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This panel aims to explore the wide range of phenomena that lie at the intersection of two global processes: the ‘third wave of autocratization,’ which highlights the deterioration of democratic qualities worldwide, and the ‘reaffirmation of authoritarian great powers,’ which stresses the increasingly assertive foreign policies of prominent autocracies like Russia and China. More specifically, the goal of this panel is to investigate the ‘international dimension of autocratization,’ which identifies those “(f)actors and processes originating from or connected to the international level that may contribute to the deterioration of democratic traits in both democracies (democratic recession/breakdown) and autocracies (autocratic consolidation).”
In general terms, there are three ways in which the international dimension may play a role in the tension between autocratization and democratic resilience. First, structural or systemic factors, such as the nature/configuration of the international system, international crises, or linkages to autocratic powers. Second, passive influence, consisting of processes through which domestic actors adopt practices from external role models. Third, active influence, which entails a wide set of activities undertaken by external (Western and non-Western) actors that may have both intended and unintended consequences for autocratization processes.
The panel welcomes papers that aim to deepen our understanding of the external forces driving regime change and adaptation, from both a theoretical and empirical viewpoint. Within this admittedly broad field, a non-exhaustive list of more specific sub-topics of interest includes: a) the nature and recent evolution of the international order (i.e. consequences of the war in Ukraine or Trump’s foreign policy); b) international crises and critical junctures; c) autocratic linkage; d) autocratic emulation/learning; e) unintended consequences of democracy promotion/economic aid policies; f) autocracy support by autocratic or democratic international actors; g) indirect consequences of more assertive foreign policies of prominent autocracies that, while formulated to reach economic or geopolitical goals, may also favor autocratization: for example, phenomena connected to the concept of sharp power, such as digital authoritarianism, corrosive capital and illicit trade, the global spread of disinformation, support for kleptocratic networks, and the abuse of technologies such as ‘safe-city’ systems and AI tools.