• TECHNOLOGY & CONFLICTMemes and Conflict: Study Shows Surge of Imagery and Fakes Can Precede International and Political Violence

    By Tim Weninger and Ernesto Verdeja

    The widespread use of social media during times of political trouble and violence has made it harder to prevent conflict and build peace.

  • THE RUSSIA CONNECTIONWhat Happened to Putin’s Friends? How Europe’s Radical Right Navigated the Ukraine Crisis on Social Media

    By Chendi Wang and Argyrios Altiparmakis

    Russia’s invasion of Ukraine created a dilemma for European radical right parties: these parties had cultivated friendly ties with Vladimir Putin. An analysis of a decade of Facebook posts reveals how these parties strategically managed their communications to avoid the political fallout while maintaining their Eurosceptic agenda.

  • CYBERSECURITYTrump Is Shifting Cybersecurity to the States, but Many Aren’t Prepared

    By Madyson Fitzgerald

    President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order which substantially reduced the role of the federal government in securing elections, health care, and critical infrastructure against cyberattacks by state actors and cybercriminals. The responsibility of for protection has been shifyed to states and localities, but only 22 of 48 states in a Nationwide Cybersecurity Review met recommended security levels. Moreover, Trump’s funding cuts will make it more difficult for states to bolster their cyber defenses.

  • DATA PROTECTIONProtecting Americans’ Sensitive Data from Foreign Adversaries

    Last week DOJ took steps to move forward with implementing a program to prevent China, Russia, Iran, and other foreign adversaries from using commercial activities to access and exploit U.S. government-related data and Americans’ sensitive personal data to commit espionage and economic espionage, conduct surveillance and counterintelligence activities, and otherwise undermine our national security.

  • CHINA WATCHChina Targets Canada’s Election—and May Be Targeting Australia’s

    By Fitriani and Nira Calwyn

    Following Canadian authorities’ discovery of a Chinese information operation targeting their country’s election, Australians, too, should beware such risks. In fact, there are already signs that Beijing is interfering in campaigning for the Australian election to be held on 3 May.

  • CYBERSECURITYExperts Explain Signal, Cybersecurity, and How a Journalist Was Sent High-Level Military Intelligence

    “The practice of not using SCIFs (Secure Compartmented Information Facilities) for the planning and implementation of conflict with a foreign state is an egregious breach of national security protocols,” said Virginia Tech’s cybersecurity expert Aron Brantly. “That the principals group was using this as a means of communications is a profound violation of US classification laws and standards and constitutes a grave threat to U.S. national security.”

  • FOREIGN INTERFERENCEKinetic Operations Bring Authoritarian Violence to Democratic Streets

    By Etienne Soula and Lea George

    Foreign interference in democracies has a multifaceted toolkit. In addition to information manipulation, the tactical tools authoritarian actors use to undermine democracy include cyber operations, economic coercion, malign finance, and civil society subversion.

  • INFORMATION OPERATIONSDefending American Interests Abroad

    By Christopher A. Mouton, Caleb Lucas, and Shaun Ee

    Overseas malign information operations by foreign actors seek to undermine the strategic interests of the United States. These operations are intended to manipulate the global information environment for geostrategic purposes by disseminating false or misleading information to shape narratives, shift public discourse, and undermine other nations’ national security.

  • ASSASSINATIONSDeclassified JFK Files Provide “Enhanced Clarity on CIA Actions, Historian Says

    By Christina Pazzanese

    Fredrik Logevall, Pulitzer winner writing three-volume Kennedy biography, shares takeaways from declassified docs.

  • TRUTH DECAYTo Fight Disinformation, Treat It as an Insurgency

    By Jacob Ware

    Today, state purveyors of disinformation operate in an environment more susceptible to their tactics than at any moment since the end of World War II. Such infiltrations by our adversaries pose significant risks to both strategic competition and the digital health of future generations.

  • FOREIGN INFLUENCEForeign Influence in Higher Ed Addressed in Expanded Oversight Bill

    By Alan Wooten, The Center Square

    The DETERRENT Act is billed –and its acronym derived from –as “defending education transparency and ending rogue regimes engaging in nefarious transactions.” It aims to increase transparency and tighten  foreign gift reporting requirements for higher education institutions. The top three countries in giving in 2024 were Qatar ($342.8 million), China ($176.6 million) and Saudi Arabia ($175.2 million).

  • THE RUSSIA CONNECTIONUnderstanding Russian Hybrid Warfare Elections in Moldova and Georgia

    By Anna Harvey

    While most Americans would be hard pressed to locate Moldova or Georgia on a map, these elections serve as a lesson in how Russia employs hybrid warfare to undermine U.S. security and advance Russia’s interests globally.

  • CHINA WATCHSouth Korea Has Acted Decisively on DeepSeek. Other Countries Must Stop Hesitating

    By Hassan Gad

    South Korea has suspended new downloads of DeepSeek, and it was right to do so. Chinese tech firms operate under the shadow of state influence, misusing data for surveillance and geopolitical advantage. Any country that values its data and sovereignty must watch this national security threat and take note of South Korea’s response.

  • CHINA WATCHBill Introduced to Ban Student Visas to Chinese Nationals

    By Bethany Blankley, The Center Square

    U.S. Rep. Riley Moore, R-WV, filed a bill on Friday to ban Chinese nationals from receiving student visas. “Every year we allow nearly 300,000 Chinese nationals to come to the U.S. on student visas. We’ve literally invited the CCP to spy on our military, steal our intellectual property, and threaten national security,” he said.

  • THE RUSSIA CONNECTIONTrump Is Giving Russian Cyber Ops a Free Pass – and Putting Western Democracy on the Line

    By Jasper Jackson, Bureau of Investigative Journalism

    Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth last weekend announced that the U.S. will halt all offensive cyber operations –and planning for such operations –against Russia. The Kremlin has long sought to sow chaos in the United States and other democracies by using “information confrontation.” That job just got a lot easier.