Christian Gläßel

Dr. Christian Gläßel is a postdoctoral researcher at the Hertie School's Centre for International Security and principal investigator of the German Research Foundation (DFG)-funded project 'The Anatomy of the Authoritarian Security Apparatus' (AASAP). He holds a PhD from the Mannheim Graduate School of Economic and Social Sciences (2020), recognized with the Lorenz von Stein Prize for his work on subversion, repression, and regime stability.

• Previously: Lecturer at University of Mannheim, researcher in the ERC project 'Repression and the Escalation of Violence', and substitute Professor of International Political Studies at Witten/Herdecke University (2022).
• Research Focus: Authoritarian politics, dictatorial regime mechanics, autocratization processes, and information manipulation strategies.

His work explores how authoritarian regimes consolidate power, including studies on sportswashing (e.g., Qatar World Cup analysis) and the human costs of authoritarian soft power. Publications appear in top journals like the American Journal of Political Science and American Political Science Review.

• Awards: APSA Best Article Award (Democracy and Autocracy Section), Lorenz von Stein Prize.
• Funding: DFG AASAP project, ERC and Collaborative Research Center grants.