AUTHORITARIAN TACTICS
Around the world, illiberal regimes have developed increasingly sophisticated techniques of repression to maintain domestic control, while becoming increasingly active abroad to contain the spread of democracy. From sharing techniques for cracking down on civil society, to creating parallel, authoritarian-friendly international organizations, to investing in flashy, state-run international broadcasting outlets, the Big Five and their allies are actively working to silence domestic and international criticism of undemocratic practices.
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Authoritarian Cooperation & Learning
To maintain power, authoritarian regimes must constantly revise and adapt their playbooks to find new ways to repress, subvert, and co-opt threats to their rule. In the era of globalization, authoritarian sharing of information and methods occur more rapidly, allowing repressive regimes to quickly adopt the latest tools for repressing...
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Subverting the International System
In the era of globalization, regime security cannot be achieved solely through domestic control. To shield themselves from international scrutiny, resurgent dictatorships are seeking to reshape global institutional frameworks that have served as the glue of the post-Cold War order. ...
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Media Manipulation
Where old-school authoritarians relied on traditional forms of censorship and ideologically-oriented propaganda to maintain control over their populations, modern authoritarians are adopting increasingly sophisticated methods to influence public opinion and shape political narratives. By restricting space for independent media outlets, policing the Internet, sponsoring fake think tanks, and relying on...
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FEATURED BLOG POSTS
May 17, 2016
Crackdowns on Citizen Election Monitors Reveal Authoritarian Fear
Guest blog post by Patrick Merloe, contributing author to the edited volume, Authoritarianism Goes Global: The Challenge to Democracy.Nonpartisan election monitoring, spanning over 100 countries, embodies a movement of millions...
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April 19, 2016
Hollywood with Chinese Characteristics
Guest post by Anne-Marie Brady, contributing author to the edited volume, Authoritarianism Goes Global: The Challenge to Democracy. On February 19, 2016, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party...
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April 13, 2016
Coercive Diplomacy Injects Adrenaline into Russia’s Decaying Regime
Guest post by Lilia Shevtsova, contributing author to the edited volume, Authoritarianism Goes Global: The Challenge to Democracy. Among the many challenges the West is facing, the resurgence of an authoritarian...
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April 7, 2016
Russia Reaps Rewards from the Rise of Europe’s Far Right
Across Europe, far-right political parties are on the march, write Alina Polyakova and Anton Shekhovtsov in a new issue brief from the Atlantic Council. But Europe’s far-right parties have also...
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