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
December 2020
Treasury’s War on Corruption
Executive Summary: Mobilize the Regulatory Arsenal The incoming Biden administration has signaled through speeches, articles, and interviews that one of its top policy priorities will be combating corruption and kleptocracy.See Vice President Joe [...]
Our Experts’ 2021 Foreign Interference Policy Wishlist
Every December, the Alliance for Securing Democracy team tries to take a step back and look at the foreign interference landscape, and to take stock of where new laws and policies would have the greatest impact at strengthening our institutions from [...]
The Weaponized Web: Levers in the Digital Advertising Ecosystem
This paper is the first in a series on technology policy through the lens of national security, published in partnership with the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School. Introduction Open societies have [...]
2021 NDAA: Malign Finance, Cyber Operations, and Artificial Intelligence Take Center Stage in Congress’ Fight against Authoritarian Interference
The United States Congress passed the William M. Thornberry Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, an annual bill (generally known as the NDAA) that designates funding for the Department of Defense, on a bipartisan basis. Priorities outline [...]
New Threats Require New Partners: How the Baltic States, Poland, and NATO Should Deepen Global Partnerships to Counter Emerging Threats at Home
This piece originally appeared as a chapter in the Latvian Institute of International Affairs' book Towards #NATO2030: The Regional Perspective of the Baltic States and Poland. Introduction The Baltic region’s geography has been the single most im [...]
ASD Event Summary: Linking Values and Strategy: How Democracies Can Outcompete Autocracies
On December 10, the Alliance for Securing Democracy hosted a virtual event with Ambassador Eric Edelman, Ambassador Samantha Power, and Dr. Kori Schake on steps the United States can take to regain the initiative in the emerging competition with aut [...]
Event Invitation: Linking Values and Strategy: How Democracies Can Outcompete Autocracies
Thursday, December 10, 2020 | 10:30-11:30 a.m. EST / 4:30-5:30 p.m. CET Register for the event here. Opening Remarks Ambassador Eric Edelman, Distinguished Practitioner-in-Residence at John Hopkins’ Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies, Co-C [...]
Hamilton Analysis: Chinese State Propaganda Apparatus Tests Boundaries in Australia
Overview On November 30, 2020, local time, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Information Department Deputy Director General and spokesperson Zhao Lijian tweeted a doctored photo of an Australian Defence Force Special Forces (ADF) soldier slitting [...]
November 2020
Hamilton Analysis: China Uses New Trade Pact for Geopolitical Signaling
Overview On Sunday, November 15, 15 Asia-Pacific nations signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) via video conference. Comprising China, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states, Japan, South Korea, Aust [...]
Huawei, the 2020 U.S. Elections, and Transatlantic Messaging
As the votes were counted in the 2020 U.S. election, blacklisted China-registered technology company Huawei positioned itself on Twitter as a steadfast vendor in European markets regardless of the election results. The common narrative within these [...]
Foreign Amplification of Voter Fraud Narratives: How Russian, Iranian, and Chinese Messengers Have Leveraged Post-Election Unrest in the United States
Overview The aftermath of the U.S. presidential election has seen a tidal wave of false and misleading information about the validity of the election results as well as the legitimacy and security of the voting process. Narratives related to ballot [...]
China’s European Playbook
ASD Director Laura Rosenberger and Julie Smith discuss China's malign influence efforts in Europe. The views expressed in GMF publications and commentary are the views of the author alone. [...]