Alexander Cooley

@cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social

Professor of Political Science at Barnard College and current Vice Provost for Research and Academic Centers. Eurasia, International Order, and Geopolitics & the Academy.

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Alexander A. Cooley is an American political scientist. He is Claire Tow Professor at Barnard College. He served as the 15th director of the Harriman Institute of Columbia University and is currently the Vice Provost for Research, Libraries and Academic Centers at Barnard College. .. more

Political science 81%

Sociology 11%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Alexander Cooley

Shaun O'Dwyer @shaunodwyer.bsky.social · 8d

Confirmation of key thesis in @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social
and @alexdukalskis.bsky.social's book "Dictating the Agenda:" channels for global cultural and market liberal influence now being weaponized by authoritarian states against liberal society institutions www.theguardian.com/education/20...

UK university halted human rights research after pressure from China

Exclusive: Leading professor at Sheffield Hallam was told to cease research on supply chains and forced labour in China after demands from authorities

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Alexander Cooley, Gerard Toal

Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 26d

"[T]he book leaves a powerful impression. It forces readers to confront how profoundly the liberal order’s instruments—aid, education, culture, and commerce—have been retooled by its rivals."
@moisesnaim.bsky.social reviews "Dictating the Agenda" by Alexander Cooley and Alexander Dukalskis.

Authoritarian Politics Goes Transnational

A review of Alexander Cooley and Alexander Dukalskis, “Dictating the Agenda: The Authoritarian Resurgence in World Politics” (Oxford University Press, 2025).

www.lawfaremedia.org

Reposted by Alexander Cooley

Alex Dukalskis @alexdukalskis.bsky.social · 28d

Looking forward to giving along w/ @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social the @nupinytt.bsky.social & Norwegian Centre for Geopolitics annual lecture in Oslo Wednesday.

“Dictating the Agenda – How Authoritarians are Transforming Global Governance”

Details & live stream:

Annual Lecture: Dictating the Agenda – How Authoritarians are Transforming Global Governance | NUPI

Based on their new book "Dictating the Agenda", Alexander Cooley and Alexander Dukalskis reveal the important authoritarian changes underway across various global governance domains.

www.nupi.no

Reposted by Alexander Cooley, Laurent Pech

Alex Dukalskis @alexdukalskis.bsky.social · Oct 9

In the @irishexaminer.bsky.social today @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social I map out the global authoritarian resurgence and what it means for Ireland

Authoritarian states have powerful reach — even in Ireland

The return to authoritarianism worldwide — not least in the US — will have ramifications for internationally-linked universities and corporations here, write Alexander Dukalskis and Alexander Cooley

www.irishexaminer.com

Reposted by Robert W. Wallace, Alexander Cooley

Dan Nexon @dhnexon.bsky.social · Oct 5

🧵 Fascism is an ideology. The government is fascist. But it's an unconsolidated competitive authoritarian regime, not a totalitarian one.

@justinscasey.bsky.social and I discuss this, and the heterogeneity of interwar fascism, here 👇

Reposted by Stefan Müller, Alexander Cooley, Ben Tonra

Alex Dukalskis @alexdukalskis.bsky.social · Oct 2

If you're in Dublin next week come join me & @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social at the Institute of International & European Affairs (IIEA) on Thursday where we'll talk about our new book Dictating the Agenda: The Authoritarian Resurgence in World Politics

Details: www.iiea.com/images/uploa...

Reposted by Alexander Cooley

Alain Berset @alain-berset.coe.int · Sep 27

We are all students of democracy. Grateful for the exchange with students during my keynote and Q&A on The Age of Democratic Security.

Thank you to @columbiauniversity.bsky.social World Leaders Forum, Acting President Claire Shipman, & Prof. @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social.

Reposted by Alexander Cooley

Alex Dukalskis @alexdukalskis.bsky.social · Sep 26

And here’s a write-up:

Podcast: Rising authoritarianism, Kneecap and Eurovision

An expert in international relations has told RTÉ's Behind the Story podcast it is "extremely alarming" that Donald Trump has the full force of the US government behind him for another three years.

www.rte.ie

Reposted by Alexander Cooley

Dan Nexon @dhnexon.bsky.social · Sep 16

And I talk about it towards then of @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social and my essay on the crisis of liberal order. (sorry, I know I've posted this stuff before).

An excerpt from our 2022 article. It reads: "U.S. officials who sincerely wish to defend the liberal order will need to choose sides, both domestically and in the conduct of U.S. foreign policy. In doing so, they will blur the distinction between liberal and illiberal practices. They will need to break domestic norms, such as not modifying the size and jurisdiction of the federal judiciary because of its ideological disposition. They will also need to back away from post–Cold War norms, such as limiting favoritism toward political factions in and among major democratic allies. And they will need to do so with the clear understanding that these actions could backfire and provide rhetorical cover for illiberal and antidemocratic practices at home and abroad."

The second excerpt reads: "Grappling with domestic illiberal threats remains a thorny exercise.
Of course, the defense of liberal democracy has produced terrible excesses in the past, including ugly repression and horrific violence.
U.S. officials adopted decidedly illiberal policies during the Red Scare that followed World War I, when the specter of Bolshevism loomed large. In trying to stem the rising right-wing extremist tide today, the United States risks returning to those dark times. But the alternative of inaction-Western liberalism's failure to beat back fascism in the 1930s—remains a dangerous prospect.
History is an imperfect guide. Fascism was defeated — at least for a time—on the battlefields of World War II. Had Hitler been less interested in military conquest, fascist states might be a perfectly normal part of the current global landscape. The Soviet Union, for its part, collapsed because of a combination of the inefficiencies of its command economy, nationalist pressures, and policy choices that turned out very poorly."

