17/02/2026
The Istanbul Policy Center (IPC) is addressing a significant dimension of current political debates with a panel discussion titled “Authoritarianism Through Law: Global Patterns of Legalism as Governance,” to be held at IPC Karaköy on February 24th. The panel will be moderated by IPC Senior Scholar Alper Kaliber.
A striking paradox emerges in contemporary politics: instead of rejecting the rule of law, authoritarian leaders appropriate and reshape it, turning it into a tool of governance. Instead of explicitly suspending laws, courts, and constitutional order, they are transformed within the existing legal framework to consolidate political power. This trend, observed in countries like Hungary and Türkiye, will be examined from a comparative perspective in the panel.
The event will discuss how legal language and institutions are transformed into political tools; and how governments generate claims of legitimacy at both national and international levels while democratic checks and balances weaken. The transformation of law as a tool of political control will be evaluated through global patterns between democracy, hybrid regimes, and authoritarian systems.
To read the IPC Research Note titled “Political Engineering Through Law: Hungary and Beyond,” prepared by IPC Senior Scholar Alper Kaliber: https://ipc.sabanciuniv.edu/tr/search-content?type=Publication&id=4cb3ac22-801f-49f7-928b-41e2f8254056
The event will be held in English.
Please click here to register.
