Sheena Chestnut Greitens

About the Author

Sheena Chestnut Greitens is a distinguished scholar and expert on authoritarian regimes, state coercion, and international security, with a focus on how dictators maintain power through institutional mechanisms. She holds the Ramona and Ray A. Rothrock '77 Distinguished Professorship in Government at the University of Texas at Austin, where she also directs the William P. Hobby Democracy Institute. Her research bridges political science and policy, examining the dynamics of repression, surveillance, and foreign interventions in autocratic states. Greitens has advised U.S. government agencies and think tanks, contributing to discussions on global democracy and human rights. Her work illuminates the hidden structures of state violence, offering critical insights for policymakers and academics alike.