Coming Soon: A New Season of Autocracy in America
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Transcript
I know you're going to get into some stuff, some pretty heavy stuff, but this is Gary Kasparov.
I can't believe it.
When I was young, I was lucky because as a chess prodigy, I could travel outside of the Soviet Union to play tournaments abroad.
And I experienced for myself that life felt different in a democracy.
The world celebrated in 1991 when the dictatorship of the Soviet Union gave way to new democracies.
And I too hoped freedom was on the rise.
Of course, the empire did not want to let us go easily.
But in the decades that followed, we've seen the steady advance of autocratic regimes, a new belligerence from dictators and autocrats worldwide, and democracies in retreat.
For dictators, for Islamic Republic, for Putin, for all the autocratic regime, America is first.
Their first target is the destruction of American values.
Even America, a beacon of hope to me and for countless millions of others, has shown itself vulnerable to the virus of authoritarianism and corruption.
If you lie or your propagandists lie non-stop, then the reaction of the public is to say, right, you know, politics is a dirty game.
I have no idea what's true or what's not true.
I mean, that's exactly what's happening in the United States right now, is techno-fascism.
You called it hypocrisy.
I'm trying to be diplomatic, so I'm a host of the show.
I call it absolutely betrayal.
So I'm fighting the same battle I fought in Russia.
What I have found is you need people that will speak truth to power.
In Russia, we lost the fight.
Here, I like our chances, and I like them much more.
I mean, this country is big, resilient, and we've made big mistakes and recovered from those mistakes in the past.
But defenders of the free world can no longer take our liberties for granted.
You several times have tried to get me to tell you, here's a roadmap to restore our democracy.
Well, you should know I'm riding that roadmap as we speak.
I'm Gary Kasparov, former World Chess champion and lifetime activist for democracy.
Join me this summer for a new season of Autocracy in America from the Atlantic.
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