The Long Reach of the Strong Arm: Evolving Forms of Transnational Authoritarianism

Against the backdrop of rising authoritarianism, this open access edited volume investigates how states—small and large, strong and weak—silence critics across borders. This focus on transnational authoritarianism is underexplored in scholarship, and even more so for states in South and Southeast Asia—which many of our cases draw from. While NGO reports, including those by Freedom House, have exposed physical attacks, they rarely address subtler methods used to target exiles. Drawing on analyses and interviews with those directly familiar with these dynamics, the collection examines tactics such as digital surveillance, emotional blackmail, enforced family isolation, psychological harassment, imprisonment of relatives on fabricated charges, and harassment of family businesses through surprise audits. These non-physical measures can be as effective as physical attacks, yet often evade media attention. The goal of transnational authoritarianism is clear: silence exiled critics, restrict alternative information, and shape global opinion. This collection reveals the long reach of strongmen regimes and their determination to control narratives at home and abroad.

Mubashar Hasan is Adjunct Researcher at the Humanitarian and Development Research Initiative (HADRI), Western Sydney University, Australia. He also works for the NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS) and the Diplomacy Training Program and is the author of Islam and Politics in Bangladesh and co-editor of Masks of Authoritarianism, with numerous journal articles.
Arild Engelsen Ruud, a Professor of South Asia studies at the University of Oslo, focuses on democracy and politics in South and Southeast Asia. He is co-author of Mafia Raj: the rule of bosses in South Asia (Stanford University Press) and co-editor of South Asian Sovereignties, Outrage, and Masks of Authoritarianism and author of numerous journal articles He is now leading the Norwegian Research Council funded project ‘Leadership and popular participation in Asian democracies’.