Power 3.0: Understanding Modern Authoritarian Influence - Exploring how savvy authoritarian governments survive and thrive in a globalized information age, and the ways that democracies are contending with this challenge.

Disinformation’s Role in Brazil’s January 8 Insurrection and Next Steps for a Societal Response

February 23, 2023

Disinformation’s Role in Brazil’s January 8 Insurrection and Next Steps for a Societal Response

By Roberta Braga

Broken glass, destroyed offices, and vandalized artwork littered Brazilian government buildings after January 8th. How did Brazil get here? In part, this story is not just about polarization, but about how disinformation spread into the roots of the Brazilian polity.

In...

Digitalization and Democracy in Mauritius: A Conversation with Roukaya Kasenally

February 2, 2023

Digitalization and Democracy in Mauritius: A Conversation with Roukaya Kasenally

In 2016, Mauritius announced the launch of a “safe city” project—a public-security initiative deploying cameras and other advanced digital technologies from the controversial PRC-based vendor Huawei. Shrouded in opacity and set up outside standard oversight mechanisms, the project raises the specter...

Putting a Thumb on the Market: The Rise of State-Aligned Platforms from Repressive Contexts

January 17, 2023

Putting a Thumb on the Market: The Rise of State-Aligned Platforms from Repressive Contexts

By Allie Funk

Discontent with Elon Musk’s Twitter has led many to seek out an alternative. Some rushed to Mastodon, while over 500,000 Brazilians flocked to the India-based Koo over two days in November....

Kleptocratic Networks in Angola: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back? A Conversation with Rafael Marques

January 17, 2023

Kleptocratic Networks in Angola: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back? A Conversation with Rafael Marques

Angola has long been ranked among the most corrupt countries in the world. Although many hoped the Southern African country would improve its good governance and human rights record when long-time autocrat Jose dos Santos stepped down, deep kleptocratic networks persist. In this episode of the Power...

Turning the Tables on Russian Disinformation in Ukraine: A Conversation with Jakub Kalenský

December 7, 2022

Turning the Tables on Russian Disinformation in Ukraine: A Conversation with Jakub Kalenský

Like other autocratic actors, the Kremlin deploys disinformation to confuse the public, attract allies, escape accountability, and strengthen its hold on power. Yet a documented intensification of disinformation operations around the invasion of Ukraine has failed to sway Ukrainians,...