Anne Applebaum

There was a moment when he sacked 19,000 employees of the Venezuelan state oil company and replaced them with loyalists who wound up destroying the company. He also attacked judges, media, and so on. The playbook is neither right-wing nor left-wing. It's a playbook about undermining democracy, and it's one that is most often carried out by democratically elected leaders.

There was a moment when he sacked 19,000 employees of the Venezuelan state oil company and replaced them with loyalists who wound up destroying the company. He also attacked judges, media, and so on. The playbook is neither right-wing nor left-wing. It's a playbook about undermining democracy, and it's one that is most often carried out by democratically elected leaders.

There was a moment when he sacked 19,000 employees of the Venezuelan state oil company and replaced them with loyalists who wound up destroying the company. He also attacked judges, media, and so on. The playbook is neither right-wing nor left-wing. It's a playbook about undermining democracy, and it's one that is most often carried out by democratically elected leaders.

But these are democratically elected leaders who characterize themselves or describe themselves as as deserving of no opposition. So I am the true Hungarian or I am the only real American. I speak for the people and you only speak for elites and foreigners or I speak for. real people, real Americans, and my opponents are radical left lunatics or vermin. But it's a known playbook.

But these are democratically elected leaders who characterize themselves or describe themselves as as deserving of no opposition. So I am the true Hungarian or I am the only real American. I speak for the people and you only speak for elites and foreigners or I speak for. real people, real Americans, and my opponents are radical left lunatics or vermin. But it's a known playbook.

But these are democratically elected leaders who characterize themselves or describe themselves as as deserving of no opposition. So I am the true Hungarian or I am the only real American. I speak for the people and you only speak for elites and foreigners or I speak for. real people, real Americans, and my opponents are radical left lunatics or vermin. But it's a known playbook.

It's unfolded in many other countries. I could name Turkey. I could name India. You can point around the world and find a large number of them. Nowadays, most democracies fail through these kinds of tactics and not through coup d'etat. We have our imagination of a coup or regime change is that There are tanks and violence and, you know, somebody shoots up the chandelier in the presidential palace.

It's unfolded in many other countries. I could name Turkey. I could name India. You can point around the world and find a large number of them. Nowadays, most democracies fail through these kinds of tactics and not through coup d'etat. We have our imagination of a coup or regime change is that There are tanks and violence and, you know, somebody shoots up the chandelier in the presidential palace.

It's unfolded in many other countries. I could name Turkey. I could name India. You can point around the world and find a large number of them. Nowadays, most democracies fail through these kinds of tactics and not through coup d'etat. We have our imagination of a coup or regime change is that There are tanks and violence and, you know, somebody shoots up the chandelier in the presidential palace.

Actually, nowadays, that's not how democracies fail. They fail through attacks on institutions coming from within.

Actually, nowadays, that's not how democracies fail. They fail through attacks on institutions coming from within.

Actually, nowadays, that's not how democracies fail. They fail through attacks on institutions coming from within.

So in Poland, we had exactly this kind of attempted illiberal takeover of the state. And it was partly successful. The destruction of the civil service happened. The politicization of a part of the judiciary happened. The ruling party was never able to completely undermine or destroy the opposition. And also, one of the effects of it being in power for eight years was that it became very corrupt.

So in Poland, we had exactly this kind of attempted illiberal takeover of the state. And it was partly successful. The destruction of the civil service happened. The politicization of a part of the judiciary happened. The ruling party was never able to completely undermine or destroy the opposition. And also, one of the effects of it being in power for eight years was that it became very corrupt.

So in Poland, we had exactly this kind of attempted illiberal takeover of the state. And it was partly successful. The destruction of the civil service happened. The politicization of a part of the judiciary happened. The ruling party was never able to completely undermine or destroy the opposition. And also, one of the effects of it being in power for eight years was that it became very corrupt.

So one of the things that happens when you eliminate journalists and you know, corrupt the judges and make it hard for people to understand what the government is doing is that people naturally start trying to steal. And that happened in Poland on a large scale, and people began to see it.

So one of the things that happens when you eliminate journalists and you know, corrupt the judges and make it hard for people to understand what the government is doing is that people naturally start trying to steal. And that happened in Poland on a large scale, and people began to see it.

So one of the things that happens when you eliminate journalists and you know, corrupt the judges and make it hard for people to understand what the government is doing is that people naturally start trying to steal. And that happened in Poland on a large scale, and people began to see it.

And that offered an opening, if you will, for the political opposition, which had been in a kind of disarray after the After the initial victory of this, it's called the Law and Justice Party. And they took advantage of anger about corruption and anger about economic failure and began to build a new coalition. I think maybe it's a couple of things worth saying about Poland. One is that.

And that offered an opening, if you will, for the political opposition, which had been in a kind of disarray after the After the initial victory of this, it's called the Law and Justice Party. And they took advantage of anger about corruption and anger about economic failure and began to build a new coalition. I think maybe it's a couple of things worth saying about Poland. One is that.