Transnational Repression : A Comparative Perspective Across Autocracies and Democracies

Covering more than a dozen countries from the Global North and the Global South, this volume explores why states repress their citizens abroad, the instruments and tactics that they employ in this regard, and the implications that these actions have for the (liberal) international order.

Transnational repression, understood as the extraterritorial repressive actions by states against members of their national community abroad, has become a global phenomenon. Several trends and developments, including cross-border migration, technological advances, and democratic backsliding, suggest that acts of transnational repression are likely to increase further in the future. Importantly, transnational repression is not exclusively driven by autocracies: liberal states also contribute to those challenges when they question the legitimacy of international institutions or when they engage in outright acts of transnational repression themselves. Covering more than a dozen countries from both the Global North and the Global South, this volume explores transnational repression along three dimensions. First, what are the motives for states to engage in transnational repression (the 'why')? Second, what instruments and tactics do states employ when engaging in acts of transnational repression (the 'how')? Third, what are the implications and consequences of transnational repression (the 'so what')?