Forum @ NED

NEW REPORT | Deepening the Response to the PRC’s “data-centric authoritarianism”, @weberv_ at @lseideas explores 4 frontier technologies and how they could help the PRC globalize repression: buff.ly/40QwcdL 🧵

In January, Lopez spoke passionately at @nedemocracy’s Lipset Lecture about how freedom tech can flip the script on autocrats, and “make democratic movements more effective and more capable of bringing that transition from democracy to autocracy.” youtube.com/live/j8Zec_ASZ…

Earlier this month, @leopoldolopez @bertavalle and @AnaiseKanimba joined @PubKey DC to discuss how open technologies can empower democracy advocates in autocratic societies. youtube.com/watch?v=ZqYwTp…

These cases show that even in constrained environments, novel financial tools, technical expertise, and coalition building can counter corrosive financial influence. Read the full post here: thinkdemocracy.substack.com/p/civil-societ…

What can civic actors do when powerful financial interests seem untouchable? In Sri Lanka and Papua New Guinea, they found ways to turn crisis and opacity into openings for accountability. @VeriteResearch’s Inoshini Perera explains how Sri Lankan civic actors influenced IMF reform negotiations and helped launch governance-linked bonds, creating financial incentives for accountability during a severe economic crisis. In Papua New Guinea, facing opaque Chinese investment, civic actors mobilized institutional pressure and public engagement to push for fairer financing terms, greater transparency, and stronger safeguards, says Paul Barker of @InstituteofNat2.

What strategies have civic actors used to successfully push back against corrosive capital? Two leading practitioners from Sri Lanka and Papua New Guinea answer for Democracy’s Horizons. 🧵

The Kremlin’s tightening internet controls and draconian penalties for dissent have real consequences for ordinary people seeking to share their beliefs, follow their conscience, or speak their mind. Over at @speechfuture’s The Bedrock Principle, the Forum’s Beth Kerley examines Russia’s long-standing pattern of censorship, propaganda, and repression—even as state-supported outlets like RT brazenly claim the mantle of “freedom.” She argues that “The global contest between autocratic and democratic systems, governance models, and cyber norms is also a struggle for the future of free expression.” To unpack Russia’s investments in crushing free speech at home while faking it abroad—and to learn how civil society gives voice where the Kremlin seeks to silence—read the full analysis here: bedrockprinciple.com/p/faking-free-…

Authoritarians increasingly use investment as a tool of influence. On Substack, @Eric_Hontz (@CIPEglobal) and @Rugeste (@CSDBuildBridges) show how Russia and China have pioneered corrosive capital to advance elite and regime priorities, and how civil society can resist state capture. Read here: thinkdemocracy.substack.com/p/authoritaria…

Authoritarians like Putin know that democracy is impossible without free speech. Civil society-empowered dissidents and investigative journalists are key to exposing the dangers of repression and censorship. 🔗 Read more here: bedrockprinciple.com/p/faking-free-…

The Kremlin has attempted to co-opt the language of "freedom" and "human rights" to justify its expansive censorship regime. In a new guest essay, Beth Kerley calls on democracies to offer an "unapologetic embrace and defense" of free expression to fight back.

We’re now delivering the short-form insights of experts and partners to you through our new Substack, Democracy’s Horizons. This will be a forward-looking platform about how autocratic threats meet democratic action around the world. Subscribe here: thinkdemocracy.substack.com

At this year’s Lipset Lecture @LeopoldoLopez challenged the democracy assistance & freedom tech community to build support for decentralized technology platforms allowing activists in autocratic settings to communicate effectively & move resources rapidly. youtube.com/watch?v=j8Zec_…

Authoritarians are adapting—and so are democracy's defenders. In 2026, the International Forum for Democratic Studies at NED is tracking new patterns of authoritarian reach, accelerating democratic innovation, & helping civic actors stay ahead of fast-moving challenges like tech.

HAPPENING TODAY: How can technology and decentralized action help freedom endure under authoritarian rule? Join us online for the Seymour Martin Lipset Lecture with @leopoldolopez, followed by a conversation with @VeraBergengruen. 🕠Jan 14 | 5:45 PM ET 🔗youtube.com/live/j8Zec_ASZ…

How can technology and decentralized action help freedom endure under authoritarian rule? Join us online for the annual Lipset Lecture with Leopoldo López. 🕠 Jan 14 | 5:45 PM ET 🔴Livestream: youtube.com/live/j8Zec_ASZ…

The Forum is proud to congratulate @MariaCorinaYA on her Nobel Peace prize for her fight for liberty in Venezuela 🇻🇪 On an episode of Power 3.0, @NSC & @weberv_ discuss how autocratic tech provided by the PRC has stifled freedom and privacy in Venezuela. buff.ly/umA02Fg

In a new piece republished on Power 3.0, @Sarah_G_Cook warns of increasing levels of cooperation between the security forces of a growing number of nations and those of the PRC: "No government should emulate the CCP’s abusive, intrusive tactics." buff.ly/V20itFA

As Beth Kerley explains in @techpolicypress, civil society technologists are fighting techno-totalitarians across 3 vital fronts: ❌ Breaking through censorship and intimidation 🙋 Putting people in charge 🔋 Designing technologies that empower citizens buff.ly/9N6s5pk

When it comes to regions where the PRC is focusing its influence, "Beijing is prioritizing the Global South, especially outside Asia, and arguably gaining more traction there than in the United States, Europe, or Australia." @Sarah_G_Cook in Power 3.0: buff.ly/V20itFA

@techpolicypress buff.ly/foz2KKE

Our own Beth Kerley has a new piece @techpolicypress on how Autocrats’ Digital Advances Underscore the Need for Civil Society. "This vision of centralized tech-enabled control threatens not just a discrete sphere of digital rights, but the most basic values of open societies."