Beyond Autocracy Promotion: A Review

Abstract

In this article, I provide a survey of the recent and rapidly growing theoretical and empirical literature on autocracy promotion. In a relatively concise way, the reader is able to grasp all key concepts and related aspects on the topic. This article is a guide for all those aiming to begin their journey in the scholarly land of autocracy promotion, trying to stimulate these travelers in exploring off-beaten research avenues.

Enabling autocracy? Peacebuilding and post-conflict authoritarianism in the Democratic Republic of Congo

“…In recent years, scholars have increasingly sought to examine the ways in which international forces can influence these domestic dynamics of authoritarian survival (Burnell and Schlumberger, 2010;Tansey, 2016;von Soest, 2015). Much of this literature has focused on the role of powerful states such as Russia, China, and the United States in intentionally assisting autocratic incumbents to repress or co-opt their opponents (Bader, 2015;Tolstrup, 2013;Vanderhill, 2013;Yakouchyk, 2018). Others focus on passive rather than actor-driven international influences, such as diffusion effects (Ambrosio, 2010;Koesel and Bunce, 2013;Weyland, 2016), the autocracy-reinforcing influences of certain international linkages (Tansey et al, 2015), and the international balance of power (Boix, 2011).…”

Democratic backsliding in the European Union: the role of the Hungarian-Polish coalition

“…Several classifications of authoritarian collaboration exist. Yakouchyk (2019) presents three main mechanisms of autocratic support: economic (energy subsidies, loans or trade agreements); military (exporting or donating arms, deploying troops or military advisors); and political (strategic advice, rhetorical legitimation on the international level, promoting favourable media coverage or diplomacy). Due to the supranational and democratic nature of the EU, economic and military support can be largely excluded; trade is managed by the EU directly and loaning between MSs to date has been an unusual practice.…”

“…In the context of democratic backsliding, political backing by a key international ally can be a welcomed instrument (especially given the unavailability of military or economic option, [Yakouchyk 2019]), since endorsement on the international level helps to cast the government's controversial actions as normal and justified at home. Accordingly, a form of backsliding collaboration can involve making legitimating claims and symbolic gestures on behalf of a political ally, which the latter can use to defend and validate its actions.…”

“…To fill this gap, we draw on studies of authoritarian collaboration (e.g. Erdmann et al 2013;von Soest 2015;Yakouchyk 2019), which have developed in relative isolation from the democratic backsliding literature, especially in the EU context. In doing so, we proceed with caution, considering that, on the one hand, backsliding in the EU takes place in a sui generis political multi-level system, and that, on the other hand, backsliding states are positioned somewhere between democracy and autocracy therefore following a different logic to authoritarian regimes.…”

China y la (no) promoción de la autocracia: Aportes al debate sobre democracia y autoritarismo en el orden internacional

“…Dentro de los estudios que han investigado cómo ciertos factores externos impactan en la organización política interna de los Estados, autores clásicos como Pevehouse (2002) han mirado el rol de organismos internacionales. Sumado a este enfoque surgieron investigaciones que intentan observar cuál es el rol que han tenido los poderes regionales autocráticos, principalmente analizando el comportamiento de países como Rusia, Irán y Venezuela (Ambrosio 2010;Börzel 2015;Julia Bader, Grävingholt, and Kästner 2010;Soest 2015;Tansey 2016;Tolstrup 2009;Vanderhill 2013;Yakouchyk 2019). Sin embargo, las respuestas sobre cómo y por qué regímenes autocráticos utilizan su política exterior para promover la autocracia, aún no están claras (Kneuer and Demmelhuber 2016).…”