Council of Councils
Think Global Health
The government of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has done little to address Thailand’s pressing issues, and now, after a Cabinet reshuffle and high-profile resignations, it seems to be in chaos.
The Growing, Broad, Authoritarian Network and Its Ramifications for the World
Project Expert
About the Project
While the policy community in the United States and other leading democracies has increasingly focused on growing collaboration among the big four authoritarian powers of China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran, they are missing the evolution of a broader range of cooperation among a far larger group of autocratic states. While some of this collaboration is operating in conjunction with the big four, this increasingly linked network of authoritarians, including at least fifteen states and still growing, is also cooperating independently and shares some goals. This broad range of autocrats, unlike their modest informal and limited cooperation in the earlier post-Cold War era, are taking clearer steps to build a kind of informal and possibly formal alliance. They are undermining U.S. power in strategically important regions from the Sahel to Latin America, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia. These regimes are challenging the very idea of democracy as a superior model, helping the largest authoritarian states gain ground in global power relations, and facilitating organized crime and massive migration into the United States. Yet U.S. policymakers have developed little understanding of the new, broader authoritarian networks beyond China, Russia, and, to some extent, Iran and North Korea—or how to respond.
The project on the growing, broad, authoritarian network and its ramifications for the world will uncover and analyze the broader and deeper scope of authoritarian state connections and cooperation globally beyond the big four. It will delineate the consequences for the United States and other democratic states and the policy implications.
This project is made possible by the generous support of the Sarah Scaife Foundation.
Blogs
Myanmar’s civil war between resistance groups and the ruling military junta has reached a decisive phase.
As President-Elect, Prabowo Subianto, widely accused of past rights abuses, is already showing signs that he may further damage Indonesia's fragile democracy.
The current Thai government, which assumed power in 2023, has proven ineffective in tackling the nation’s challenges, while its politics have become increasingly fractious.
Resignations in Vietnam’s top political leadership have exposed widespread societal corruption and prompted a succession crisis for the party.
Myanmar’s military faced a significant loss in the town of Myawaddy, bordering Thailand, this week.
An anticipated Prabowo presidency poses many questions about Indonesia’s democratic future and global role.
Prabowo Subianto was named the winner of the Indonesian presidential election. But it is unclear which version of Prabowo—the more moderate candidate from the campaign trail or the self-styled strongman—will govern Indonesia.
Southeast Asian responses to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza have aligned with each country’s broader foreign policy stances.
As the Myanmar military faces a record level of defections, its control of the country looks increasingly tenuous.
No publications were found for this project.