In this episode of The Lowdown, Nick Cohen talks with author and journalist Anne Applebaum about her recent essay in The Atlantic, which describes the current U.S. administration under Trump as an "empire of grift." Anne Applebaum explains that this administration has abandoned America's traditional role as a leader of democracies, instead promoting corruption, far-right ideologies, and imperialist policies both domestically and abroad. Canada's PM Mark Carney was among the first of prominent western leaders to publicly proselytise recognise the disturbing truth about the U.S. and propose a strategy to build a new order without such reliance on U.S. for our security.

She details how the administration seeks to manipulate elections and influence politics in allied democracies like the UK, Canada, and European countries, often aligning with far-right groups and using economic pressure. Anne discusses the ideological underpinnings, including the Great Replacement Theory, and the normalisation of breaking democratic taboos. Chillingly, she warns that even if Trump loses power, the ideas and networks driving this movement will persist, and she advised European countries to consider alternative security arrangements. The conversation also touched on the role of tech companies and cryptocurrency in funding and amplifying these movements. Anne concludes by emphasising the fundamental will to power motivating these actions, referencing George Orwell's insights on the appeal of authoritarianism.

Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum @TheAtlantic and @SNFAgoraJHU is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of such brilliant best-selling histories as Gulag, Iron Curtain, Red Famine, Twilight of Democracy and now AUTOCRACY INC . Find her more often on http://wsocial.eu Warsaw, London, Washington linktr.ee/anneapplebaum . Her lates essay Empire of Grift is in the latest edition of The Atlantic.

Nick Cohen's @NichCohen4 regular Substack column Writing from London on politics and culture from the UK and beyond is must-read.

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