AI and malevolent soft power threaten democracy
In the space of less than a decade, the world of social media has gone from being an enabler of to a threat to democracy, argues Brookings analyst Elaine Kamarck…. Read more »
Category: Analysis
How computer networking protects activists in dangerous environments: a Syrian case
One of the most significant issues facing civil society and democracy activists has been how to use digital technology to assist their movements, writes Sana Kikhia, co-founder and executive director… Read more »
Countering disinformation in the digital public sphere
The takeaway from two major hearings — one in the United Kingdom convened by legislators from nine countries, another in the U.S. Senate — is that regulators increasingly seem ready… Read more »
‘Kill the Chicken to Scare the Monkey’ – China’s sharp power at work
When I started as AFP’s bureau chief in Hong Kong in 2014, huge pro-democracy rallies known as the Umbrella Movement were erupting onto the streets, earning their name from the… Read more »
Renewing democracy – digitally
As digital technologies become increasingly ubiquitous and important parts of daily life, their downsides have become more apparent. Tech giants, including Google, Amazon, and Facebook, offer digital tools only in… Read more »
Liberation technology? Opportunities and risks for human rights defenders
In honor of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, please join us for a briefing on the future of human rights defenders hosted by the Office… Read more »
How democracy is destabilized
On Saturday, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a maverick leftist, will become president of Mexico and launch what he has called the country’s “fourth transformation.” A month later, Jair Bolsonaro, a… Read more »
Putin’s ‘masterclass in despotism’ threatens Ukraine’s fragile democracy
A Russian court has ordered several of the Ukrainian sailors who were captured by Russian coast-guard forces during a confrontation at sea off Crimea to be held in custody for… Read more »
‘Defanging’ China: how to counter Beijing’s ‘illiberal sphere of influence’
Over the course of his first five-year term, Chinese President Xi Jinping passed up repeated opportunities to avert rivalry with Washington, argues Ely Ratner, Executive Vice President and Director of Studies… Read more »
Iranian democracy: the missing catalyst
The United States and other foreign governments must strategize about the potentially potent role of Iran’s ethnic minorities, argues Brenda Shaffer, a visiting researcher and professor in Georgetown’s Center for… Read more »