On December 4, 2025, the McCain Institute hosted the latest installment of its Authors & Insights book talk series with American journalist and historian Anne Applebaum. McCain Institute Executive Director Dr. Evelyn Farkas interviewed Applebaum about her latest book “Autocracy Inc.” which shares an alarming account of how autocracies work together to undermine the democratic world, and how we should organize to defeat them.
The McCain Institute’s Authors & Insights series features interviews with authors of important books on American politics, policy, and leadership that affirm the importance of character-driven leadership and America’s role in the international community. Previous authors have included the late former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright, former U.S. Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark Esper, CBS News’ Major Garrett and elections expert David Becker, World Food Programme Executive Director Cindy McCain, CNN’s Jake Tapper, POLITICO National Security Reporter Alex Ward, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, and more.