The Alliance of Democracies Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of democracy and free markets across the globe.
Our three initiatives
The Copenhagen
Democracy Summit
An annual conference bringing together political and business leaders, including current and former heads of government, from the world’s democracies. The purpose of the conference is to build the intellectual and interpersonal foundations for a robust alliance of the world’s democracies.
The Expeditionary
Economics Program
Greater focus on fostering local entrepreneurship will help stabilize post-conflict areas. The program supports economic reforms and entrepreneurs in emerging democracies and post-conflict areas. The purpose of the program is to solidify at-risk democracies through locally driven economic growth.
The Campaign
for Democracy
A program building a robust eco-system of supporters through a powerful online presence, continuous media engagement, and moral support for dissidents and reformers. The program includes a Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity that works to prevent election interference.
Welcome to Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2021
Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2021
The fourth Copenhagen Democracy Summit (CDS) will convene May 10th/11th in hybrid format with contributions from political, business and media leaders around the world.
The summit, an initiative of the Alliance of Democracies Foundation, comes as President Biden – who himself opened the first Copenhagen Democracy Summit in 2018 – prepares a global Summit for Democracy later this year.
Convened by the 12th NATO Secretary General (2009-2014) and 24th Danish Prime Minister (2001-2009) Anders Fogh Rasmussen, CDS2021 will be moderated by Politico's Ryan Heath and former ABC and CNN correspondent Jeanne Meserve.
The first day of the Summit, will cover authoritarianism, rule of law, tech and democracy, freedom of expression and US leadership. Guests will hear from prominent individuals on the frontlines of defending democracy. We dedicate Tuesday, May 11th to discussing election integrity, disinformation and social media regulation in partnership with the International Grand Committee on Disinformation and Data Privacy (IGCD) and featuring a range of policymakers, experts, and members from our Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity.
Find the latest agenda and speaker information here.
Press Release
Election meddling: US Sanctions welcomed by transatlantic body co-founded by Biden
Press Release: April 15, 2021
The Co-Chairs of the Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity (TCEI) welcome US sanctions against Russia for its meddling in the 2020 U.S. election.
Michael Chertoff and Anders Fogh Rasmussen believe the Biden administration is making good on its promise and delivering a clear message that meddling and hacking comes with costs.
The Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity (TCEI) was co-founded by Biden, Chertoff and Rasmussen in 2018 to unite transatlantic efforts in the fight against foreign election meddling.
Before announcing his candidacy for President, Joe Biden worked with the Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity to develop a pledge for all candidates to sign, committing not to aid and abet foreign malign powers. Candidate Biden launched the pledge in 2019 and signed it himself after announcing his presidential run.
Update
Next stop, Germany: TCEI to engage with policymakers and civil society ahead of September’s election
Germans take to the polls in September 2021, and given that the nation will elect a new head of government some 16 years after Chancellor Angela Merkel first entered office, the election poses an opportunity for foreign and domestic election meddling.
In early March 2021, media reports revealed that hackers, operating mostly from abroad, orchestrated a series of attacks during her party’s leadership convention. Meanwhile, the European External Action Service recently published a comprehensive report detailing over 700 recorded cases of disinformation targeting Germany since 2015, providing solid evidence of systematic Russian disinformation campaigns against Germany at the hands of pro-Kremlin media outlets, as well as formal and political actors. Russian-backed media outlets are pouring money into their German-language offerings, and new studies indicate that the average German voter has difficulties differentiating between journalism, commentary, political advertisements and misinformation online.
German society is resilient, and the country’s authorities are well prepared for such challenges, but there is still much that can be done to increase awareness among political parties, their candidates and the general public about these multifaceted threats to election integrity. That's why the Alliance of Democracies Foundation and its Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity will be launching a slate of localized initiatives and tools in the coming weeks and months to engage with Germany’s citizens and its policy community. We aim to draw attention to these issues, amplify trustworthy research and analysis, increase media literacy, and provide concrete support and recommendations for preserving election integrity and defending democracy.
Follow us on social media, or sign up for our newsletter, to stay up to date on our activities in Germany ahead of September's election, which will include localized German versions of our flagship "Pledge for Election Integrity” and our online political game "The Disinformation Diaries." You can also learn more from our founder Anders Fogh Rasmussen's interview in this week's edition of German news magazine Der Spiegel.
