The Long Reach of the Strong Arm: Evolving Forms of Transnational Authoritarianism

Against the backdrop of rising authoritarianism globally, this open access edited volume investigates how authoritarian states – small and big, strong and weak – seek not only to repress opposition at home but also to silence dissidents living abroad and in exile. This focus on transnational repression (TR) is relatively new and underexplored in scholarship. While reports from non-governmental organisations (including Freedom House) have shed invaluable light on this increasingly common extension of authoritarian rule, such reports have largely been confined to reporting on physical attacks that can be corroborated. In contrast, the proposed collection of analyses and interviews with individuals intimately familiar with transnational repression sees us identify and examine a much broader range of tools that authoritarian governments employ to silence critical voices in exile. These tools include digital surveillance, emotional blackmail, the isolation of dissidents from their families, physical and psychological harassment, the imprisonment of family members at home based on trumped-up charges, and official scrutiny of businesses owned by relatives (such as unexpected tax audits). These are forms of transnational repression that are often just as effective and efficient as physical attacks, yet go under the radar of media attention. The aim of authoritarian governments in using transnational repression is simple: By silencing exiled critics, access to alternative sources of crucial inside information is restricted and world opinion restrained. Our collection highlights the long reach of the strong arm, and demonstrates how authoritarian governments increasingly seek to silence critics in order to control the narrative both at home and abroad.