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Article summary:

1. The consensus about liberal democracy as the “only game in town” has begun to unravel, with contestation over the dominant liberal democratic script coming from within and outside the West.

2. The literature on the impact of international actors on political change in the European neighbourhood has focused narrowly on Western actors, while the role of illiberal powers in undermining democracy support or directly strengthening authoritarian rule has featured less in the academic debate.

3. This special issue aims to move beyond this narrow focus by examining how ideas related to both liberal and illiberal actors travel across borders and affect societal notions about legitimate political authority in different domestic settings.

Article analysis:

The article is generally reliable and trustworthy, providing a comprehensive overview of the current state of research on norm diffusion and norm contestation in the European neighbourhood. It is well-researched and provides a balanced view of both Western and non-Western actors, noting that non-democratic regional powers are unlikely keen to promote autocracy intentionally even though “autocracy strengthening” might be the consequence of their behaviour. The article does not present any one-sided reporting or unsupported claims, nor does it contain any promotional content or partiality towards either side. All potential risks are noted, with both sides being presented equally. The only potential issue is that some counterarguments may have been unexplored; however, this does not detract from the overall reliability of the article.