🆕| AI is reshaping politics, supercharging surveillance and repression while giving citizens new tools to organize and resist. A new @carnegieendowment.org compendium, edited by @stevefeldstein.bsky.social and Shreya Joshi, explores AI’s disruptive politics across 10 essays.👇

The Disruptive Politics of AI

AI technology has proliferated extensively and offers authoritarian leaders three crucial advantages: scale, speed, and efficiency. As a result, it has undoubtedly become a crucial tool of repression....

carnegieendowment.org

🆕| Four months into Hungary’s new political era, how is Péter Magyar’s government doing? Thomas Carothers examines efforts to dismantle the Fidesz system, tackle corruption, reform the media, revive the economy, and reset foreign policy.👇

How Is Hungary’s New Government Doing?

Despite myriad challenges and occasional stumbles, the new Hungarian government is moving ahead with energy and conviction to uproot years of illiberalism and corruption and rebuild Hungarian democrac...

carnegieendowment.org

🆕| The media landscape has changed dramatically, but many nonprofits are still operating by old rules. @noupside.bsky.social, @rachelkleinfeld.bsky.social, and Margot Treadwell offer a strategic guide for how organizations can adapt to a new media ecosystem and remain relevant and influential.👇

How to Engage with New Media: A Strategic Guide for Nonprofit Organizations

To remain effective, organizations need to master new media and legitimacy markers to make a once-in-a-century shift.

carnegieendowment.org

🆕| What does “AI sovereignty” mean in practice? @1lucabelli.bsky.social argues that technological self-sufficiency is unrealistic for most countries. Instead, governments should build sovereign capacity around three pillars: agency, interoperability, and openness.👇

Operationalizing AI Sovereignty Through Agency, Interoperability, and Openness

AI sovereignty should be operationalized as a strategic capacity built through three interdependent pillars.

carnegieendowment.org

Drawing on cases from Poland, Moldova, Serbia, and Turkey, @jennifermccoy.bsky.social and @muratsomer-eng.bsky.social examine what works in resisting authoritarian tendencies and building democratic resilience👇 democracy.fes.de/e/opposition...

Great powers are no longer the only actors with access to drone technology. Read more in this excerpt in @bulletinatomic.bsky.social from @stevefeldstein.bsky.social's forthcoming book, Bytes and Bullets, to be published on September 8th👇 thebulletin.org/2026/09/how-...

How drones reinvented the proxy war

Drone technology, once confined to great powers like the United States and China, has spread to smaller states and non-state actors.

thebulletin.org

🆕| Rising domestic and regional tensions are putting the endurance of the Pretoria Agreement under strain and raising the risk of regional fallout should the situation escalate, writes Lesley Anne Warner. Read her latest for @justsecurity.org⬇️

Domestic and Regional Pressures Strain Ethiopia’s Fragile Peace

Renewed clashes in Tigray and tensions between Ethiopia and other Horn of Africa nations threaten a regional security crisis.

justsecurity.org

🆕| LLMs’ impact on political discourse is a new frontier of modern politics. Monitoring AI is essential so that policymakers and the public can understand—and have a say in—how these systems affect politics. Danaé Metaxa & Alex Engler's latest for @carnegieendowment.org👇

We Need Ongoing Monitoring of AI and Political Information

Monitoring is essential so that policymakers and the public can understand—and have a say in—how AI systems affect politics.

carnegieendowment.org

As the EU confronts profound challenges, calls for reform to the union’s model have only met with modest, superficial changes. What if Europe really could be reimagined from zero today? 🆕 @carnegieendowment.org collection (ed. @richardyoungs.bsky.social) starts to answer.

Europe from Scratch: Visions for a New European Order

Several leaders have called for major EU reforms, but only modest changes have resulted. What if the European order really could be reimagined from zero today?

carnegieendowment.org

Thomas Carothers @carnegiedcg.bsky.social wrote up his reflections on what international democracy supporters should take away from the developments in Hungary here: europeandemocracyhub.epd.eu/lessons-for-...

Lessons for International Democracy Aid from Hungary’s Political Breakthrough - European Democracy Hub

europeandemocracyhub.epd.eu

Democratic erosion is undercutting 4 key elements of U.S. power globally. Thomas Carothers identifies the 3 components of executive aggrandizement that he says will have with mounting and likely lasting effects for U.S. foreign policy.🔗⤵️ carnegieendowment.org/research/202...

