Regional Organisations as Learning Support Clubs for Autocracies

• In Event: Autocracies and International Organizations

Abstract

Recent literature has stressed the increasing importance of international forces in explaining authoritarian politics and autocratic survival. Researchers have begun to highlight the darker side of regionalism by investigating how regional organisations can play a significant role in stabilising and even strengthening autocracies. This paper argues that these organisations provide avenues to aid authoritarian learning, provide structures to share legislation, meetings to discuss ideas, and training exercises to ascertain what works effectively. These practices go far beyond diffusion, involving direct collaboration and bolstering among member states. I investigate a range of regional organisations where the majority are autocracies, assessing whether and to what extent these institutions provide learning opportunities. Regional organisations analysed are the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, the Eurasian Economic Union, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the Gulf Cooperation Council and ALBA from Latin America. Analysis of these different global organisations will provide clear evidence of whether, and to what extent, these structures help authoritarian learning.

Author

• Stephen Hall, University of Bath