Transnational Corruption in Foreign Policy Today

This Foreign Affairs piece by Alexander Cooley and Daniel Nexon examines how kleptocratic networks and transnational corruption have become instruments of statecraft, reshaping global power dynamics. The authors argue that illiberal regimes leverage capital mobility, shell companies, and reputation laundering to exert influence internationally while enriching elites. They trace how these mechanisms infiltrate Western institutions and complicate traditional concepts of order and governance. The article situates kleptocracy within broader shifts in international ordering, pointing to policy implications for sanctions, regulation, and strategic competition. It serves as a concise synthesis of the authors' broader research on authoritarian resurgence and corruption in foreign policy.

Dictating the Agenda examines how authoritarian states transformed from defensive actors into proactive shapers of international institutions and discourse. Cooley and Dukalskis trace stages—stigmatize, shield, reframe, project, and dictate—showing how states like China and Russia export norms, use market leverage, and build institutions to normalize authoritarian practices. The authors draw on examples from media, education, sports, and transnational NGOs to reveal mechanisms of influence and learning among autocracies. They argue this authoritarian resurgence interacts with domestic populist trends in democracies, producing a more contested global order. The book offers both empirical case studies and a framework for understanding how authoritarian power has increased and become offensive on the world stage.