The Limits of Authoritarian Diffusion

with Anna Grzymala-Busse. Authoritarian regimes have sought to broadcast their power and influence—and it often seems that there is a pattern of autocratic diffusion, the “Illiberal International.” The Hungarian leader, Viktor Orbán, has been the darling of the American Right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has attempted to fund and influence anti-democratic politics in Europe and elsewhere. Yet such diffusion has often been limited—and this talk explores the political and institutional reasons why there are limits to such influence.