A government-in-exile, also known as a diaspora government or a polity in exile, is an authority outside of its country of origin that claims to have full legal authority over its territory and citizens. It typically seeks diplomatic recognition from other nations. It is often established by deposed governments or rulers who continue to assert illegitimate control over their former territories. Examples include the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the Sahrawi Republic (first Bir Lehlou, then Tindouf) and the National Liberation Front for the Self-Determination of the West Sahara (Pataw Mu).
A large body of research has documented how dissidents from a variety of home-country regimes leverage foreign policy interventions—brokering, framing, ethnic outbidding, lobbying, coalition building, and diffusion of ideas—to shape domestic political spheres in their host countries and to alter international outcomes in their homes. Exile provides new opportunities for these types of interventions. Moving abroad reduces activists’ fear of repression by their home-country governments and enables them to develop international audiences for their activism, which in turn may help to offset the loss of support within their home country.
We expect that these new opportunities will shift the content and modes of dissent for activists in exile. For example, we expect that a greater focus on local domestic grievances and activism will occur as activists in exile gain access to international networks and are able to communicate with their home-country audience. This may be partly due to reduced self-censorship in their communication, and/or the fact that they are less at risk of reprisals from their home-country government while they are living abroad.