Weaponizing Civilizationalism for Authoritarianism : How Turkey, India, Russia, and China Challenge Liberal Democracy

This book, based on a systematic analysis of their leaders'' speeches, examines how authoritarian regimes in Turkey, India, Russia, and China strategically weaponize the concept of ''civilization'' and emotional appeal to challenge global liberal democratic norms. As the influence of liberal democracy wanes, these nations increasingly declare themselves ‘civilization-states’. By redefining national identity to include peoples living in foreign countries, justifying belligerence abroad, and perpetuating domestic oppression, these regimes position themselves as guardians of transnational peoples with unique civilizational values. This is the first book to explore how and why these regimes leverage civilization—each with its unique values and ways of organizing society—along with emotional manipulation, to reshape both domestic and international political affairs.