Press Release
Rasmussen: "China sanctions will not stop our work for freedom and democracy"
Press Release: Monday, March 22, 2021
Responding to the news that the People’s Republic of China has placed sanctions on the Alliance of Democracies Foundation, the AoD’s founder Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said:
“We will never give in to bullying by authoritarian states.
Introduction
We are delighted to welcome our new Election Integrity Project Associate, Austin Davis! Austin will be working on our upcoming initiatives for the election in Germany this fall.
Austin is a Berlin-based journalist and producer who has covered an array of German and European political and social issues – from right-wing vigilantism to the policy impact of climate strikes – for publications such as USA Today, Deutsche Welle and National Public Radio (NPR). His interests in strengthening democratic discourse and curbing disinformation by way of clear policy communication have led to roles at a number of international organizations, most recently at the German Federal Foreign Office during the nation's 2020 Presidency of the Council of the EU.
Press Release
Former NATO Chief: Integrated Review shows Britain returning to global leadership role
16th March 2021 -- Former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says the UK’s long-awaited Integrated Review puts the UK back in a global leadership role.
Rasmussen, who now chairs the Alliance of Democracies Foundation, promoting democracy around the world, said:
“Britain and America are returning to global leadership roles. This fills me with optimism for the future of the free world and global democracy.
“The Integrated Review puts the UK at the heart of the big geopolitical challenges facing our planet, from Russia’s aggression to China’s defiance of our global rules-based order and economic coercion. The real test of Global Britain is in shaping an international order that will take the wind out of the autocrats’ sails.
“The free world has missed the UK’s active engagement, with Brexit taking up a lot of bandwidth. But in recent months we’ve seen Global Britain taking shape with its G7 Presidency, increased defence spending, and its support for democracy in Hong Kong. This Integrated Review is good for Britain, transatlantic relations, NATO, and the free world.”
Launch
Online Course: Disinformation and Deepfakes
It is becoming increasingly difficult to tell facts from fiction and technological advances are making it harder to trust even what we see with our own eyes. Election interference is by no means a new phenomenon, and the use of disinformation to change opinions of voters or sway the outcome of elections is a strategy as old as democracy itself. But recent years have seen an exponential increase of attention directed towards foreign disinformation campaigns, primarily spurred on by the Russian intervention in the 2016 US presidential election. A form of artificial intelligence and synthetic media – so-called “Deepfakes” – might take this global threat to election integrity to a dangerous new level.
We are pleased to announce that we have partnered with CanopyLAB to create a FREE online course about disinformation and deepfakes.
What will you learn?
☑️ Why politicians are increasingly concerned about the impact of dis- and misinformation
☑️ What deepfakes are and how they can be identified
☑️ How and why deepfakes are so dangerous
☑️ What is being done to curb its negative effects
How do I take the course?
- Head over to CanopyLAB and create your FREE account
- Once you have your account all set up, go to the search bar and type 'Alliance of Democracies' and follow us - so you can stay up to date with all the news!
- Then, find our course titled "The global threat of disinformation to democracy and how AI might make it even worse." Then go ahead, explore it, learn from it, and let us know what you think
Invitation
Denver Democracy Summit, February 25-26
Recent events in the U.S. and around the world have demonstrated the promise and fragility of democracy in stark terms. On February 25-26, 2021 the Josef Korbel School of International Studies and the Alliance of Democracies Foundation will bring together diverse individuals from across the political spectrum who are dedicated to protecting and promoting democratic ideals. We invite you to join us virtually for timely conversations at the inaugural Denver Democracy Summit.
The Denver Democracy Summit is a complement to the annual Copenhagen Democracy Summit organized by the Alliance of Democracies Foundation and to be held May 10-11, 2021 in Copenhagen, Denmark. For more information, please visit the Alliance of Democracies website.
#DefendDemocracy Virtual Series
Building an Alliance of Democracies
On February 3rd, the Alliance of Democracies held a discussion on "Building an Alliance of Democracies".
President Biden’s election has given the free world hope of renewed unity. The Biden administration has promised a Summit of Democracy which could galvanise the Free World.
The United Kingdom as President of the Group of Seven (G7) intends to expand its meeting this summer to include Australia, South Korea and India, strengthening cooperation among the world’s major democracies.
