On 12 September 2018, the think tank Atlantic Council hosted an event at its headquarters in Washington DC to discuss a number of emerging asymmetric threats to democratic processes. Here is a description from the event invite:

The reemergence of great power politics in a digitalized global security environment has led to new tools of statecraft wielded by nation-states in advancing their foreign policy objectives. During this event, we will engage cyber-security professionals, journalists and key stakeholders to discuss the development of norms around election influence and interference and lessons learned from the international community’s brief history with these new tools of statecraft. What tool-sets will governments wield in the future as they attempt to control media narratives, target dissidents, and influence other states? And how will the tool-sets and norms we currently see in play shape the future of state use of technology?

This panel will look into the future of digital statecraft as technology progresses at an unprecedented rate and nation-states consider ways to wield these persuasive and cunning new tools to potent effect. With recent reports of foreign influence and interference in elections around the world calling public trust in institutions into question, it has become imperative that governments work together to establish norms around nation-state behavior across digital borders and have an informed dialogue about future tool sets for political influence. A reception will follow the event.

Deputy Director for Strategy at the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Matthew Kroenig presented the panel event. The talk engaged a round table of panelists:

Laura Galente, Author of Issue Brief and Founder of Galente Strategies and Senior Fellow at Cyber Strategies Initiative.

Sean Kanuck, Director of Cyber Space and Future Conflict at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Michele Markoff, Deputy Coordinator for Cyber Issues, US Department Of State

And last but not least, the moderator of the event was Klara Jordan, Director of Cyber Statecraft Initiative, a program at the Atlantic Council. The video of the event, titled “Election Interference, Emerging Norms Of Digital Statecraft“, lasted for about one hour and 30 minutes. WATCH: