Citizen Lab Director Ron Deibert spoke at the International Forum for Democratic Studies at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), joining a panel discussion on “The Global Campaign Against Democratic Norms.”
The event, which took place in Washington DC, also featured Alexander Cooley, Director of the Harriman Institute at Columbia University, Steven Heydemann, Former Vice President of Applied Research on Conflict and Senior Advisor at the U.S Institute of Peace, and Christopher Sabatini, Adjunct Professor of International Affairs at Columbia University.
Panelists discussed the emergence of a number of new antidemocratic norms, justified as regional security or state sovereignty. Broader trends also suggest that authoritarian regimes are seeking to reshape Internet governance standards. For example, Russia and China’s domestic political norms are extending beyond their own borders via organizations such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and the Eurasian Economic Union. Similarly,in the Middle East, the Gulf Cooperation Council has sought to crack down on dissent by coordinating member efforts. The panelists discussed the implications of this campaign for Eurasia, North Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and global cyberspace.
Read full conference details and watch a video stream of the panel.