The Alliance of Democracies Foundation was founded for this purpose: to unite the world’s democratic forces to counter rising authoritarianism. China is picking off democratic states with strategic investments and trying to mould the rules-based order in its image of state subsidies and authoritarian tech. Russia is sparking disorder around the free world with disinformation campaigns, election meddling and corrupt money flows. If the free world does not show unity, we will continue to dissemble and multilateralism will fail.
Speakers included:
- Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Chairman, Alliance of Democracies Foundation and former NATO Secretary General and Prime Minister of Denmark
- Lord Mark Sedwill, G7 Envoy for Economic Resilience and former Cabinet Secretary and National Security Advisor to Boris Johnson
- Michael Carpenter, Managing Director, Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy & Global Engagement
- Remarks: Colombe Cahen-Salvador, Co-founder of NOW!, A grassroot movement campaigning for a league of democracies and for #FridaysforFreedom
- Moderation: Vivian Salama, National Security Correspondent, CNN
#DefendDemocracy Virtual Series
The Social Media Dilemma - who is in control and who is to blame? The role and responsibility of social media platforms in the fight against election interference
On January 28th, the Alliance of Democracies Foundation in partnership with the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen hosted a virtual session on "The Social Media Dilemma - who is in control and who is to blame?"
In the fight against election interference, social media platforms play a crucial role as more and more people rely on social media instead of classical news outlets for information. Consequently, the siege at the U.S. Capitol on the 6th of January added more heat to the debate on who defines the role and responsibility of social media platforms and freedom of speech in the global information space.These days we see a lot of debate on the necessity of platform reuglations, from reform of Section 230 of the Communication Decency Act in the U.S. to the Digital Services Act in the EU, and the Online Harms White Paper in the UK. From the platform side, representatives of big platforms themselves have called upon legislators to be regulated for some years now. So, 2021 seems to be the year when the political debate finally have caught up with this request.
However, due to different legal frameworks and traditions the approaches to regulation and accountability of the platforms still differ. Thus, the need for cooperation, consolidation and standardization between lawmakers worldwide is essential to avert election interference and securing citizens access to transparent and accurate information ahead of democratic elections. This virtual discussion brought together perspectives from both sides of the Atlantic to address how the U.S., the EU and the UK can work together on solving this ongoing challenge.
Speakers included:
- Damian Collins, British Member of Parliament and co-chair of the International Grand Committee on Disinformation
- Eileen Donahoe, Member of the Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity (TCEI) and Executive Director of the Global Digital Policy Incubator at Stanford University
- Morten Løkkegaard, Danish Member of the European Parliament, Vice-chair of the INGE Special Committee (Special Committee on Foreign Interference in all Democratic Processes in the European Union, including Disinformation)
- Marietje Schaake, Member of the Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity (TCEI), International Policy Director at Stanford University’s Cyber Policy Center and Former Member of the European Parliament (2010-2020)
- Moderation: Olaf Boehnke, Senior Advisor to the Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity (TCEI) and the Alliance of Democracies Foundation
Report Launch
The Alliance of Democracies Foundation launches its Election Risk Monitor addressing the 2020 parliamentary elections in Georgia (Europe). The report examines Georgia’s persisting vulnerabilities against foreign election meddling through the lens of four key aspects: disinformation in social media, the level of media literacy of Georgian citizens, the state of election related cyber security and foreign links into party funding.
Even the report concludes that these elections have not seen a major overt interference operation, it clearly discloses the system of subliminal infiltration established by pro-Kremlin proxies which impacted this pivotal elections.
With this report, the TCEI evaluates its engagement in Georgia as the facilitator of the Pledge for Election Integrity, the gold standard of ethical and transparent election campaigning in the digital age. Assessment of the parties’ adherence to the decent and transparent campaign principles is one of the objectives of the report.
Key recommendations:
- Secure the “guardian role” of the Georgian parliament
- Strengthen the system of oversight and prosecution on illegal and foreign funding of party finances
- Enhance state cyber defense capacities
- Improve the level of digital media literacy on election interference and disinformation
- Continue and expand civil resilience against election interference
- Ensure more transparency through the cooperation with Social Media platforms
Read the full report here.
#DefendDemocracy Virtual Series
How to put the disinformation genie back in the bottle - lessons learned from the 2020 elections in Taiwan, Georgia and the USA
On November 30th, the Alliance of Democracies Foundation in partnership with the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, DoublethinkLab and the US Embassy in Denmark hosted an event.
