You are cordially invited to a lecture and discussion led by Prof. Alexander Cooley

Director, Harriman Institute, Columbia University

'Nowhere to Hide? The Rise of Transnational Repression and the Growing Reach of Autocrats'

on Wednesday, November 3rd, 6.00 pm

@ the Institute of International Relations, Panteion University

[3, Hill st. Athens 10558]

Guests are kindly invited to arrive by 6.00 pm, so that the lecture can start at 6.15 pm.

After the discussion, all participants are invited to catch up sharing cheese and wine at the Panteion porch.

The forced landing in May 2021 of a Ryanair flight by Belorusian authorities and coerced detention of a passenger who was a dissent journalist has spotlighted the practice of transnational repression- the targeting of political exiles and opposition figures abroad by authoritarians and their security services. Belorusian President Lukashenko’s brash act was referred to as a modern act of “state-sponsored” hijack and prompted the EU to impose sanctions on Belarus, even while Russian President Vladimir Putin openly supported the action. However, transnational repression is a practice that is increasingly common, perpetrated not just by Russia and China across Eurasia, but also by smaller and middling powers including Rwanda and Turkey, whose autocratic governments feel increasingly emboldened to target diaspora communities, exiled dissidents and overseas journalists. Why are these acts of transnational repression increasing in spaces like the European Union once considered absolutely safe and why has the international community failed to develop an effective response? Please join us for a conversation led by Alexander Cooley, the Claire Tow Professor of Political Science at Barnard College and Director of Columbia University’s Harriman Institute.

Alexander Cooley is Director of Columbia University's Harriman Institute<https://harriman.columbia.edu/> for the Study of Russia, Eurasia and East Europe and the Claire Tow Professor of Political Science at Barnard College<https://polisci.barnard.edu/>. Cooley's research is on the international relations and global governance of Eurasia, with a focus on how different great powers compete for influence across the region. His seven academic books include Dictators without Borders: Power and Money in Central Asia <https://www.alexanderacooley.com/books/dictators-without-borders> (Yale University Press 2017), co-authored with John Heathershaw, and most recently, Exit from Hegemony: the Unravelling of the American Global Order<https://www.alexanderacooley.com/books/exiting-from-hegemony> (Oxford University Press, 2020), co-authored with Daniel Nexon. In addition to his academic research, Professor Cooley works with a range of non-for-profit organizations and international donors engaged with the region and has testified for the United States Congress and Helsinki Commission. Cooley's opinion pieces have appeared in New York Times,<https://www.nytimes.com/search?query=Alexander%20Cooley&sort=best> Foreign Policy<https://foreignpolicy.com/author/alexander-cooley/> and Foreign Affairs<https://www.foreignaffairs.com/authors/alexander-cooley>. Cooley earned both his MA and Ph.D. (1999) from Columbia University.

Kindly note that:

• Masks are mandatory for guests at all times in indoor space
• Guests should keep distances in indoor and outdoor areas
• Also, due to Covid restrictions at Panteion University, only a limited number of guests will be allowed, and they will be chosen on a first register, first serve basis. Should your plans change and you are unable to come, please make sure you cancel your participation through the link provided in the email you will receive upon registering. This will allow additional members to enjoy the lecture.