Autocracy in America

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Episodes

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Episodes

Introducing: We Live Here Now

Hosts Anne Applebaum and Peter Pomerantsev talk with Hanna Rosin about the new series We Live Here Now. Rosin, along with her co-host, Lauren Ober, recently found out that their new neighbors moved to Washington, D.C., to support January 6 insurrectionists. They knocked on their door. We Live Here Now is a podcast series about what happened next. Subscribe to We Live Here Now here: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | iHeart Autocracy in America is produced by The Atlantic and made possible with...

Oct 25, 2024•45 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast

Politicize ‘Freedom’

Freedom in the United States is a word that has had more than one meaning. It has meant freedom for some people and the repression of others. In a democracy, freedom also means the right to take part in politics. So how can that freedom best be secured? This is the fifth episode of Autocracy in America, a five-part series about authoritarian tactics already at work in the United States and where to look for them. Autocracy in America is produced by The Atlantic and made possible with support fro...

Oct 04, 2024•26 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast

Join the Kleptocracy

Since the earliest days of the republic, America’s international friendships have shaped domestic politics. And some of those friendships helped America strengthen its democratic principles. So what happens if America’s new friends are autocrats? John Bolton, former national security adviser for President Donald Trump, and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island argue that if America no longer leads the democratic world and instead imports secrecy and kleptocracy from the autocratic world, Am...

Sep 27, 2024•32 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast

Consolidate Power

Donald Trump has vowed to eliminate hundreds of workers across federal agencies if he becomes president again. Consolidating power and placing friends in key roles are textbook autocratic maneuvers, but they also are not new in the United States. This episode revisits the story of Louisiana Governor Huey Long, who sought to take over the apparatus of government in his state, just as illiberal leaders have done in other countries. This is the third episode of Autocracy in America, a new five-part...

Sep 20, 2024•34 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast

Capture the Courts

In authoritarian states, the public has no agency and no real access to justice. Renée DiResta, a scholar who researches online information campaigns, struggled to counter false accusations leveled against her after a series of courts accepted them without investigation. As courts become more political, people could begin to assume justice is impossible. This is the second episode of Autocracy in America, a new five-part series about authoritarian tactics already at work in the United States and...

Sep 13, 2024•30 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast

Start With a Lie

The corruption of democracy begins with the corruption of thought—and with the deliberate undermining of reality. Stephen Richer, an election official in Arizona, and Adam Kinzinger, a former Republican congressman, learned firsthand how easily false stories and conspiracy theories could disorient their colleagues. They talk with hosts Anne Applebaum and Peter Pomerantsev about how conformism and fear made it impossible to do their jobs. This is the first episode of Autocracy in America, a new f...

Sep 06, 2024•38 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast

Introducing Autocracy in America

There are authoritarian tactics already at work in the United States. To root them out, you have to know where to look. Autocracy in America is produced by The Atlantic and made possible with support from the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, an academic and public forum dedicated to strengthening global democracy through powerful civic engagement and informed, inclusive dialogue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 16, 2024•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast