August 2021

New Report: A Full-Spectrum Response to Sharp Power

As globalization deepens integration between democracies and autocracies, the compromising effects of sharp power—which impairs free expression, neutralizes independent institutions, and distorts the political environment—have grown apparent across crucial sectors of open societies. To examine these trends, the International Forum published the final report in its Sharp Power and Democratic Resilience series entitled “A Full-Spectrum Response to Sharp Power: The Vulnerabilities and Strengths of Open Societies.” The report, authored by Christopher Walker and Jessica Ludwig, focuses on the serious vulnerabilities that have emerged to pivotal institutions related to information and ideas, commerce, media, and technology, and offers recommendations for open societies to respond.

To launch the final report in the series, the International Forum held a public event entitled “A Full-Spectrum Response to Sharp Power: The Vulnerabilities and Strengths of Open Societies.” Moderated by Jessica Ludwig, the event featured authors from the series, including Nadège Rolland, Edward Lucas, and Nicholas D. Wright. In advance of the report launch, Christopher Walker and Jessica Ludwig published an article in Foreign Affairs entitled “The Long Arm of the Strongman: How China and Russia Use Sharp Power to Threaten Democracies,” which details how Beijing and Moscow have adapted and modernized tactics of domestic and global repression.

  NEW REPORT: “Paying for a World Class Affiliation“            

In a recent report entitled “Paying for a World Class Affiliation: Reputation Laundering in the University Sector of Open Societies” Alexander Cooley, Tena Prelec, John Heathershaw, and Tom Mayne analyze how rapid globalization in the university sector allows malign actors to use funding and donations to higher education institutions as a means to launder kleptocrats’ reputations and blur the illicit nature of their wealth. The report was referenced by The Times (UK).

Power 3.0 Podcast: “Containing COVID-19 Disinformation“

The International Forum interviewed leading experts Vladimir Rouvinski, Renee DiResta, and Will Moy about the challenges that disinformation poses to a democratic information space and strategies that state actors, civil society, and tech platforms may use to respond. These experts also provided analysis on how COVID-19 has affected the information space in “COVID-19 and the Information Space: Boosting the Democratic Response.”

International Forum Q&A: Lisa-Maria Neudert on “Civil Society Responses to Disinformation” 

The International Forum interviewed Lisa-Maria Neudert on how a network of 175 global civil society organizations can combat mis- and disinformation, which is the focus of an International Forum working paper coauthored with Samantha Bradshaw entitled “The Road Ahead: Mapping Civil Society Responses to Disinformation.”

Power 3.0: “Using the Truth to Tell a Lie: Authoritarian COVID-19 Vaccine Mal-Information Strategies“

In a Power 3.0 Blog post entitled “Using the Truth to Tell a Lie: Authoritarian Covid-19 Vaccine Mal-Information Strategies,” Jessica Brandt and Bret Schafer document how state actors in Moscow, Beijing, and Tehran have leveraged public diplomacy, propaganda, and disinformation efforts to promote the narrative that their domestic COVID-19 responses as superior to those of the West.

July 2021 Issue of the Journal of Democracy:
Latin America Erupts

The Journal of Democracy published its July 2021 issue, featuring analysis on Latin America’s political upheaval in the wake of protests by citizens weary of corruption, inequality, and rising crime. It also includes former Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow Péter Krekó‘s essay on how autocracies are less powerful than their propaganda portrays them to be.

         Power 3.0: “Nothing to See Here: Transnational                 Repression and Authoritarian Image Management” 

Alexander Dukalskis analyzed how state actors have used transnational repression to intimidate and silence opponents abroad in a Power 3.0 Blog post entitled “Nothing to See Here: Transnational Repression and Authoritarian Image Management.” Dukalskis examined the ways in which autocrats use repression as a means of reputation management alongside propaganda strategies.

Opinion: “Authoritarian States Are Using COVID Vaccines to Subvert Democracy” by Kevin Sheives and Ryan Arick

In an opinion piece for Nikkei Asia, Kevin Sheives and Ryan Arick of the International Forum identified four patterns in authoritarian vaccine diplomacy around the world: they spread outright disinformation about Western vaccines, prioritize being first over being trustworthy, target political elite networks for early access, and secure unrelated political interests in exchange for vaccines.

“The independent civil society sector, which authoritarians view as a weak point, should be recognized as one of democracy’s great strengths and mobilized accordingly.”

– Christopher Walker and Jessica Ludwig in “A Full-Spectrum Response to Sharp Power”

MORE FROM THE FORUM

• Christopher Walker and Jessica Ludwig appeared on the Voice of America’s podcast entitled “Press Conference USA” to discuss the adverse impact of sharp power on democratic institutions.
• On June 29, International Forum Senior Program Officer Melissa Aten moderated a public discussion entitled “Reputation Laundering and Universities: Implications for Democracy and Freedom of Expression,” featuring comments from Alexander Cooley, John Heathershaw, Tom Mayne, and Tena Prelec.
• The National Endowment for Democracy and the International Forum for Democratic Studies is pleased to welcome former Ugandan opposition leader and member of Parliament Winnie Kiiza as a Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow.
• Lily Sabol and Ryan Arick of the International Forum published a Power 3.0 Blog post entitled “The School of Hard Knocks: Kleptocratic Reputation Laundering and Universities” that analyzed the opportunities available for kleptocrats to use Western universities as an avenue for reputation laundering.
• International Forum Associate Director Kevin Sheives presented remarks for the Political Capital Institute’s event entitled “Human Rights or Economic Ties: What Does the EU Want from China?”
• International Forum Senior Program Officer Jessica Ludwig participated in a Spanish-language webinar on “Desinformación: El gran desafío de las comisiones electorales” organized by Transparencia Electoral (Argentina).
• The International Forum launched a Spanish-language translation of Sarah Cook’s report in the Sharp Power and Democratic Resilience series, entitled “La impronta mediática de China en el mundo: Respuestas democráticas para la expansión de influencia autoritaria.”
• The International Forum’s Democracy Resource Center published its Fall 2021 Reading List, which includes new books and digital reports to the library.
• The International Forum for Democratic Studies is hiring! We are seeking candidates for a Program Officer focused on the Information Space. For more information, please visit the NED website.

“Openness must begin within universities; staff and students should be involved in the process of decision making about gifts before they are accepted.”

– Alexander Cooley, Tena Prelec, John Heathershaw, and Tom Mayne in “Paying for a World Class Affiliation“

what’s on our radar

• The Center for International Media Assistance‘s report entitled “United by Challenge: Regional Opportunities to Drive Media Reform in Southeast Europe”
• The Sentry’s report entitled “Shadows and Shell Games: Uncovering an Offshore Business Empire in Zimbabwe”
• A newly launched project from OCCRP and 17 partner organizations, along with Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International, entitled the Pegasus Project
• A report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute entitled “Mapping China’s Tech Giants: Reining in China’s Technology Giants”
• The International Federation of Journalists‘ new report ‘The China Story: Reshaping the World’s Media”
• A Brookings policy brief entitled “Countering Disinformation and Protecting Democratic Communication on Encrypted Messaging Applications”
• The China Observers in Central and Eastern Europe (CHOICE) network’s report entitled “China’s ‘Digital Silk Road’ Enters the Western Balkans”
• The National Democratic Institute’s white paper entitled “5G and the Future Internet: Implications for Developing Democracies and Human Rights”