The Limits of Authoritarian Diffusion | Anna Grzymala-Busse

About the Event: 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. 

About the Speaker: Anna Grzymala-Busse is the Michelle and Kevin Douglas Professor in the Department of Political Science, the director of the Europe Center, Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute at Stanford. Her research focuses on religion and politics, authoritarian political parties and their successors, and the historical development of the state. She is the author of four books: Redeeming the Communist Past: The Regeneration of Communist Successor Parties; Rebuilding Leviathan: Party Competition and State Development in Post-Communist Europe; Nations Under God: How Churches Use Moral Authority to Influence Politics; and Sacred Foundations: The religious and medieval origins of the European State. She is the recipient of the Carnegie and Guggenheim Fellowships. 

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