The paper takes its point of departure in the observation that with the acceleration of globalization authoritarian regimes not only claim legitimacy domestically but also hold increased scope for the legitimation of their rule in the international context. If so it is important to understand the nature of the international context. The paper does against this background outline the nature of the current Liberal world order and does here identify an inherent Liberal dilemma involving imposition and restraint as a core feature of the present international order. The paper then turns to the Middle East region in order to examine whether and how the global Liberal order can traced in the strategies of legitimation of Middle East authoritarian states and discuss the implications of the Liberal dilemma.
