Former US ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul has penned a fantastic book on the current balance of world power in Autocrats vs. Democrats (China, Russia, America and the New Global Disorder). In it, he lays out a history of all three countries and their historical relationships (both positive and negative) and how their current administrations view the world and are seeking to make their imprint on it. A detailed look at the relative strengths and weaknesses of each (economic, military, education, leader profiles, worldwide allies, etc.) is very illuminating - it really paints the picture of how each uses their worldview and partnerships with other countries to advance (or keep shooting themselves in the foot with regards to) their standing and impact on world events.
As stated in the title, the major thrust of the book dives deep into how the autocratic China and Russia are pushing back against the strongly democratic USA (at least it was until the current administration) and how democracies across the world together face the largest challenge since the Cold War - China and Russia now working somewhat in tandem (despite their frequent differences and unique approaches to authoritarianism).
The last part of the book is a great set of guidelines and actions that should be taken to reaffirm the strength of democracies in the world - how the US should once again embrace our allies instead of alienating them, use our soft power more effectively, and push back against recent gains by dictators and strongmen trying to thwart democracy worldwide. Churchill described democracy as: "the worst form of Government except all those others that have been tried from time to time." He's not wrong, despite how little many Americans realize it or understand the threat it is under. Unfortunately, with the direction we are currently going, we're ceding the high ground in the world in trying to protect the democratic ideal.
As aptly described by Anne Applebaum, the book is "A history, an analysis, and a set of prescriptions for the greatest geopolitical challenge of our time: the threat to the democratic world posed by China and Russia." Succintly put, and it is a very interesting (if somewhat dry) read.
