University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation

Over the last few decades, the number and influence of regional international organizations (RIOs) with powerful authoritarian members have been on the rise, helping stall democratization and preserve autocratic regimes. This paper, the first in an IGCC series on authoritarian international organizations, charts the growth of authoritarian RIOs since the end of World War II to present day and analyzes their pathways for influence, including through election monitoring, peacekeeping, and development assistance. It concludes by exploring the implications for U.S. foreign policy, including how the United States can build coalitions of its own; whether (or not) the United States should engage with certain authoritarian RIOs; and why the United States should be cautious when partnering with certain regional organizations.