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The rise of autocrats around the world is the focus of the Distinguished Professor Lecture.

Illinois State Universitys Distinguished ProfessorAli Riaz will present The Rise of AutocratsDemocratic Backsliding and the Middle Class at 5 p.m. November 9, in the Old Main Room of the Bone Student Center at Illinois State University.

Dr.Riaz notes that less than half of the global population now lives under some sort of democracy. We are witnessing the erosion, decay, and in some instances, outright collapse of democracy like never before, said Riaz, who exploresthe new middle class as a supporter of rising authoritarianism across the globe.

The event is free and open to the public.

We are witnessing the erosion, decay, and in some instances, outright collapse of democracy like never before.

Riaz is an internationally recognized expert on democratization, political Islam, violent extremism, South Asian politics, and Bangladeshi politics with a specific interest in the interaction of politics and religion. He is a nonresident senior fellow of the Atlantic Council, and thepresident of The American Institute of Bangladesh Studies (AIBS).

Testifying twice before the U.S. Congress, Riaz has served as an expert and consultant to national and international organizations and governments, including theNationalEndowmentforDemocracyin Washington, D.C.; theInternational Expert Network on Islamism of the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs;the Bertelsmann Foundation of Germany;Woodrow Wilson InternationalCenter;and the Conflict Prevention and Peace Forum of the Social Science Research Council of the U.S.A.

Among his many scholarly works, Riazhas penned and/or editedReligion and Politics in South Asia(2021),Voting in a Hybrid Regime: Explaining the 2018 Bangladeshi Elections(2019),Political Violence in South Asia,Lived Islam and Islamism in Bangladesh(2017), andBangladesh: A Political History Since Independence(2016).His other notable works include:God Willing: The Politics of Islamism in Bangladesh(2004),Faithful Education: Madrassahs in South Asia(2008),Islamist Militancy in Bangladesh: A Complex Web(2008), andIslam and Identity Politics Among British-Bangladeshis: A Leap of Faith(2013).

Riazscommentary is oftensoughtby national media, with hisexpertiseappearing in Deutsche Welle(DW), CNN,The Economist,The Daily Star(Bangladesh),TRT (Turkey), andThe New York Timesamong others.

Those with questionson the lecture can emailjadarga@ilstu.edu.

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Eroding democracy and the rise of autocrats: Distinguished Professor Lecture, November 9 - Illinois State University News