2020 has seen millions of voters headed to the polls in democracies around the globe. What new patterns of election interference and disinformation were discernable and have new foreign meddlers being spotted on the scene?
In Asia, China has demonstrated its increasing capabilities and willingness to interfere in its neighborhood, starting with Taiwan’s Presidential elections in January 2020. In Europe, Russia’s influence in the Georgian elections in October was permanently present, but so was civil society responses to curb both foreign and domestic disinformation. US authorities and watchdog institutions have identified plenty of foreign state-actors like Russia, China or Iran trying to manipulate the public discourse in the run-up to the Presidential elections.
The Alliance of Democracies Foundation has been actively engaged in all three elections in Taiwan, Georgia and the United States this year. We are delighted to have a group of experts discuss these questions from their regional perspectives and provide a learning space on best practices from Asia, Europe and North America on curbing disinformation around elections.
Speakers:
- Poyu Tseng, Researchers, Doublethink Lab (DTL)
- Min Hsuan Wu “Ttcat”, Co-founder and CEO, Doublethink Lab (DTL)
- Michael Chertoff, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, The Chertoff Group, Co-Chair, Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity, Former Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (2005 – 2009)
- Ketty W. Chen, Vice-President, Taiwan Foundation for Democracy
- Nino Rizhamadze, Head of Social Media Monitoring Project, International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED)
- Moderator: Jonas Parello-Plesner, Executive Director, Alliance of Democracies Foundation
Statement
#DefendDemocracy Virtual Series
New challenges for media freedom and democracy: how to protect the open information ecosystem in the age of “alternative” facts and truths?
On Friday, November 13th, the Alliance of Democracies Foundation in partnership with the Canadian Embassy, Copenhagen hosted a discussion on the new challenges for media freedom and democracy.
With information traveling faster than ever and new actors – like social media platforms - responsible for the distribution of news, the old model for gatekeeping of news content carried out by journalists and publishers has been disrupted. In order to cope with this new challenge and the threat of disinformation to traditional media, especially in the run-up to elections, news organizations need to prepare for how to efficiently and responsibly cover and counter false, misleading, and hacked information. Often, the information will be newsworthy. Expecting reporters to refrain from covering news goes against core principles of professional journalism and the practical business drivers that shape the intensely competitive media marketplace.
This webinar invited online and offline journalists to share their experiences and elaborate on their ideas and principles of how to maintain professional reporting standards in times of ubiquitous disinformation. Though the threats to media freedom are real, in this webinar we will discuss how to protect the concept of free media as the backbone of democracies worldwide in the age of “alternative” facts and truths.
- Lisbeth Knudsen, Editor-in-chief, Mandag Morgen
- Chine Labbe, Managing Editor, Europe, NewsGuard
- Craig Silverman, Media Editor, Buzzfeed News, Toronto
- Janine Zacharia, Carlos Kelly McClatchy Lecturer, Stanford University, former correspondent for the Washington Post, Bloomberg News and the Jerusalem Post
- Moderation: Allan Rock, Member of the Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity, President Emeritus at the University of Ottawa (2008-2016), Canadian Ambassador to the UN (2004-2006) and Canadian Health Minister (1997-2002)
#DefendDemocracy Virtual Series
Resilience against Election Interference- Parliamentary Elections in Georgia 2020
On October 28th, the Alliance of Democracies Foundation and Microsoft's Defending Democracy Program hosted an event discussing the resilience against election interference ahead of the Parliamentary elections in Georgia. Over recent years, foreign interference – including from Russian state and non-state actors - in democratic elections and political processes of other countries has become a concern for democracies worldwide. In Russia’s immediate neighborhood, however, this phenomenon is not new. In Georgia, in addition to military action, the Kremlin has been waging information warfare, targeting democratic processes and the citizens that participate in them.
On October 31, Georgians will go to the polls to determine their future. These Parliamentary elections will happen at a pivotal moment. To disrupt Georgia’s democratic development and the process of European and NATO integration, also foreign powers are targeting the upcoming elections.
The Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity (TCEI) initiated the Pledge for Election Integrity to encourage political parties and candidates to commit to their voters that they will not aid and abet those who seek to undermine democracy. Ahead of the elections, we translated and adapted the Disinformation Diaries into Georgian to help improve the media literacy of political candidates and their staff especially as it pertains to election integrity by helping them develop practical skills for navigating disinformation.
