Regional cooperation, once largely the preserve of democracies, is now seen in
many regions characterized by autocracy. Indeed, authoritarian leaders
increasingly cooperate regionally, above all to augment the resilience of
their regimes. While the output from this cooperation differs considerably
from liberal-democratic regionalism, the experience of European integration
nevertheless sheds light on an important underlying dynamic within this
growing autocratic cooperation. Indeed, as with early and mid-stage European
regional integration, authoritarian regionalism is driven by functional
demands arising from the limited access nature of their regimes. However,
countervailing ideational dynamics (such as the increasing salience of
identity and legitimacy issues), which affect regional cooperation, are
present in many cases. These counter-functional dynamics largely pre-date
regionalist efforts but appear to be exacerbated by regional cooperation. This
paper examines the interplay between functional demands and counter-functional
dynamics in the context of ‘protective regionalisms’ in Eurasia, the Gulf, and
West Africa. As global politics becomes more polarized, with regionalism seen
as a source of strength for authoritarian states, the dynamics and underlying
logics of such projects become increasingly important
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