The Effects of U.S. Democratic Backsliding on U.S. Power

Democratic erosion is undercutting four key elements of U.S. power, with mounting and likely lasting effects.

carnegieendowment.org

Indian Americans tend to support more liberal U.S. policy but more conservative policy on comparable issues in India. Why? Research by @sumitra.bsky.social, Devesh Kapur, and @milanv.bsky.social highlights the central role of majority and minority group status🔗⤵️ link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Home and Away: Explaining the Paradoxical Political Attitudes of Indian Americans - Political Behavior

Do individuals hold fixed political attitudes that persist across different contexts, or do their views shift depending on their group’s relative status within each setting? We argue that political pr...

link.springer.com

🚨LIVE EVENT How Fidesz Lost: Cross-Sectoral Mobilization in Hungary’s 2026 Election Monday 6/22, 10am ET. Learn how Hungary defeated an autocrat. Speakers: Róbert László, András Léderer, Viktória Serdült & Áron Tímár. Moderator: Zsuzsanna Végh. @carnegieendowment.org Register and watch:

How Fidesz Lost: Cross-Sectoral Mobilization in Hungary’s 2026 Election

Please join us for a conversation with Political Capital’s Róbert László, Hungarian Helsinki Committee’s András Léderer, HVG’s Viktória Serdült, De! Action Community’s Áron Tímár, and moderator Zsuzsa...

carnegieendowment.org

🆕Can more countries achieve complete AI independence? Shreya Joshi writes @carnegieendowment.org that the goal may be unattainable for most governments due to the technological dominance of a small number of U.S. and Chinese companies. But India and the UAE from trying📖⤵️

Early Lessons in the Pursuit of Sovereign AI

As the experiences of India and the UAE suggest, attaining complete sovereignty is unrealistic for most nations. But that doesn’t mean they must depend on the United States or China.

carnegieendowment.org

1 year after the U.S. abruptly cut international democracy aid, the field is rethinking but has yet to find a clear path forward. 🆕 @carnegieendowment.org, @richardyoungs.bsky.social and Thomas Carothers analyze the losses and ongoing efforts, suggesting ideas for the future.

Post-U.S. International Democracy Support: Aspiration in Search of Substance

The reinvention of democracy support needs to be carried forward without the clear leadership of one dominant player.

carnegieendowment.org

Thomas Carothers says that using free speech to justify U.S. interference in European affairs is the international extension of the U.S. partisan divide. Read his full comment (and more) 👇👇

Carnegie Europe@carnegieeurope.bsky.social · 4mo ago

❔ | #TTP: Are Western Democracies Failing Free Speech? The battle over freedom of expression has taken center stage. From travel bans to social media regulation, is free speech being weaponized? We asked six experts for their takes ⤵️ carnegieendowment.org/europe/strat...

The U.S. designated two Brazilian gangs as terrorist organizations. There will be 4 major effects, according to @oliverstuenkel.bsky.social: 1. hinder cooperation on crime 2. help the far right 3. undermine sovereignty 4. harm Brazil's economy Read @foreignpolicy.com

Why Is Trump Targeting Brazilian Gangs?

The U.S. designation of two Brazilian crime groups as terrorist organizations scrambles already tense bilateral relations.

foreignpolicy.com

🆕Some democracy advocates worry that talking about gender risks polarization or infighting. But ignoring these issues brings other risks, write Saskia Brechenmacher, Laura Livingston and Miriam Juan-Torres Gonzalez. Their ideas for funders/practitioners👇

To protect democracy, pay attention to gender

By Saskia Brechenmacher, Laura Livingston, and Miriam Juan-Torres Gonzalez

democracynotesperspectives.substack.com

Last month, Zambia canceled at the last minute the world’s largest digital rights conference. The stated reason was pressure from China. But Jane Munga and @stevefeldstein.bsky.social argue there was another reason: Zambian democratic decline. Read @justsecurity.org 👇

Why Did Zambia Pull Down a Major Human Rights Summit?

Zambia’s cancellation of the RightsCon summit is an indication not only of China’s influence, but also the country's own democratic erosion.

justsecurity.org

#Zambia’s cancellation of the RightsCon #DigitalRights summit is an indication not only of #China’s influence, but also of the #DemocraticBacksliding under Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, write Jane Munga and Steve Feldstein @stevefeldstein.bsky.social):

Why Did Zambia Pull Down a Major Human Rights Summit?