Pledge for Election Integrity
Support from Members of the European Parliament Anna Fotyga and Marina Kaljura
#DefendDemocracy Virtual Series
China’s Pressure on Democracies and How to Respond – Transatlantic Perspectives
The Chinese regime has shown increasing capacity not just to trample on its own citizens’ rights but also to intervene in established democracies. The pandemic has underlined how China airbrushes facts and tries to yield the world to its distorted narratives. In the US, the Trump-administration has hardened its policy on China with Secretary Pompeo in the lead on calling out the Chinese Communist Party and on both sides of the aisle in Congress and in the general public, perceptions of China have dimmed. In Canada, attitudes are changing too. Canada’s Foreign Minister top priority is the immediate release of two Canadian citizens who were arbitrarily detained by China. This is seen as an affront not only to the rights of the individuals but to all liberal democracies and the values they represent. In Denmark, the Chinese embassy put pressure unsuccessfully for a statue outside Parliament supporting Hong Kong’s demonstrators to be removed and putting pressure on Danish' students academic freedom of expression. There is an urgent need for joined transatlantic responses to such value challenges from China. Recently, the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), an international cross-party group of legislators working towards reform on how democratic countries approach China announced two Danish co-chairs, Katarina Ammitzbøll and Uffe Elbæk and two members, Karsten Hønge and Naser Khader from across the Danish political spectrum. This virtual discussion was an opportunity to bring together representatives from US, Canada and Europe for a transatlantic discussion to discuss strategies in different countries on how to defend democracy and liberal values against authoritarian encroachment.
The event hosted experts including:
• Michael J. Abramowitz, President, Freedom House
• Katarina Ammitzbøll, Member of the Folketing for the Conservative Party
• Uffe Elbæk, Member of the Folketing and former Minister of Culture and a Member of the Independent Greens
• Garnett Genuis, Member of the Canadian Parliament, Canada’s Shadow Minister for Multiculturalism and Canada-China relations
Moderator:
• Jonas Parello-Plesner, Executive Director, Alliance of Democracies Foundation
Launch Event
One month prior to the parliamentary elections in Georgia, The Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity (TCEI) initiates the Pledge for Election Integrity to encourage political parties and candidates to commit to their voters that they will not aid and abet those who seek to undermine democracy. See the pledge at electionpledge.org
The chairman of the Commission, former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, joined by other members of the TCEI together with the chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, Archil Talakvadze, officially launched the initiative and invited all political candidates presenting themselves for the parliamentary elections to take the Pledge.
The virtual event featured the following high-level speakers:
- Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Chairman of the Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity, Chair of the Alliance of Democracies Foundation, Secretary General of NATO (2009-2014), Prime Minister of Denmark (2001-2009)
- Mr. Archil Talakvadze, Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia
- Mr. Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Member of the Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity, President of Estonia (2006-2016)
- Ms. Natalie Jaresko, Member of the Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity, Executive Director of the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto, Minister of Finance of Ukraine (2014-2016)
Watch the full event here
Election Integrity Fellow
We are delighted to welcome our new Election Integrity Fellow, Mariam Chikhladze who will lead our Georgia Election Project.
Previously, Mariam was working at the International Republican Institute (IRI) as a Senior Program Associate, covering Georgia and Armenia programs from DC. Earlier, in 2015-2017, she was managing the Democracy Education Program at the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD) Eastern European Neighborhood Office in Tbilisi. Mariam has also completed the Edmund Muskie Program fellowship in the Center for the Future of the Liberal Society at Hudson Institute. Awarded with the Fulbright Scholarship, Mariam Chikhladze graduated from the Bush School of Public Service and Government, Texas A&M University, holding a Master's Degree in Public Policy Analysis. Earlier in 2013, Mariam graduated from the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs, School of Law, and Politics with a Master's Degree in International Politics and Diplomacy. Her professional interests lay in security affairs, institution building, and democratic development issues.
Election Integrity Fellow (September - November 2020)
Statement
On September 15, 2020, The Alliance of Democracies chairman Anders Fogh Rasmussen shared his thoughts on International Democracy Day. He rightfully states: “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”
Therefore, the Alliance of Democracies was delighted to support and sign the Call to #DefendDemocracy by National Endowment for Democracy.
Watch the clip here
Statement
Statement by the Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity on US Presidential Elections
Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2020
Check out our highlights from this year’s inspiring speakers all in support of defending democracy at our virtual edition of Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2020.
