ASD contributes long and short form research products and analysis to inform and engage our audience on a range of issues related to malign foreign interference. In addition, we develop policy recommendations and strategies to close vulnerabilities and safeguard institutions from authoritarian threats.
Focus Areas
Threat Actors
All Posts
September 2022
Democracy’s Survival Depends on Everyone’s Individual Courage
On this International Day of Democracy, the Ukrainian people’s resistance to Russia’s ongoing war against their country is a powerful reminder of the immense courage that is required to defend democracy and safeguard the survival of an entire nation [...]
Hamilton Toplines: September 5–13, 2022
Russia Toplines Monitored Russian accounts over the past nine days tweeted 23,348 times, generating 259,630 retweets and 848,122 likes. As the Ukrainian military recaptured large amounts of territory in the country’s northeast and south, Kremlin-lin [...]
Ukraine’s Successful Counteroffensive Around Izium: What News Is Yandex Showing?
Over the past few days, the Ukrainian military launched a successful counteroffensive to regain control of the city of Izium and other territory in the northwestern Kharkiv region from Russian occupying forces. The Alliance for Securing Democracy ra [...]
Hamilton Toplines: August 29-September 4, 2022
Russia Monitored Russian state media and diplomatic accounts last week posted 16,757 tweets, generating 159,855 retweets and 489,526 likes. Russia-linked accounts last week carried the Kremlin’s statement that it would not fully resume gas supplies [...]
Moldova in the Crosshairs: The Top 4 Russian Narratives
In July, Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița said she feared that Russia could target Moldova next as it continues to wage its devastating war in Ukraine. From her statement, it seems likely that Moldova could become an increasingly significan [...]
August 2022
Hamilton Toplines: August 22–28, 2022
Russia Russian state media and diplomats last week tweeted 16,941 times, generating 191,154 retweets and 575,694 likes. Kremlin-affiliated accounts last week barely mentioned a Russian bomb that killed at least 22 Ukrainians and injured 50 more at a [...]
Ballots & Bagels Ep. 6: Key Takeaways from the Arizona Primaries with Pima County’s Constance Hargrove
Earlier this month, ASD Elections Integrity Fellow David Levine spoke with Constance Hargrove, director of elections for Pima County, Arizona. Arizona recently became the first battleground state to nominate election deniers for all three top state [...]
Ballots & Bagels Ep. 5: Key Takeaways from the Wisconsin Primaries with Madison City Attorney Michael Haas
Last week, ASD Elections Integrity Fellow David Levine spoke with longtime Wisconsin election administrator and Madison City Attorney Michael Haas. They talked about conducting Wisconsin elections, including the state’s August 9th primary, in the st [...]
Hamilton Toplines: August 15–21, 2022
Russia Monitored Russian accounts last week tweeted 16,366 times, generating 161,117 retweets and 518,932 likes. Kremlin-affiliated accounts last week claimed that Ukraine and its “US handlers” were preparing to frame Moscow for an attack on the R [...]
China’s Sanctions Regime and Lithuania: Policy Responses for European Institutions
China's comprehensive sanctions regime against Lithuania underlines the grave need for Europe to bolster its resilience to economic coercion. As EU officials begin the process of adopting the Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI) and other strategies to p [...]
Hamilton Toplines: August 8–16, 2022
Russia Monitored Russian accounts tweeted 15,740 times last week, generating 154,030 retweets and 468,791 likes. “Trump” and “FBI” were the fourth and sixth most frequently used key phrases by Russian propagandists on Twitter last week as they criti [...]
Russia’s Biggest Spanish-Language Propaganda Accounts Are Popular But Losing Reach
Overview Russia’s Spanish-language social media accounts have consistently punched above their weight, with follower numbers and engagement totals far outpacing those of Russia’s other external facing messengers. The success of Russia’s Spanish-lang [...]