Zambia’s cancellation of the RightsCon summit is an indication not only of China’s influence, but also the country's own democratic erosion.

justsecurity.org

🆕 How do you defeat autocrats who cheat in elections? In Hungary, thousands of civic volunteers fought back against vote buying, proving grassroots action can protect democratic integrity. @hannafolsz.bsky.social writes about the 2 lessons for @carnegieendowment.org 👇👇

Civic Mobilization to Defend Electoral Integrity in Hungary

An innovative grassroots civic initiative helped defend the integrity of Hungary’s recent elections, with significant impact on the results and positive lessons for other contexts of democratic backsl...

carnegieendowment.org

🆕Beijing’s new AI strategy pairs material power with normative ambition. Arindrajit Basu writes that China is using infrastructure exports, capacity-building, and UN diplomacy to advance its vision of AI governance. But will China win the Global South?⤵️ carnegieendowment.org/research/202...

China’s Pivot on Global AI

Beijing’s AI diplomacy is pivoting from infrastructure and associated technical standards toward a more comprehensive effort aimed at recrafting global norms and institutions of AI governance.

carnegieendowment.org

The economic aftershocks of the Iran war could profoundly alter Africa’s democratic trajectory, Frances Brown argues in @justsecurity.org, fueling protests, shaping elections, and testing which regimes respond best.👇 www.justsecurity.org/139565/iran-...

The Middle East War Will Reshape Africa’s Democratic Trajectory

Economic fallout from the Iran war will have a major impact on African citizens and the prospects for democracy on the continent.

justsecurity.org

As the US-Israel war with #Iran exacts a global toll, the economic blow to #Africa from upended energy markets and fertilizer supply is reshaping the trajectory of #democracy on the continent, too, writes Frances Z. Brown. www.justsecurity.org/139565/iran-... #IranWar #Kenya #Nigeria #Zambia

The Middle East War Will Reshape Africa’s Democratic Trajectory

Economic fallout from the Iran war will have a major impact on African citizens and the prospects for democracy on the continent.

justsecurity.org

India has not reapportioned Lok Sabha seats since 1971. Since then, its population has grown by nearly 1 billion. @milanv.bsky.social, Louise Tillin and Andy Robaina explain the political consequences, ongoing debates, and potential paths forward @carnegieendowment.org ⤵️

The danger of military AI is not just hallunications and inaccurate targets. Yahli Shereshevsky writes that decision-support systems may enable vast lawful destruction—eroding the restraint central to international humanitarian law. Read @carnegieendowment.org ⤵️

The Effect of Military AI on Contemporary Battlefields

AI in warfare has numerous impacts, including how they shape human responses to target recommendations and how they increase the speed at which lawful targets can be recommended.

carnegieendowment.org

"The EU risks losing its value as a peace project if it morphs into a security union without a more balanced and comprehensive political settlement" writes @richardyoungs.bsky.social for @uk.theconversation.com Read more here⤵️📷 theconversation.com/europe-is-re...

Europe is rearming itself without addressing the political consequences

Europe’s security turn remains strikingly ad hoc, despite its massive increase in defence spending.

theconversation.com

🆕The Iran war offers 2 dangerous lessons, writes @stevenfeldstein.bsky.social: 1️⃣ Cheap drones can overwhelm expensive defenses 2️⃣ AI accelerates targeting. Accountability is falling behind The result: civilian casualities and more proliferation. Read the latest from @carnegieendowment.org 📘👇

The Unintended Consequences of Iran’s Asymmetric Strategy and America’s AI War

The Iran war is unique in the scope and scale of asymmetric warfare and AI-enabled conflict. These will test the limits of protecting civilians.

carnegieendowment.org

🆕The U.S. retreat from democracy promotion enabled autocratization in countries like Israel and Türkiye. A new Andrew O’Donohue article with Evren Balta and Oded Haklai finds that 2 domestic factors shape the impact of U.S. autocracy promotion👇 muse.jhu.edu/article/988813

As conversations once again turn to politicial violence, @rachelkleinfeld.bsky.social published a pdf of relevant data and what we know about responses that work earlier this week. Page one below. Check out the four page document and Rachel's thoughts 🔗👇 rachelkleinfeld.substack.com/p/political-...