Authoritarian powers are challenging the democratic world on every front, using military force, economic coercion, disinformation, and subversion to expand their influence and weaken open societies. Russia and China lead this effort, joined by partners such as Iran and North Korea, in an authoritarian alignment that spans hard security, technology, and the global economy. This hub is the gateway to analysis of the authoritarian threat: Russian aggression and hybrid tactics, Chinese influence over trade and technology, energy coercion, and the campaigns aimed at eroding trust in democratic institutions. Fellows and analysts assess how Russian aggression and Chinese influence reinforce this authoritarian alignment, where these regimes are vulnerable, and how the transatlantic community can push back. Explore analysis and commentary across the threats that authoritarian states pose to Europe and North America.
Authoritarian Threats
In the struggle against communism, the West forgets that it sometimes failed to support real religious freedom
No Result Found
May 22, 2018
Towards Hybrid Containment
May 18, 2018
Get Smart
What do you do when an adversary is using chaos as a strategy? You get smart.
May 10, 2018
NATO’s Ukrainian Dimension
During his recent visit to Kyiv, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Wess Mitchell reaffirmed U.S. support for Ukraine’s NATO membership ambitions.
May 7, 2018
Eastern Lessons
What will be at stake when Moscow and Beijing begin to share their lessons?
April 23, 2018
Diluting Disinfo
The answer to these questions is clear. The Kremlin is unfit to run a tea party, let alone a broadcaster. Russia is now a tier-one national security threat. It is by far the most plausible perpetrator of the frightening chemical weapons attack in Salisbury, which put three people in the hospital. It makes mischief wherever […]
April 16, 2018
Improving Sanctions
Hit the Russian elite’s assets abroad, increasing the pressure on Vladimir Putin, who will then stop menacing Russia’s neighbors and abusing his subjects’ human rights. That is the theory behind the West’s policy towards the Kremlin—which I support. But beware of wishful thinking.
March 27, 2018
The Strategic Balancing Act
Deterrence and resilience are the two tasks facing the West as the threat from the Kremlin becomes ever clearer. Striking the balance between the two is the strategic challenge for the coming years.
March 12, 2018
Putin’s New Weapons
Small boys often dream of magic weapons—a death ray or a knockout spray—that will confer stardom, obliterate enemies, or at least enliven a boring lesson.
March 5, 2018
The View From Moscow
Sound and Fury. The Kremlin’s overall goal remains the same: to retain power for as long as possible and, apparently, at almost any price.