Book Talk- Up in Arms: How Military Aid Stabilizes - and Destabilizes - Foreign Autocrats

 

Throughout the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union competed to prop up friendly dictatorships abroad. Today, it is commonly assumed that this military aid enabled the survival of allied autocrats. Up in Arms (Basic Books, 2024) rebuts the received wisdom: aid to autocracies often backfired during the Cold War. Despite billions poured into friendly regimes, US-backed dictators lasted in power no longer than those without outside help. In fact, American aid often unintentionally destabilized autocratic regimes. The United States encouraged foreign regimes to establish strong, independent armies like its own, but those armies often went on to lead coups themselves. By contrast, the Soviets promoted the subordination of the army to the ruling regime, neutralizing the threat of military takeover. It is subservient militaries, not outside aid, that helps autocrats maintain power. In an era of renewed great power competition, Up in Arms offers insights into the unforeseen consequences of overseas meddling, revealing how military aid can help pull dictators down as often as it props them up.  

 

ABOUT THE SPEAKER   

 

Adam E. Casey is a former research fellow at the University of Michigan's Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies (2020-2023). He received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Toronto in 2020, and he was a fellow at the Trudeau Centre for Peace, Conflict and Justice at the Munk School in 2019. Dr. Casey's book, Up in Arms: How Military Aid Stabilizes - and Destabilizes - Foreign Autocrats, was published by Basic Books in 2024. His work has been published in World Politics, Post-Soviet Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and the Washington Post.