Overview

• Applebaum said democracies face threats not seen in a generation.
• She said European leaders now treat NGOs as suspected spies, echoing Putin’s paranoid nationalism.
• She pointed out that China, Venezuela, and Egypt have enacted Russian-style laws to stifle independent organizations.
• She warned that endangered democracies such as Hungary, Georgia, and potentially the United States could adopt similar measures.
• She blamed social media’s personalized lens for undermining the shared planning needed to practice democracy.