Forum Focus: February 2022

A monthly newsletter from the National Endowment for Democracy‘s International Forum for Democratic Studies on democracy around the world; our research and convening; and how to respond to modern challenges, including transnational kleptocracy, mis- and disinformation, and rising authoritarian influence.

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EVENT: 3/2 Discussion on “An Offshore Cold War: Forging a Democratic Alliance to Combat Transnational Kleptocracy”  

Against the backdrop of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, the International Forum will host author Oliver Bullough, German Marshall Fund President Heather Conley, and NED President Damon Wilson for a conversation on Bullough’s paper for the International Forum, “An Offshore Cold War: Forging a Democratic Alliance to Combat Transnational Kleptocracy.” Bullough observes that transnational kleptocracy combines “19th-century autocracy with 21st-century finance” to empower dictators, like those in Russia, to use illicit wealth to corrode both foreign and domestic institutions. This growing threat to democracy has urgent conse­quences for national security, human rights, and development. Register to attend.

• Program Officer/Senior Program Officer: Information Integrity: The individual will facilitate convening, research, and networking in support of better equipping and connecting counter-disinformation civil society organizations around the world.
• Program Officer/Senior Program Officer: Authoritarian Influence: The individual will advance the Forum’s seminal work on sharp power in sectors including commerce, media, knowledge generation, technology, and culture and entertainment. 

latest from the power 3.0 b log: CENSORSHIP OF FOREIGN COMPANIES and THE SUMMIT FOR DEMOCRACY AMID COVID-19

The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics placed a spotlight on authoritarian censorship of foreign companies and athletes alike. In “On Thin Ice: How the World’s Companies Can Be Censored by Authoritarians,” Rachelle Faust examines how illiberal regimes draw on information manipulation tactics to “advance their preferred narratives and political agendas in settings beyond their borders.” The International Forum also compiled resources on how censorship, surveillance, and human rights intersect with the Olympic Games.

Following last year’s Summit for Democracy, Ryan Arick argues that democracies have a responsibility to stand up for democratic values and can “highlight their advantages in responding to the [COVID-19] pandemic through transparent, accountable, and effective means” to begin to rebuild democratic momentum in “A Light in the Dark: Opportunities for Strengthening Resilience in the COVID-era Between the Summits for Democracy.”

Announcing Tarek Masoud as Co-Editor of the Journal of Democracy  | JANUARY 2022 ISSUE is Now AvailabLe

Tarek Masoud has been named the new co-editor of the Journal of Democracy following Larry Diamond’s departure. Dr. Masoud, a member of the editorial board of the Journal is a professor of public policy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. The Journal also released the January 2022 issue, featuring Diamond’s final essay as coeditor alongside three short pieces on Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Russia. Several Journal authors published their research based on research in the January issue, including a Slate article on “Afghanistan Collapse Was Not Inevitable” and a Foreign Policy article on “Panama’s Success is Defying Political Science.”

Key Insights from the Sharp Power Research Portal: Ukraine

Russia’s brazen military intervention in Ukraine is the latest evolution of the Kremlin’s efforts to undermine democracy and splinter democratic unity. In the Sharp Power Research Portal, the Forum has catalogued research and reporting (in English and Russian) that captures Russia’s political and economic influence activities in Ukraine.

• In Fog of Falsehood: Russia Strategy of Deception and the Conflict in Ukraine, Katri Pynnöniemi and András Rácz detail the emergence and evolution of Russian propaganda and disinformation in Ukraine since 2014.
• Using data gathered from the Alliance for Securing Democracy’s Hamilton 2.0 Dashboard, Joseph Bodnar, Kayla Goodson, and Bret Schafer report on the present-day messaging disseminated by Russia officials and state media since November 2021.
• The Centre for Economic Strategy examines Russia’s economic footprint in Ukraine and how Russia has exploited governance gaps to exert influence through the media, political parties, and government debt.
• Peter Mandaville explores the politicization of religion in the Ukraine crisis in “How Putin Turned Religion’s ‘Sharp Power’ Against Ukraine.”

Find these and other resources in the Sharp Power Research Portal, with additional entries added each month.

REQUIRED READING FOR CHINA’s “TWO SESSIONS” IN MARCH: Sharp Power and Democratic Resilience Reports on Authoritarian Influence in the Information and Technology Sectors

China’s upcoming “Two Sessions” meetings on March 4 and 5, 2022 could produce outcomes related to increased investment in emerging technologies and a heightened emphasis on international propaganda campaigns. The International Forum’s Sharp Power and Democratic Resilience series examined how authoritarian regimes, such as the PRC, exert their influence in democratic settings. Sarah Cook claims that China’s media influence campaigns seek to promote “China as a model for governance” to countries around the world while undermining democratic integrity. In her report, Samantha Hoffman explores how the PRC leverages emerging technologies to undercut democratic stability while expanding its own influence in what she calls “tech-enhanced authoritarianism.”

What We’re Reading

• NED’s official statement in support of Ukraine following Russia’s attack.
• The Democracy Resource Center’s Democracy Today on the democratic aspirations of Ukraine and Russia’s attempts to divide and subvert.
• Christopher Walker’s remarks at the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies event “What Next? U.S.-Canadian Relationship to Confront Digital Authoritarianism.”
• Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow Senami Kojah‘s blog post for the Center for International Media Assistance entitled “The Weaponization of National Security Against Nigeria’s Free Press.”
• Kevin Sheives’ article in War on the Rocks entitled “How to Support a Global Connected Counter-Disinformation Network,” based on the International Forum’s latest collection of essays in the Global Insights series.