A new study co-authored by Postdoctoral Researcher Christian Gläßel maps decades of contracts revealing when and why authoritarian regimes turn to Western PR firms to influence US elites and public opinion.
Published in Security Studies, the study – “Dictatorships and Western Public Relations Firms: Evidence from the United States” – provides the first systematic insight into the role of foreign PR support in authoritarian image management. Drawing on over 7,000 contracts between US-based PR and lobbying firms and dictatorships from 1945 to 2022, the authors show that such collaborations have grown dramatically – rising fivefold since 1940 – allowing even the most repressive regimes to present themselves as modern, stable, and legitimate global actors.
In a companion blog post for The Loop, Gläßel, along with co-authors Alexander Dukalskis and Adam Scharpf, explore why PR firms in democratic countries continue to work for brutal regimes – and what democratic societies can do to stop it. They identify three key motivations:
- Highlighting achievements – Authoritarian governments often seek PR boosts ahead of major international events such as the World Cup or the Olympics. The authors cite Beijing, which invested heavily in promoting China and sidelining critics before the 2008 Summer and 2022 Winter Games. In 2021, the Chinese consulate in New York hired a firm to pay influencers to highlight the Olympics, Beijing’s culture, and positive China–US relations.
- Countering critics – Autocracies use PR support to deflect international criticism and manage reputational risks as repression intensifies. In 2012, as Bashar al-Assad’s government suppressed domestic dissent in Syria, it hired firms including Bell Pottinger and BLJ to portray the regime and the Assad family as modern and stable - even securing coverage in outlets such as Vogue.
- Stabilising support – During periods of domestic unrest, PR campaigns help maintain international political and financial backing. Following his 2013 coup, Egypt’s Abdel Fattah al-Sisi engaged a Washington-based firm to project stability and secure continued political and military support.
To curb these practices, the authors call for improved transparency and stricter ethical standards. Registers like the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) should actively record influence efforts, and regulators must close loopholes that allow firms to evade reporting. Greater transparency provides crucial information for oversight and accountability, as illustrated by recent legal cases involving PR work for Qatar’s 2022 World Cup. At the same time, the authors argue that stronger ethical standards are needed to prevent/discourage PR firms from accepting authoritarian business, as current guidelines remain too permissive.
Read the authors’ full study in Security Studies here.
Read the authors’ accompanying blog post in The Loop here.
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