Author: Marie-Eve Desrosiers | Journal of Democracy

Marie-Eve Desrosiers is the chairholder of the International Francophonie Research Chair on Political Aspirations and Movements in Francophone Africa and professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa.

April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2

The Rise of Authoritarian Middle Powers

Nic Cheeseman
Marie-Eve Desrosiers

The world’s “middle powers” were once bastions of defense for a liberal rules-based international order. But no more. A new kind of authoritarian middle power has emerged, undermining democratic norms and safeguards.