The King’s Russia Institute and the Russian and Eurasian Security Research Group are pleased to present a discussion of:
Dictators Without Borders: Global Aspects of Authoritarian Governance in Central Asia
with John Heathershaw, Associate Professor, Department of Politics, University of Exeter
Following independence from the Soviet Union, Central Asia’s authoritarian states have consolidated in an era of liberal globalization. The region bears witness to these contrasts. Hard authoritarianism needs liberal finance. Regimes battle opponents in Western courts. Nationalist elites live global lives. Drawing on court records, financial data and investigative journalism, qualitative case studies of transnational elite practice from four of the five Central Asian states demonstrate that contemporary authoritarian regimes utilise liberal legal, financial and criminal justice mechanisms to further their own power. Cases of money laundering and extra-territorial repression are detailed and gaping holes in anti-corruption initiatives are illustrated. Particular attention is devoted to the role of intermediaries such as due diligence consultants, lawyers, lobbyists and real estate brokers in facilitating transnational practices of authoritarianism.
The discussion is available here: https://soundcloud.com/user-419509279/john-heathershaw-dictators-without-borders
