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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: August 18, 2023
Geopolitical Surprise In The Caucasus: Georgia Declares A Strategic Partnership With China
Authoritarian Country: China
Affected Region: Eurasia, Georgia
Author: Beka Chedia
Georgia has forged a strategic partnership with China after years of closeness with Western partners. China’s increasing influence in Georgia, particularly through investment in key strategic infrastructure, threatens Georgian democracy and the potential for rapprochement with NATO.
Publication Date: August 11, 2023
‘It’s Not a Fad’: the Truth Behind Saudi Arabia’s Dizzying Investment in Sport
Authoritarian Country: Saudi Arabia
Affected Region: North America, United States, Europe, United Kingdom, Global
Author: Paul MacInnes
Saudi Arabia is investing heavily in sports to bolster the country’s international image while advancing domestic development goals. Activists and experts warn that the Saudi government is “sportswashing” to distract from recent human rights abuses.
Source: Centro Latinoamericano de Investigación Periodística
Publication Date: August 6, 2023
Rosatom, Russia’s Nuclear Agency, and its Information Strategy to Win Bids in Latin America
Authoritarian Country: Russia
Affected Region: Latin America and the Caribbean, Bolivia, Nicaragua
Author: Pablo Medina et. al.
As Russia’s nuclear agency, Rosatom, ramped up investment in Latin America, leaders signed agreements to strengthen their “digital communications strategies” and Russia-positive content has begun to appear in local media. Rosatom’s consultants have also intervened to sway local election results.
Source: New York Times
Publication Date: August 4, 2023
How a U.S. Tech Mogul Used Nonprofits to Sow Chinese Propaganda
Authoritarian Country: China
Affected Region: United Kingdom, Latin America and the Caribbean, Brazil, South Africa, Zambia, Ghana, Sub-Saharan Africa, North America, United States, Europe
Author: Mara Hvistendahl et. al.
An American donor with ties to Chinese state media has funneled money through nonprofit organizations to ultimately promote Chinese talking points within leftist activist groups, think tanks and media outlets worldwide.
Publication Date: June 19, 2023
Almost 400 Websites Spread Russian Propaganda in Bulgaria
Authoritarian Country: Russia
Affected Region: Europe, Bulgaria
Author: Krassen Nikolov
Bulgaria has seen a rapid growth in Russian propaganda over the past year, spreading disinformation and fake news through a network of growing mushroom sites, or websites created by malicious actors to project disinformation.
Publication Date: May 30, 2023
The Meat Magnate Who Pushed Putin’s Agenda in Germany
Authoritarian Country: Russia
Affected Region: Europe, Germany
Author: Tassilo Hummel, Polina Nikolskaya, Mari Saito, Maria Tsvetkova, Anton Zverev
Ties between a German national soccer team and Russia’s state-owned gas company contributed to a blossoming relationship between the two countries. Foreign investment across Russian and German enterprises facilitated the spread of Russian influence and improved public opinion about Russia in Germany.
Source: Deutsche Welle
Publication Date: April 25, 2023
Sudan: Russia’s Wagner Group and the Grab for Power and Gold
Authoritarian Country: Russia
Affected Region: Sub-Saharan Africa, Sudan
Author: Philip Obaji Jr.
Russia used the Wagner Group to gain control of key gold and mining companies linked to the Sudanese military. In exchange, Wagner provided Sudanese paramilitary groups with the training and weapons to suppress democratic dissent.
Source: New York Times
Publication Date: April 22, 2023
Chinese Censorship is Quietly Rewriting the Covid-19 Story
Authoritarian Country: China
Affected Region: Global
Author: Mara Kvistendahl, Benjamin Mueller
Beijing has attempted to shape global discourse around the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic by exploiting the editorial process in scientific journals. Chinese researchers retracted significant and important data from international journals that indicates a pattern of censorship from the government.
Publication Date: April 20, 2023
China Strikes Energy Deals as its Clout Grows in Middle East
Authoritarian Country: China
Affected Region: Middle East and North Africa, Qatar
Author: Sha Hua
Beijing announced new deals to invest in Qatari liquid natural gas operations and Iraqi oil as it attempted to translate its Gulf commercial interests into regional influence.
Publication Date: April 20, 2023
Kremlin Tries to Build Antiwar Coalition in Germany, Documents Show
Authoritarian Country: Russia
Affected Region: Europe, Germany
Author: Catherine Belton et. al
The Kremlin used lavish trips and financial support to elevate pro-Russian voices on Ukraine in German far-right and far-left political parties. The goal was to promote pro-Russian views on Ukraine within the German public and dissuade further German assistance to Ukraine.
Publication Date: April 17, 2023
Russian Memo Said War Leaves Moscow Too Reliant on Chinese Tech
Authoritarian Country: China
Affected Region: Eurasia, Russia
Author: Alberto Nardelli
Despite their ‘no limits partnership’, Russian technology officials have worried that Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine leave Moscow overly dependent on Chinese companies like Huawei. Even between close allies, the Kremlin fears that Chinese tech dominance can compromise internal security.
Source: The Freedom Initiative
Publication Date: April 16, 2023
In the Shadows of Authoritarianism
Authoritarian Country: Saudi Arabia
Affected Region: North America, United States
Author: TFI Staff
Saudi Arabia routinely threatened citizens living abroad in the United States in instances of blatant transnational repression. Saudis in the U.S. reported that digital surveillance, harassment, threats in Saudi media, and lawsuits in American courts were used to silence their criticism.
Publication Date: April 12, 2023
Glory to Putin: How Pro-Russian Narratives Spread in Africa
Authoritarian Country: Russia
Affected Region: Sub-Saharan Africa
Author: International NYT
The Kremlin used a variety of tactics to spread disinformation about the war in Ukraine in Africa, including propaganda from RT and Sputnik and partnerships with local media. Russian operatives have exploited anti-colonial sentiment to increase the divide between Africans and the West.
Publication Date: April 2, 2023
Saudi Arabia to Invest $38 Billion in Gaming
Authoritarian Country: Saudi Arabia
Affected Region: Global
Author: Cecilia D’Anastasio
Saudi Arabia announced a large new investment in the video gaming sector, prompting accusations that it had been using its foray into popular entertainment to distract international observers from its abysmal human rights record.
Publication Date: March 27, 2023
A Mezze: Saudi Arabia’s New Anime Journey
Authoritarian Country: Saudi Arabia
Affected Region: Middle East and North Africa
Saudi state-owned enterprises are investing in new Japanese-style anime due to the popularity of the genre among Saudis and Arabs across the Middle East. The investments raise questions of the Saudi state’s desire to the genre to control the narratives conveyed through Arabic-language anime.