Applebaum rightly places kleptocratic institutionalized thievery at the center of her analysis ... A valuable book for many reasons, but the focus on illicit wealth creation and on those in democracies who enable it is especially timely. So is Applebaum’s recommendation that we wage war on autocratic behaviors wherever they occur.
Applebaum is cleareyed about the difficulties of rectifying this situation ... In her zeal to connect the enemies of the free world, Applebaum also sometimes comes to fantastical conclusions.
Applebaum is strong on how Western misjudgment and greed enabled and empowered autocrats over the decades ... At just over two hundred pages, Applebaum’s book is slender. She might have done more to detail the boomerang effect of globalization.
