Autocrats gone Global – Transnational Authoritarian Networks and Human Rights Protection

Populist and autocratic leaders increasingly coordinate across national borders to exchange knowledge and gain support for their illiberal political goals. While there is increasing research on regional cooperation of authoritarian regimes and a broad debate around challenges to liberal norms, consequences of transnational authoritarian networking for international cooperation, particularly within International Organizations, have not been broadly addressed yet. This paper therefore explores if and how transnational authoritarian networks influence international liberal rights regimes. The paper argues that authoritarian regimes and populist governments are using material and ideational incentives to buy votes of like-minded regimes, thereby influencing resolutions on liberal and human rights in their favor. Based on statistical network analysis, the paper explores if voting outcomes of resolutions within the United Nations Human Rights Council are affected by the strengths of authoritarian networks. The paper thereby contributes to knowledge on transnational challenges to human rights and current debates on the state of the liberal international order.