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Browse resources on authoritarian sharp power and its effects on the integrity of institutions and globalized spaces.
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Publication Date: September 29, 2023
Sweden Accuses Iran of Targeted ‘Misinformation’ about Quran Burnings
Authoritarian Country: Iran, Russia
Affected Region: Europe, Sweden
Author: Seth J. Frantzman
Iran and Russia-backed disinformation campaigns have used recent Quran burnings to manipulate sentiments in Sweden. Fearing the effects of these malign efforts, the Swedish government has tasked its Agency for Psychological Defense with countering these campaigns.
Publication Date: September 28, 2023
How the People’s Republic of China Seeks to Reshape the Global Information Environment
Authoritarian Country: China
Affected Region: Global
The PRC has sought to shape the global information landscape in its favor through information manipulation, intimidation, co-opting journalists and enabling digital authoritarianism with cutting-edge technology.
Publication Date: September 26, 2023
Moldova’s President Calls Out Russian Meddling
Authoritarian Country: Russia
Affected Region: Europe, Moldova
Author: Ahshish Kumar Sen
Moldova has sought support of the EU and international community to safeguard its democratic processes against Russian subversion. Russian tactics include election interference, disinformation, and economic blackmail.
Source: Foreign Policy Research Institute
Publication Date: September 19, 2023
China’s Belt and Road Initiative: Politics Over Economics
Authoritarian Country: China
Affected Region: Global
Author: Felix K. Chang
China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been expected to enter a new phase following the PRC’s Third BRI Forum in October 2023. With over 150 countries participating in the BRI, China’s plans for its signature initiative have appeared increasingly political and less focused on infrastructure development.
Source: Power 3.0
Publication Date: September 12, 2023
Taiwan on the Frontline of China’s Information Operations
Authoritarian Country: China
Affected Region: Asia-Pacific, Taiwan
Author: Ko Shu-Ling
Within Taiwan, PRC-backed media outlets have discredited pro-independence perspectives and increased polarization through disinformation. Beijing has relied on its state agencies, Taiwanese provincial governments, commercial media, and social media to amplify these information manipulation operations.
Publication Date: September 3, 2023
Iran Gleefully Eyes the Protests in Israel, Looking for Weaknesses to Exploit
Authoritarian Country: Iran
Affected Region: Middle East and North Africa, Israel
Author: Jason M. Brodsky
In addition to violent intervention through proxy militia groups, Iran has used cyber interference to exacerbate political rifts in Israeli society and advance Iranian interests. Iran-backed disinformation campaigns have misled high-level officials and target Israelis across the political spectrum.
Source: Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Publication Date: October 31, 2023
HispanTV Is Iran’s Propaganda Arm in Latin America; Why Is It Still Being Broadcast?
Authoritarian Country: Iran
Affected Region: Latin America and the Caribbean
Author: Emanuele Ottolenghi, Marina Rosenberg
HispanTV, Iran’s Spanish-language media outlet, has spread disinformation to influence global narratives surrounding the Israel-Hamas conflict. The state of Iran has used HispanTV as a platform to defend Hamas, espouse antisemitic rhetoric, and glorify violence.
Publication Date: October 27, 2023
Russian Influence Campaigns in Latin America
Authoritarian Country: Russia
Affected Region: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Mexico, Costa Rica, Latin America and the Caribbean, Argentina, Brazil, Chile
Author: Douglas Farah and Román D. Ortiz
Since 2013, Russia has sought to undermine U.S. influence in Latin America through strategic investments and an elaborate information ecosystem, involving local institutions, media, and civil society. Persistent anti-U.S. and antidemocratic messaging are main features of the information operations.
Source: The Times
Publication Date: October 21, 2023
How Iran is Spreading Disinformation in Britain
Authoritarian Country: Iran
Affected Region: Europe, United Kingdom
Author: Fiona Hamilton, Tom Witherow
Iran has mobilized British elites, academic institutions, and social media to influence Britain’s information ecosystem surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Publication Date: October 18, 2023
Indonesia, China Vow to Expand Economic Cooperation
Authoritarian Country: China
Affected Region: Asia-Pacific, Indonesia
Author: Sebastian Strangio
The third Belt and Road Forum, in October 2023, demonstrated that many Southeast Asian leaders see China as the key to their nations’ prosperity, helping them to build infrastructure and adopt new technologies. That dependence may discourage leaders from challenging China’s anti-democratic rhetoric.
Source: New York Times
Publication Date: October 12, 2018
Museums Forced to Reassess Saudi Ties Amid Uproar Over Journalist’s Fate
Authoritarian Country: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates
Affected Region: North America, United States
Author: Robin Pogrebin, Sopan Deb
Prominent New York museums have accepted funding from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi governments, even after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and despite labor concerns in the UAE. Most museums maintained these relationships after the murder, allowing the regimes’ influence to persist unchecked.
Source: Power 3.0
Publication Date: November 21, 2023
Nepravada! Untrue! Kremlin Narratives and Social Media in Central Europe
Authoritarian Country: Russia
Affected Region: Poland, Europe, Czechia, Hungary, Slovakia
Author: Logan Petkosek
Russia has sought to reduce public support for military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine in Central Europe through state-sponsored media outlets and social media operations. Despite the varying levels of effectiveness, this has resulted in a sharp decline in support for Ukraine in Slovakia since 2022.
Source: Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project
Publication Date: November 2, 2022
Documents Reveal Wagner’s Golden Ties to Sudanese Military Companies
Authoritarian Country: Russia
Affected Region: Sub-Saharan Africa, Sudan
Author: Khadija Sharife, Lara Dihmis, Erin Klazar
Companies linked to Russia’s Wagner Group have maintained and expanded their influence in Sudan’s gold mining sector through a partnership with local military companies. In exchange for weapons and advisors, Wagner was given gold and mining rights, not subject to Western sanctions.
Publication Date: November 16, 2023
China’s Expanding Health Diplomacy in Indonesia
Authoritarian Country: China
Affected Region: Asia-Pacific, Indonesia
Author: Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat, Yeta Purnama
While the Chinese and Indonesian government began cooperating during the COVID-19 pandemic on vaccine distribution, Beijing has recently increased its investment in Indonesia’s health sector to push back against negative perceptions of China among a majority of Indonesians.
Source: China Observers in Central and Eastern Europe
Publication Date: May 4, 2022
Backing Russia on Ukraine: China’s Messaging in Central and Eastern Europe
Authoritarian Country: China
Affected Region: Slovakia, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Romania, Slovenia, Europe, Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary
Author: Ivana Karásková et. al.
PRC embassies and state-affiliated media have been promoting anti-NATO and pro-Russian narratives in nine Central and Eastern European states. The messaging is centered upon the war in Ukraine, seeking to undermine the United States, European Union, and NATO while building support for China and Russia.