Search Results for: Georgia

Self-regulating democracy – declared moribund, may be more resilient

     

Democracy, repeatedly declared moribund by schadenfreudian pundits, may be more resilient than some acknow­ledge, notes Steven Pinker, the Johnstone Professor of Psychology at Harvard University and the author of 10… Read more »

Despotic Data: Autocrats winning online fight of open vs. closed societies?

     

A critical differentiator between traditional media and social media is how ‘targetcasting‘ is available only to a specific audience. Such secret targeting tears at the fabric of democracy, says Tom Wheeler, a… Read more »

A new infrastructure of democracy? Open societies’ resilience is strategic priority

     

Had Ronald Reagan’s Westminster speech merely articulated the case for democracy, it would be remembered as one of many well-written and inspiring presidential addresses. It was, on the contrary, much… Read more »

Online techniques & social media business model distorting democratic process

     

The business model of social media makes the algorithmic amplification of messages like hate speech and disinformation a lucrative proposition and a destabilizing force in a democratic society, the International… Read more »

Poland’s populist win calls into question liberal democrats’ received wisdom

     

  Last Sunday’s Polish parliamentary elections provide political lessons that go well beyond Poland’s borders. The elections disprove important received wisdom about far-right and populist politics, and the results should… Read more »

Moscow Protests’ Rare Show of Defiance & Solidarity – A New Reality for Putin’s Russia?

     

A growing number of Russian entertainers on Tuesday joined in a rare show of defiance and solidarity, in support of an actor who they say was wrongfully convicted of resisting… Read more »

Disinformation: Countering malign influence of autocrats – and Big Tech?

     

The European Union may need “broader rules to make sure that the way companies collect and use data doesn’t harm the fundamental values of our society,” tech czar Margrethe Vestager,… Read more »

Hong Kong: China’s accusations of foreign influence echo authoritarian playbook

     

China has a long history of blaming “foreign forces” for challenges it has faced internally, including the Tiananmen Square protests 30 years ago. But the depth and ferocity of China’s… Read more »

Disinformation catalyzing spread of authoritarianism worldwide

     

Seeking to find a way to wrest control of the narrative, Beijing has stepped up its efforts to sow discord and disinformation about the months-long Hong Kong protests through some… Read more »

Is Russia’s ‘new civic activism’ testing Putin’s grip on power?

     

  More people in Russia view the late Brezhnev era of the Soviet Union as “close to the people” than they do President Vladimir Putin’s Russia, according to a survey… Read more »