This is an excellent book that represents a major contribution to the field of study on authoritarian politics. Alexander Dukalskis has written a nuanced and highly illuminating study of the ways in which authoritarian regimes seek to manage their image abroad and shape the international environment to their own needs. The book includes a sophisticated theoretical framework that identifies the motivations, tactics, and outcomes behind these image management efforts,
and it supports the theoretical arguments with innovative and original data. It is essential reading for scholars and practitioners interested in the international politics of authoritarian rule.
Alexander Dukalskis is an Associate Professor in the School of Politics and International Relations at University College Dublin. His research and teaching interests include authoritarianism, Asian politics, and human rights. His work has been published in several leading journals, including Government & Opposition, Review of International Studies, Journal of Democracy, Journal of Peace Research, and Democratization. His first
book, The Authoritarian Public Sphere: Legitimation and Autocratic Power in North Korea, Burma, and China, was published in 2017.