S1 Episode 13: “Sports and Autocrats”

Show notes

Dr. Christian Gläßel, postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for International Security at the Hertie School, and Dr. Adam Scharpf, incoming assistant professor at the Department of Political Science at the University of Copenhagen, both experts on authoritarian regimes, join Dr. Katharina Emschermann, Deputy Director at the Centre, to talk about “sportswashing”, i.e. the instrumentalization of sports, in light of the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing and the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. They discuss:

• the scrutiny-publicity dilemma autocrats face when hosting international sports events,
• how the Argentine military junta disappeared and killed opponents before the 1978 World Cup,
• what the events of ‘78 tell us about today, and
• the implications for politicians, functionaries and sponsors.

Bibliography:

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