League of Women Voters Book Discussion: Autocracy, Inc. by Anne Applebaum

The League of Women Voters has fought since 1920 to improve government and engage communities in the decisions that impact our lives. The League operates at national, state, and local levels through more than 800 state and local chapters in all 50 states, as well DC, the Virgin Islands, and Hong Kong.  The League of Women Voters Portland Area (LWVPA) Book Club is organized as a nonpartisan vehicle with a mission to provide education and promote civil discourse to all who wish to learn more about democracy.

Join us to discuss Autocracy, Inc by esteemed and award winning author Anne Applebaum on Wednesday March 4 at 3 PM. Attend in person or online via Zoom. Registration is required. 

Offered in partnership with the Falmouth Memorial Library.

About the Book
Autocracy, Inc. by Anne Applebaum reveals how modern dictatorships, including Russia, China, and others, form a global, transactional network to subvert democracies through sophisticated disinformation, financial manipulation (kleptocracy), and shared tactics, exploiting Western greed and naiveté for decades, offering solutions like transparency in finance and unified democratic action to counter this threat. Reviews praise its vital warning and thorough research but note its disturbing portrayal of autocratic cooperation, highlighting how they use shared propaganda, money laundering via hubs like Dubai, and technology to undermine truth and create global cynicism, not for ideological unity, but for mutual survival and weakening democratic rivals. 

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Economist, Financial Times, Foreign Affairs, The Times

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the Pulitzer-prize winning author, an alarming account of how autocracies work together to undermine the democratic world, and how we should organize to defeat them