The final excerpt reads: "The United States cannot really contemplate defeating its current authoritarian challengers in a total war, as that would likely produce a catastrophic nuclear exchange. Its most important authoritarian challenger, China, is a totally different kind of polity than the Soviet Union was. China is wealthy and relatively dynamic, and although it has its share of structural problems, it is not abundantly clear that it hortcomings are any worse than those of the United States.
In short, neither of the historical routes to the ideological victory of liberalism seems likely. This means that liberal democracies really do need to assume that they will not retake the catbird seat of the international order anytime soon. And so the question becomes not whether the liberal order will change but on whose terms."

Reposted by Laura K. Taylor, Alexander Cooley, Jonathan Hopkin

Alex Dukalskis @alexdukalskis.bsky.social · Sep 15

Author copies for

Dictating the Agenda: The Authoritarian Resurgence in World Politics

by me & @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social arrived today!

If you re-post this by Sept 30 we'll put you in a drawing & send the winner a free signed copy anywhere they happen to be on the planet.

Reposted by Alexander Cooley

Alex Dukalskis @alexdukalskis.bsky.social · Aug 22

Was great for me & @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social to talk with @leslievinjamuri.bsky.social on the the Chicago Council on Global Affairs @global-affairs.bsky.social podcast about Ukraine & our new book Dictating the Agenda: The Authoritarian Resurgence in World Politics.

Have a listen here:

The US and Europe Unite with Ukraine—What Comes Next?

What do Putin and Trump have in common? Both turn grievance into power, and our guests explain how.

globalaffairs.org

Reposted by Alexander Cooley

Alex Dukalskis @alexdukalskis.bsky.social · Aug 19

If you prefer to listen to your books, the audio book version of Dictating the Agenda: The Authoritarian Resurgence in World Politics by me & @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social was released today.

Get it wherever you get your audio books - Audible, Amazon, Apple, Storytel, your library, etc.

Dictating the Agenda: The Authoritarian Resurgence in World Politics - Audiobook - alexander cooley, Alexander Dukalskis - ISBN 9798318530715 - Storytel International

Following the end of the Cold War, the world experienced a remarkable wave of democratization. Over the next two decades, numerous authoritarian regimes

www.storytel.com

Alexander Cooley @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social · Jul 21

Princeton University Press Stumbles Into a Xinjiang Tour Debacle
thediplomat.com/2025/07/prin...

Princeton University Press Stumbles Into a Xinjiang Tour Debacle

The Soviet-style “Potemkin tour” is alive and well in today’s China – as PUP found out when several of its staff took a controversial trip to Xinjiang.

thediplomat.com

Reposted by Alexander Cooley

Alex Dukalskis @alexdukalskis.bsky.social · Jul 14

Was great for me & @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social to talk with @zeit.de about our new book and the resurgence of authoritarianism in global politics.

Autoritäre Staaten: "Dann würde die liberale Ordnung schlicht zerbrechen"

Was, wenn das autoritäre Zeitalter längst begonnen hat? Zwei Politologen im Gespräch über die dramatische Lage – und die vielleicht letzte Chance für die Demokratie.

www.zeit.de

Reposted by Alexander Cooley

Christina Cottiero @ccottiero.bsky.social · Jun 25

New 5 Questions piece on the Illiberal Regimes and Global Governance project page! On the super interesting new book by @alexdukalskis.bsky.social & @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social
ucigcc.org/research/fut... @ucigcc.bsky.social

Reposted by Alexander Cooley

Alex Dukalskis @alexdukalskis.bsky.social · May 26

Nice review in Kirkus Reviews of my new book w/ @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social (out next month) Dictating the Agenda: The Authoritarian Resurgence in World Politics

"A dispassionate argument proposing that the lights are going out."

www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews...

DICTATING THE AGENDA | Kirkus Reviews

Liberal democracy in danger.

www.kirkusreviews.com

Reposted by Alexander Cooley

Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · Apr 16

“The post-Soviet region is not turning out to be a decolonizing space; it rather has emerged as a laboratory for new forms of integration and regional networking,” writes Alexander Cooley.

Russia’s Hidden Empire

Moscow has rekindled its influence in the post-Soviet space.

www.foreignaffairs.com

Reposted by Alexander Cooley

The Times of Central Asia @timesca.com · Dec 2

Justice for Veterans: U.S. Acknowledges Cancer Cases Tied to Service at Uzbekistan’s K2 Base timesca.com/justice-for-... #JusticeForVeterans #VeteransAffairs #K2Base #VeteransHealth #CancerAwareness #MilitaryService #VeteranAdvocacy #Uzbekistan #US #Eurasia #CentralAsia

Justice for Veterans: U.S. Acknowledges Cancer Cases Tied to Service at Uzbekistan’s K2 Base - The Times Of Central Asia

Thousands of American veterans who served at Uzbekistan’s K2 airbase have reported rare cancers and diseases - but only now, more than two decades later, is

timesca.com

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