Join us for a discussion about the important authoritarian changes underway across various global governance domains. Following the end of the Cold War, the world experienced a remarkable wave of democratization as numerous authoritarian regimes transitioned to democracies and it seemed that authoritarianism as a political model was fading. But recent events show the world is changing. Liberal ideas are globally on the defensive, while emerging powers—including China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia—are actively trying to reshape international rules, values, and relationships to promote their regimes and geopolitical agendas, and the United States is now rapidly disengaging from international rule-making and global governance, further empowering this authoritarian shift.
Alexander Cooley is the Claire Tow Professor of Political Science at Barnard College, Columbia University. From 2015-2021 he served as the fifteenth director of Columbia University’s Harriman Institute and from 2022-2025 served as the Vice Provost for Research at Barnard College. Professor Cooley’s research examines how international actors have influenced the governance, sovereignty, and security of the post-Communist states. In addition to his academic publications, Professor Cooley’s commentaries have appeared in Foreign Affairs, New York Times, and Washington Post, and he has testified for the US Congress, UK Parliament, and the Parliament of Canada.
Alexander Dukalskis is associate professor in the School of Politics & International Relations at University College Dublin. His research and teaching interests include authoritarian politics, human rights, and Asian politics. He is also a frequent expert commentator in national and international media on these themes. From 2022-2024 he directed UCD’s Centre for Asia-Pacific Research. He is the author of two previous books, Making the World Safe for Dictatorship (Oxford University Press, 2021) and The Authoritarian Public Sphere (Routledge, 2017), and academic articles in several leading journals.