Was the Arab Spring a Black Swan event?

     

The Arab Spring surely satisfies the three criteria for a black swan event: surprising, historically consequential, and rationalized by hindsight, notes the World Bank’s Elena Ianchovichina, author of Eruptions of… Read more »

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Democratization of information empowers hostile states and non-state actors

     

A major foundation will commit $10 million over the next two years toward addressing the challenges that digital disinformation poses for democracy. Focusing primarily on the role of social media, the… Read more »

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Is Russia part of a new ‘axis of evil’?

     

Newly-appointed National Security adviser John Bolton laid out his proposed strategy to respond to Russia’s “unacceptable” meddling in the 2016 presidential election and to Russian aggression around the world, speaking last month… Read more »

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Why democracy assistance is not election meddling: distinguish support from sabotage

     

Some observers have argued that election “meddling” by Russia and other authoritarian regimes is acceptable because “everyone does it,” drawing a false comparison with democracy assistance. But advancing democracy has… Read more »

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West & Russia on brink of new Cold War?

     

There’s a fundamental flaw in the Russian propaganda narrative about the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the U.K. earlier this month, Bloomberg’s Leonid Bershidsky writes:… Read more »

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‘Information statecraft’: authoritarian attack on discursive space reshaping conflict

     

As artificial intelligence is increasingly integrated into digital advertising, disinformation operations and legitimate political communications will gradually become concerted, automatic and seamless, argues Dipayan Ghosh, a fellow at New America… Read more »

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In new era of strategic competition, China’s autocracy at odds with democracy

     

China’s model, which has brought more people out of poverty faster than any other system in history, continues to flourish, argues Wall Street executive Steven Rattner, a counselor in the… Read more »

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After Egypt’s election charade, what next?

     

Turnout appeared low on Tuesday as Egyptians voted on the second day of an election that President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi is virtually certain to win, after all serious rivals were either… Read more »

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Has U.S. lost its ‘power of inspiration’ as a model of democracy?

     

The violent collapse of the Arab Spring has damaged the cause of liberal politics not just in the Middle East, but around the world. Strongman leaders are back in fashion… Read more »

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