Analysis & Opinions - Boston Review
Democracy's Dilemma: Forum Response
Joseph Nye responds to Farrell and Schneier's "Democracy's Dilemma."
The Mueller Report has shown that the 2016 disruption of our democracy was real, whether there was collusion or not. But Farrell and Schneier remind us that the dilemma our democracy faces goes well beyond Russian interference and fake news.
In the nineteenth century, the outcome of contests for mastery of Europe depended primarily on whose army won; today, it also depends on whose story wins. Or as P. W. Singer and Emerson T. Brooking put it in their book LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media (2018), "These new wars are not won by missiles and bombs, but by those able to shape the story lines that frame our understanding." The use of information as an instrument of conflict and manipulation in international politics has a long history. What is new is not the basic model; it is the speed with which such disinformation can spread and the low cost of spreading it....
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For Academic Citation:
Nye, Joseph S. Jr.“Democracy's Dilemma: Forum Response.” Boston Review, May 16, 2019.
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Joseph Nye responds to Farrell and Schneier's "Democracy's Dilemma."
The Mueller Report has shown that the 2016 disruption of our democracy was real, whether there was collusion or not. But Farrell and Schneier remind us that the dilemma our democracy faces goes well beyond Russian interference and fake news.
In the nineteenth century, the outcome of contests for mastery of Europe depended primarily on whose army won; today, it also depends on whose story wins. Or as P. W. Singer and Emerson T. Brooking put it in their book LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media (2018), "These new wars are not won by missiles and bombs, but by those able to shape the story lines that frame our understanding." The use of information as an instrument of conflict and manipulation in international politics has a long history. What is new is not the basic model; it is the speed with which such disinformation can spread and the low cost of spreading it....
Want to Read More?
The full text of this publication is available via Boston Review.- Recommended
- In the Spotlight
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Recommended
Newspaper Article - Harvard Gazette
As Measles Cases Crack 1,000, a Look at What to Do
Analysis & Opinions - The Hill
Russia's Attacks on Our Democratic Systems Call for Diverse Countermeasures
Analysis & Opinions - The Boston Globe
Is Fake News Here to Stay?
In the Spotlight
Most Viewed
Report - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Arctic Climate Science: A Way Forward for Cooperation through the Arctic Council and Beyond
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