I must admit that I only vaguely knew Anne Applebaum, and that was clearly a gap in my culture, because she already has an impressive list of historical studies to her name. But apparently she is/was also active as a journalist, and this book is more along those lines. As the title suggests, it is a warning for the future of democracy, due to the rise of populists. She describes what has been going on in Poland, Hungary, Great Britain and the United States over the past decade, how populists, lying and manipulating, have succeeded in capturing power and causing enormous damage.
Her analysis is sound and to the point: the initial optimism after the fall of the Iron Curtain has made way for uncertainty and downright fear, and it is on this breeding ground that populists thrive. That statement is e not really original, but Applebaum's own perspective is the position that intellectuals take in this process: in all the countries mentioned you see that populist leaders can mobilize intellectuals for their cause without much difficulty, and that these intellectuals, without scruples, participate in the lying campaigns and manipulations, often developing the theoretical and practical legitimation for them, in the form of “alternative realities”. Applebaum calls these people 'clerks', following the well-known work of the French philosopher Julien Benda (1867-1956), “La trahison des clercs” (“the Treason of the Intellectuals”) from 1927. A century later, you once again see vindictive and opportunistic figures emerge who place themselves entirely at the service of extreme populism. And you should not underestimate this phenomenon, she warns: “Anti-democratic forces have won many followers in the past, building on distrust, and they can do in the future too.”
As mentioned, Applebaum's analysis is pertinent. But I do have a problem with her very personal approach in this book. She plays a game of name and shame for all the countries involved, and it often concerns people she has known personally, who were initially friends, but who, according to her, have now gone completely off the rails. Through her journalistic work Applebaum had a very broad network of friends and acquaintances in many countries, and some of them don’t want to speak with her any more. Apparently, what also plays a role, is that her husband, Radosław Sikorski, is a leading Polish politician (former ànd actual Minister of Foreign Affairs), and was himself a temporary victim of the populist upsurge in his country. By addressing this very specifically, this book seems like a kind of settlement, and that leaves a bitter taste. “Whether I like it or not, I am part of this story,” Applebaum writes. Well, I don't really like that. ( )

Interesting history of parallel trends in western countries. ( )

Sisältö on kiinnostavaa, mutta suomennos on valitettavan ontuva. Applebaum kuvaa monipuolisesti sitä ilmiötä, että osa länsimaisista konservatiiveista on muuttunut autoritarismin kannattajiksi ja heidän demokratiauskonsa on muuttunut ”kulttuuriseksi toivottomuudeksi”. ( )

In De schemering van de democratie beschrijft Applebaum hoe het komt dat politici hun democratische idealen hebben opgegeven en hoe ze o.a. complottheorieën inzetten om de samenleving te veranderen.

De schemering van de democratie van Anne Applebaum gaat over de verlokkingen van een autoritair systeem. In steeds meer landen heeft de democratie het zwaar. Liberale waarden worden ingeruild en het idee van een sterke leider die haast vereerd wordt, nationalistische bewegingen en het eenpartijstelsel winnen aan populariteit. In haar nieuwe boek De schemering van de democratie beargumenteert Anne Applebaum dat we ons niet moeten verbazen over deze ontwikkeling. Politieke systemen met simplistische overtuigingen hebben een natuurlijke aantrekkingskracht, vooral die systemen waarbinnen enkel de loyale volgers profiteren. Mensen kijken niet alleen naar ideologie, stelt ze, maar zijn ook praktisch, pragmatisch en opportunistisch. De autoritaire en nationalistische partijen die zijn opgekomen binnen de moderne democratieën bieden hun aanhangers nieuwe mogelijkheden om rijkdom en macht te vergaren.

In De schemering van de democratie beschrijft Applebaum hoe het komt dat politici, journalisten en intellectuelen in landen als de VS, Hongarije, Polen en het Verenigd Koninkrijk hun democratische idealen hebben opgegeven, en hoe ze complottheorieen, politieke polarisatie, social media en nostalgie inzetten om de samenleving te veranderen.

'In korte reportages over gefaalde vriendschappen is Applebaum op haar best; haar kortaffe stijl en licht misprijzende humor zijn een verademing' – NRC, vier ballen

The author recounts her witness of European politics as a center-right journalist covering European affairs. A celebrated author of Eastern European political history of the 20th-century, she is an American expatriate to Poland where she is also a public figure as the wife of a prominent politician who has fallen out with the far right government that has consolidated political control. Poland's leadership suppresses dissent, demonizes immigrants and jews, controls media messaging and reach, and promotes a brand of cultural traditionalism. Applebaum also follows parallels in the recent conservative political movements in the UK, Hungary, and the USA. These movements market "restorative nostalgia" to rally conservatives to nationalist causes like Brexit and MAGA, building a base from fear of the social changes in our modern age. Some of these leaders and activists were once allies of Applebaum, as conscientious anti-communists seeking a more free Europe and America, but having come into power have adopted the very strategies of authoritarianism they used to denounce communism. And it's hard to tell how much of this consolidation of power is for their extremist ideals or for power's sake.

I can't decide whether to be optimistic or pessimistic after this book. I think Applebaum could have added case studies (to varying degrees) in Turkey, Israel, Brazil, Russia, Italy, France, and China. I worry for the state of pluralism and liberal democracy around the world. These authoritarian-leaning states embrace the cynicism of their message, and it seems to be very effective. Maybe our modern political malpractice will be a counterexample that future generations will reject. ( )