“Putin sabotages the ‘process’ because he encourages everything that undermines the democratic system”
Many people have been frequenting Anne Applebaum (Washington DC, 1964) since it won the Pulitzer Prize in 2004. Gulag Where he informed the general public in a comprehensive and detailed manner about the origins and development of the Soviet concentration camps and their current legacy. The readership then turned her into an opinion leader on political and historical issues and the journalist has been able to respond to this demand with a number of works that do not lack analysis. the last one, Autocracy, SA (debate) arrived in Spain on 21 November and received the German Booksellers Peace Prize for 2024, which he received at the Frankfurt Book Fair in mid-October. In his essay he examines the networks that autocratic states weave together and have the financial structures, security services, and technical experts that provide propaganda and disinformation. Apart from the recent US elections, a topic that many readers often ask him about online.
Donald Trump returned to the White House. Autocratic rulers seem to celebrate it.
I have no way of knowing what the dictators thought, but if one thing is clear, it is that the Russians were promoting it.
Then Putin is happy.
It seems so, and I’m sure China does too. They should be happy with the return of a character who has already attacked his own capital and violated the norms of democracy in various ways. These leaders are engaged in an ideological battle that aims to defeat democratic values. So in this respect, Trump is the perfect candidate for them. Even they don’t know whether the policies will be favorable towards them or not. But the attitude he presents from the beginning works in his favor.
Putin with Xi Jinping, in an archival image
Do you have control over the story? What dangers do citizens face when this happens?
The narrative that Trump promotes says that the current United States is a failure and must be destroyed and everything has to be done differently, which doesn’t sound better. In his first presidential term he attempted, but failed. In this second period he is more direct and does not hide his intentions.
Could you be more specific?
For example, the armed forces. He wants to destroy them. I mean radical change. And who knows whether agencies like the FBI or the Justice Department will follow suit. We see this because the people proposed to lead these institutions have not been selected precisely for their excellence and dedication. They are not competent and have no idea how things will work in the departments they are going to lead. They are there to further Trump’s objectives and the consequences could be far-reaching.
Trump’s plan
“He wants to destroy the military, and who knows, the Justice Department and the FBI as well.”
An example?
I have no doubt that fossil fuel industries will be promoted and we will have to look at how this affects climate change. On the other hand, the intention to carry out mass deportations has not been hidden at any time and to make matters worse, a person who does not believe in childhood vaccination has been put in charge of the health system. This is not a good time for journalists also.
No?
Many journalists have received specific threats. Whether he then acts on them is another question, but no one should doubt that he will do everything possible to harm some media outlets. And things don’t get any better with Elon Musk on the team.
Many people have seen his impact during the campaign and are leaving Twitter for other networks like Bluesky.
He has been using this network to promote a number of conspiracy theories and far-right narratives for some time, but it has become more obvious in recent months. And if you’ve managed to do it with your device in a country like the United States, you can do it anywhere. What’s more, it will happen. The MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement is international and together they will do everything possible to influence European politics as well. They should regulate Twitter before it’s too late. Or we will all leave.
None or almost none of this should be a surprise. People have voted for the person whom they have seen performing first.
They have either voted for him because of their faith or have reached a point where everything no longer matters to them and that is worrying. This should be a very clear message to Europe: the United States will not remain its ally indefinitely. You never know with Trump because he doesn’t seem to have any solid ideology or coherent plan. He changes his mind a lot. In any case, looking to the future, it is advisable to organize completely independently and prepare for more economically hostile relations with the United States.
In his latest book, ‘Autocracy, SA.’ Dedicated to the optimists. Do you?
If not, what are we left with? Despite all these caveats, I want to be clear that I do not believe that the United States is an autocratic regime. I’m talking about Russia, China, Iran, Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Syria… We are far from being the same and we have the tools to avoid it. This is already cause for optimism. But there is no harm in being careful.
Anne Applebaum, last October, at the Frankfurt Book Fair, where she received the Peace Prize of the German Booksellers
He begins his essay by saying that everyone has an image of a comic-book autocratic state in their minds, but that image has nothing to do with the reality of the 21st century.
To begin with, there are new forms of control, and not all of them are visible to the naked eye. As I said, modern unregulated social networks can be manipulative. Now we are seeing this more clearly, but the Russians have long taught that it is possible.
In his book he talks about Russia’s influence on the Catalan independence referendum.
that’s how it is. It is in Russia’s interest to promote any divisive movement that undermines the stability of the democratic world. What does Putin have to do with Catalonia? Nothing. But if there is a movement that supports disruption, it will promote it, whether in Catalonia, Scotland or anywhere else. This is why he encourages the independence movement, and would not hesitate to do the same with the extreme right if it suited him.
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At the Frankfurt Book Fair he suggested that we should arm Ukraine to maintain peace in Europe.
I understand that it sounds ironic and radical, but it is the most effective and economical way to stop Russia and its desire to destroy the EU and NATO, which it does not hide. I know Islamic fundamentalism and other forms of extremism sound more worrisome, but Putin poses a threat on many levels and this is our chance to defeat him.
Should relationships end?
The truth is that no. Again, it sounds contradictory but we must maintain diplomacy. Those are complicated relationships. Not just with Russia or China, but with any autocratic country. In the past, at least in the United States, we thought that economic and trade relations could be maintained without political relations. But this is not so. Where is the balance? I would love to respond to this. I have no answer.