Global Lifelines: How External Economic Networks Sustain Modern Authoritarianism

Author: Samuel Valarezo

Field of Study: Political Science; Economics

Program Affiliation: Source Project Research Program

Faculty Mentors: Matthew Cole

Easel: 87

Timeslot: Midday

Abstract: Authoritarian regimes have adapted to globalization rather than weakened under it, challenging the assumption that external economic engagement promotes democratization. Globalization has created various transnational “lifelines”: foreign investment, international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), partnerships with authoritarian states like China, and other "lifelines." These lifelines affect regime durability and domestic resistance. Using a case study of Iran, as its lifelines are tested by its ongoing conflict with the U.S., and other authoritarian regimes, the analysis draws on sanctions, foreign aid, and global markets to assess how these external forces interact to allow these authoritarian regimes to survive. While their lifelines reduce reliance on domestic populations, they enhance state capacity and allow regimes to circumvent traditional pressures such as sanctions. This research addresses a gap in the literature by showing how multiple external actors operate simultaneously to sustain authoritarian control.