Dictating the Agenda

Few works in international relations are simultaneously major contributions to the scholarship and to urgent debates in the public sphere concerning the very future of our open societies. Dictating the Agenda is exactly that. This compelling, deeply researched book couldn’t be timelier. It will change the way we think about authoritarian influence in global politics, and especially in liberal democracies * Ricardo Soares de Oliveira, University of Oxford *Dictating the Agenda reveals how effectively authoritarian states have countered liberal soft power and transnational advocacy related to democracy and human rights in the 21st century. Cooley and Dukalskis combine a persuasive theory of “authoritarian snapback” with engaging case studies of how it operates in diverse empirical domains, including transnational sports and higher education. This is a timely and important read for anyone interested in the global politics of democracy and authoritarianism * Sarah Bush, University of Pennsylvania *Cooley and Dukalskis offer the best account to date of the ways in which authoritarian regimes have used of avenues provided by the globalized, liberal international order to undermine that order and its norms. * Miles Kahler, American University and Council on Foreign Relations *

Alexander Cooley is the Claire Tow Professor of Political Science and Vice Provost for Research and Academic Centers at Barnard College, Columbia University. From 2015-21 he served as the 15th Director of Columbia University’s Harriman Institute for the Study of Russia, Eurasia and Eastern Europe. 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. From 2022-2024 he directed UCD’s Centre for Asia-Pacific Research. He is the author of two books, Making the World Safe for Dictatorship and The Authoritarian Public Sphere, and academic articles in several leading journals.