Public Diplomacy in Authoritarian Regimes

This book offers a timely exploration of how authoritarian states communicate with foreign publics, blending strategies of attraction, persuasion, manipulation, and control. As authoritarian regimes grow more sophisticated in projecting influence beyond their borders, this publication investigates the tools they employ from soft power initiatives in culture, sports, and academia to sharp power tactics of disinformation and censorship. Through a comparative lens, authors uncover the nuances of these regimes’ practices, challenging assumptions about where public diplomacy ends and propaganda begins. By examining cases including China, Cuba, Egypt, Morocco, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Venezuela, this book sheds light on the transnational implications of authoritarian public diplomacy in an era of shifting global power dynamics. An essential reading for scholars of international relations, political communication, and public diplomacy, this publication offers fresh insights into the evolving struggle for influence on the world stage.

Dr. Vedat Demir is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Media and Communication Studies at Freie Universität Berlin, Germany. He has been an Einstein Guest Researcher before. He was a recipient of the Philipp Schwartz fellowship by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation at the University of Potsdam between 2018-2021.

Dr. Carola Richter is Professor for international communication at Freie Universität Berlin, Germany. In her research and teaching, she focuses on media systems and communication cultures in the Middle East and North Africa region, public diplomacy, foreign news coverage as well as on media and migration.