[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fDiGh2geQ7xs053Rd_6bDhELD4w6p0nJUMaRLIBKauek":3,"$fCv6GWlRrw4NTufUpNLljT-KTwg20KG_OEW8lkU7tPTo":12},{"author":4,"tags":11},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":9,"bio_jsonld":9,"slug":10,"image_url":9},95179,"Anne Applebaum","A",146,null,"anne-applebaum",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":78},[14,22,28,35,41,47,54,60,66,72],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":9},3553616,"Nationalism has nothing to do with the rule of law, justice, or opportunity.",7,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":23,"quote_text":24,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":25,"source":26,"quote_tag":27,"commentary":9},3553614,"From my point of view, the Dreyfus affair is most interesting because it was sparked by a single cause celebre. Just one court case - one disputed trial - plunged an entire country into an angry debate, creating unresolvable divisions between people who had previously not known that they disagreed with one another.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":29,"quote_text":30,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":31,"source":32,"quote_tag":33,"commentary":34},3553612,"Democracy in some ways is a very illogical political system. When you win an election, you have to preserve the institutions that would make it possible for your political enemies to win next time. If you think about it, that's almost antithetical to human nature.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nAnne Applebaum, a renowned historian and journalist, penned this quote in her 2018 book \"Twilight of Democracy: The Failure of Politics in Mastery.\" The book explores the erosion of democratic institutions in various parts of the world, highlighting the dangers of authoritarianism and the fragility of democratic systems. At the time of writing, Applebaum was reflecting on the global rise of populist leaders and the challenges faced by democratic institutions in the face of increasing polarization.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nThe quote reveals a profound paradox at the heart of democracy: the need to preserve the very institutions that could potentially undermine one's own power. This tension arises from the human instinct to dominate and eliminate adversaries, which is fundamentally at odds with the democratic principle of allowing opponents to participate in the political process. By acknowledging this illogic, Applebaum highlights the inherent difficulty of maintaining democratic systems, which require leaders to prioritize long-term stability over short-term gains.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset in your own work or personal life, consider the importance of preserving the \"rules of the game\" even when they seem to be working against your immediate interests. This might involve creating a safe space for dissenting opinions within your team or organization, recognizing that this openness will ultimately strengthen the institution and ensure its continued relevance.",{"id":36,"quote_text":37,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":38,"source":39,"quote_tag":40,"commentary":9},3553609,"One of the reasons why many British voters chose to leave the European Union was because they distrusted European institutions. Of all the many costs of Brexit, this was one I did not foresee: That it could wind up damaging the nation's faith in its own institutions too.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":42,"quote_text":43,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":44,"source":45,"quote_tag":46,"commentary":9},3553606,"All over the world, the Trump administration is pursuing a range of policies: tweeting insults at Maduro, negotiating with a defiant North Korea, sending a small fleet of warships to the Persian Gulf to intimidate Iran. But the speed with which the president always sours on these efforts means they can never be part of any discernible strategy.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":48,"quote_text":49,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":50,"source":51,"quote_tag":52,"commentary":53},3553603,"Given the right conditions, any society can turn against democracy. Indeed, if history is anything to go by, all societies eventually will.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nAnne Applebaum's quote likely stems from her extensive research on the rise and fall of democracies throughout history. As a historian, she has written extensively on the topics of totalitarianism and the erosion of democratic values. Given her expertise, it is plausible that this quote is derived from her observations on the Polish Solidarity movement and the subsequent collapse of communism in Eastern Europe.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nThe counter-intuitive truth in Applebaum's statement lies in the acknowledgment that even democratic societies can be susceptible to turning against democratic values, highlighting the inherent fragility of democracy. This sentiment is rooted in the understanding that the conditions that foster democracy can also be the same conditions that lead to its downfall, revealing a paradox at the heart of democratic systems.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset today, recognize that the very factors that contribute to a society's stability and prosperity can also create an environment in which democratic values are eroded. This awareness should prompt professionals and creatives to actively cultivate checks and balances within their own organizations or communities to prevent the gradual decline of democratic principles.",{"id":55,"quote_text":56,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":57,"source":58,"quote_tag":59,"commentary":9},3553601,"We don't live in a culture of censorship, such as the Soviet Union's; we live in a culture where there is too much information, where words are drowned out, not banned, and important ideas and events are ignored.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":61,"quote_text":62,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":63,"source":64,"quote_tag":65,"commentary":9},3553597,"What links Donald Trump, Viktor Orban, Andrej Babis, Jaroslaw Kaczynski and Marine Le Pen is one simple character trait: hypocrisy. These politicians aren't tribunes of the people, they are hucksters. They aren't bitter enemies of the Western system; they are con artists who seek to profit from it.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":67,"quote_text":68,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":69,"source":70,"quote_tag":71,"commentary":9},3553595,"Everywhere he goes, Trump is bored by working meetings and rude to those who attend them. He can't make deals or negotiate because he doesn't know enough about the issues.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":73,"quote_text":74,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":75,"source":76,"quote_tag":77,"commentary":9},3553591,"We now expect Google, Facebook, Twitter and other companies to police the Internet for dangerous and illegal material - violent, terrorist, criminal - and some democratic governments require them to do so. But what if they did decide to repress material for political reasons? How would we know?",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"currentPage":79,"totalPages":80,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":81},1,15,10]