American journalist and historian Anne Applebaum was in Bucharest on Wednesday to launch the Romanian editions of two books and to offer thoughts on democracy, authoritarianism and the current existential world crisis.
The Pulitzer prize winner has written about the history of communism and the development of civil society in Central and Eastern Europe since the collapse of communism. Her visit coincided with Romania’s decision to allow the US to use its Black Sea base for ‘defensive’ US refueling and monitoring for Iran operations.
“We’ve had 30 years of peace and rising prosperity and now “we are in a moment of really rapid and dramatic change, not just in Romania but in the world… we’re in a moment of change like in 1989,’’ she said referencing the anti-communist revolutions.
“In US and elsewhere, it’s the ideas of 1920s and 1930s, the politics of friends and enemies,” not the Cold War.
She said Europe’s “greatest security threat comes from a Russia victory in Ukraine, an economic, security and military threat.”
“Post 1989, there was a big misconception is that democracy is forever, like tap water (but) it can decay from within and it can be overthrown_ some people deal with it, but others ignore it, paint, make money and just turn out and vote every 5 years.
Applebaum, 61, came to Romania to launch the Romanian editions of Autocracy, Inc. and Red Famine which are published by Romanian publishing house, Litera.
In a two-hour conversation at the Aula Magna of the Carol I University Library, she touched on the Iran war, Romania’s 2024 canceled elections, Ukraine, Russia and autocracies.
She later signed books for dozens of people.
Here are some of her key comments.
On Ukraine:
- Ukraine has a strong tradition of local democracy unlike Russia
- Ukrainians have some sense of having power that Russians don’t have
- Ukraine is subjected Pro-Russian propaganda
- Gulf states asked for Ukrainian help with drones
On Russia:
- Russia and China are helping Iran but subtly. Their leaders are interested in personal power and wealth and hiding it
- Russia needs to undermine democracy. Democracy in Ukraine is an ideological threat to (Putin).
- Putin is worried that successful democracy in Ukraine could inspire Russians
- China, Russia became assertive at the time (post 2014). They proposed different ways of doing things, not democracy, not the rule of law.
On authoritarian regimes:
- There is the constant search for an enemy, Ukrainians, LGBT, migrants
- Politicians claim: ‘I speak for the real people,’ while opponents are labeled traitors, aligned to foreign powers
- Leaders rule in a state of emergency, led by China, Russia, it’s an autocratic thing
- This is not about conservatism it’s about radicalism and has the potential to be very destructive
- Modern autocratic network is not based on ideology… countries have different aesthetics, history, geography. The common interest in staying in power and maintaining their form of society, controlling the media.
On democracy:
- There was an over optimistic assumption after the revolutions that democracy is irreversible
- Civil mobilization is very good but can be bad if you have extremist groups
- Civil society. External anchors worked very well in Romania.
- Anything that depends too much on outsiders is always a risk.
Expert Forum, a NGO focused on combating corruption and promoting the rule of law presented an annual 124-page report on the post-revolution years at Wednesday’s event, co-organized by Expert Forum and Litera.
Three phases of democratization in Romania:
Return to Europe 1990-2007, the year Romania joined the European Union.
Post graduation 2007-2014, Washington and Brussels pushing democratization, pushed for stabilization
The third phase, called polarization, started in 2014.
Romania gov’t to discuss letting ‘US planes use Black Sea base for Iran mission’
