Anne Applebaum

Look, I can do this. I can invade Ukraine. I can bomb civilians. I can kidnap children. He's kidnapped 20,000 children, taken them from occupied Ukraine to Russia. I can torture people. I can defy the Geneva Conventions, the UN Charter, all kinds of institutional language on human rights. I can do all of this, and you can't stop me.

No. And also nuance is a problem for a lot of people. But for me, there's actually there's a strange thing where I begin my career writing books about Soviet communism. And so I'm a hero to some people on the right. And now I'm very frequently described as left wing by people on the right.

No. And also nuance is a problem for a lot of people. But for me, there's actually there's a strange thing where I begin my career writing books about Soviet communism. And so I'm a hero to some people on the right. And now I'm very frequently described as left wing by people on the right.

No. And also nuance is a problem for a lot of people. But for me, there's actually there's a strange thing where I begin my career writing books about Soviet communism. And so I'm a hero to some people on the right. And now I'm very frequently described as left wing by people on the right.

Whereas I feel that over the 20 years that have passed, I don't feel that my fundamental positions have changed at all. I mean, I've changed my opinions about some things, but I have the same general attitude to the world that I had. And that made me right wing 20 years ago and left wing now. So whatever.

Whereas I feel that over the 20 years that have passed, I don't feel that my fundamental positions have changed at all. I mean, I've changed my opinions about some things, but I have the same general attitude to the world that I had. And that made me right wing 20 years ago and left wing now. So whatever.

Whereas I feel that over the 20 years that have passed, I don't feel that my fundamental positions have changed at all. I mean, I've changed my opinions about some things, but I have the same general attitude to the world that I had. And that made me right wing 20 years ago and left wing now. So whatever.

Yep, that was the idea.

Yep, that was the idea.

Yep, that was the idea.

Yeah, this was actually one of the original insights that led me to write the book. I spent a lot of years writing about the Soviet bloc and Soviet history. And back in the 20th century, there was a thing called the Soviet bloc, and they shared an ideology and they had similar principles, at least in theory. They even had similar symbols on their flags and so on.

Yeah, this was actually one of the original insights that led me to write the book. I spent a lot of years writing about the Soviet bloc and Soviet history. And back in the 20th century, there was a thing called the Soviet bloc, and they shared an ideology and they had similar principles, at least in theory. They even had similar symbols on their flags and so on.

Yeah, this was actually one of the original insights that led me to write the book. I spent a lot of years writing about the Soviet bloc and Soviet history. And back in the 20th century, there was a thing called the Soviet bloc, and they shared an ideology and they had similar principles, at least in theory. They even had similar symbols on their flags and so on.

What we now have in the world is an alliance, but it's not really an alliance. It's really a network of of autocratic states who don't have ideology in common, who are left-wing and right-wing. Some of them are one-man regimes. Some of them are run by single ruling parties.

What we now have in the world is an alliance, but it's not really an alliance. It's really a network of of autocratic states who don't have ideology in common, who are left-wing and right-wing. Some of them are one-man regimes. Some of them are run by single ruling parties.

What we now have in the world is an alliance, but it's not really an alliance. It's really a network of of autocratic states who don't have ideology in common, who are left-wing and right-wing. Some of them are one-man regimes. Some of them are run by single ruling parties.

They include communist China, nationalist Russia, theocratic Iran, Bolivarian socialist Venezuela, North Korea, Belarus, Zimbabwe. I mean, these are countries that don't have a single set of ideas. They do have some things in common.

They include communist China, nationalist Russia, theocratic Iran, Bolivarian socialist Venezuela, North Korea, Belarus, Zimbabwe. I mean, these are countries that don't have a single set of ideas. They do have some things in common.

They include communist China, nationalist Russia, theocratic Iran, Bolivarian socialist Venezuela, North Korea, Belarus, Zimbabwe. I mean, these are countries that don't have a single set of ideas. They do have some things in common.

All of them are regimes who seek to rule without checks and balances, without legitimate democratic opposition, without any real opposition, without independent courts, without the rule of law. So they're countries that are run, it's called rule by law, meaning the law is what the regime says it is at any given moment. It doesn't have any separate status.