kasparov: I'm Garry Kasparov, former world chess champion and lifetime activist for democracy. Join me this summer for a new season of Autocracy in America, from The Atlantic. Listen and follow the show wherever you get your podcasts.
