Stephen Hall will analyse the role of authoritarian learning in the survival of autocracies in the region and how Russia's full-scale invasion may change the dynamics of cooperation and learning from Russia as the regional hegemon. Russia's aggression, its diplomatic isolation, sanctions and increasing Western support for nascent democracies in the region has likely pushed local Russian allies Armenia, Belarus and Kazakhstan to seek alternatives away from Russia. This paper analyses the development of authoritarian learning away from dependency on Russia using the above three case studies.
