Anne Applebaum's new book is called The Twilight of Democracy, and she is quite distraught about the fading away of...well...something. It's certainly not democracy, though. She's in mourning for the diminution of the nearly worldwide power and prestige once held by her particular cohort: a group consisting mainly of wealthy, center-right, libertarian-leaning intellectuals and corporate big shots.
If democracy requires such a thing as the majority having its way, there'd be no tears shed by Applebaum if it disappeared from the face of the Earth completely. What she regrets is the (perhaps only temporary) fading away of the credentialism, corporate power, and free markets that long worked together to keep center-right parties in power and could also be depended upon to shower her and her elite batch of friends and colleagues with accolades and riches in whatever Western nation they happened to live or visit. She may be right about the deficiencies of both right- and left-wing populist movements, but to hate racism and authoritarianism does not make one a democrat.
My complete Hornbook review of Applebaum's memoir can be found here.
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