We discussed how we need to come together in defense of democracy and freedom in order to face challenges related to the authoritarian resurgence by both China and Russia, the escalating tensions in Hong Kong and Taiwan, the US’s role as a global leader and how tech can support democracy.
Watch the recap here.
Press
Meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Chairman of the Alliance of Democracies Foundation met with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Denmark this week to discuss how to strengthen the spine of democracies against the forces of autocracy. Alliance of Democracies also hosted the Secretary of State at the recent Copenhagen Democracy Summit.
Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity
Test your media literacy skills
The Disinformation Diaries is a game-based media literacy tool players can use to understand how disinformation and deepfakes can interfere with democratic elections.
The goal of the project is to increase the media literacy of political candidates and their staff especially as it pertains to election integrity by helping them develop practical skills for navigating disinformation.
The Disinformation Diaries was designed and developed by Ora D. Tanner, an Election Integrity fellow with the Alliance of Democracies Foundation and the Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity. This unique mini-course was part of her research on ways new media can be used for disinformation education and to increase media literacy as it relates to elections interference by deepfakes.
Test your skills here.
Announcement
Alliance of Democracies joins call to Defend Democracy
The Alliance of Democracies joins more than 500 political, civil leaders, Nobel Laureates and pro-democracy institutions that have signed an open letter to defend democracy, warning that the freedoms we cherish are under threat from governments that are using the crisis to tighten their grip on power.
Read the full Call to Defend Democracy here
For more information, visit www.idea.int
On Thursday, June 18th the Copenhagen Democracy Summit hosted Dr Kevin Casas-Zamora, Secretary-General, International IDEA and other democracy partners to discuss the current issues affecting today's democracies.
Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2020
Day 2: Defending Democracy during COVID-19
On Friday, June 19th we hosted global leaders and democracy supporters including President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) 蔡英文 Dr. Tsai Ing-wen, US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, European Commission Vice-President Věra Jourová, NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana, Former US Secretary of States John Kerry and Madeleine Albright, Australian Prime Minister (2015-2018) Malcolm Turnbull, Chairman of Novo Nordisk Lars Rebien Sørensen, Microsoft President Brad Smith and many more!
The Summit was convened by the 12th NATO Secretary General (2009-2014) and 24th Danish Prime Minister (2001-2009) Anders Fogh Rasmussen, and moderated by Politico's Ryan Heath, former ABC and CNN correspondent Jeanne Meserve and Lisbeth Knudsen, Editor-in-chief, Mandag Morgen.
Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2020
Day 1: Democracy in Action
On Thursday, June 18th the Copenhagen Democracy Summit dedicated several sessions to bolstering the work of democracy activists including Hong Kong freedom activist Joshua Wong and others from around the globe in collaboration with our democracy partner organisations: International Republican Institute (IRI), National Democratic Institute (NDI), George W. Bush Institute, and the European Endowment for Democracy (EED). In addition, we had three breakout sessions taking place at the same time featuring democracy defenders from our partner organizations.
-Breakout 1: Keeping Democracy Activism Alive during COVID-19. Sharing your Story
-Breakout 2: Elections and Disinformation Keeping on the Democratic Track during COVID-19
-Breakout 3: Ensuring Women’s Rights during a Pandemic
Article
The need for an Alliance of Democracies to lead a new world order
Latest article by Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Chairman of the Alliance of Democracies Foundation, Prime Minister of Denmark (2001-2009) and Secretary General of NATO (2009-2014).
Democracy is in decline around the world, and Covid is accelerating the fragmentation of the post-World War Two rules-based order. Our inability to see this bigger picture has given succor to autocrats who understand how our collective freedom has become subservient to petty self-interests.
The free world needs urgent reinforcement and renewal around its common principles of freedom, democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law. A new world order centered around an alliance of democracies is the best way to prevent the decay of multilateralism. It would create a global ecosystem for freedom and democratic revival through more open trade, investment, intelligence sharing, and support for emerging democracies.
Press Release
New global study - After the pandemic, people want more democracy
COVID-19 is a global political stress test for both democracies and autocracies. This new study during a time of pandemic shows that global support for democracy is still high, but people around the world do not feel their governments are delivering it, according to a 53 country survey of over 120,000 people published today (June 15, 2020).
The Democracy Perception Index, released by Dalia Research and the Alliance of Democracies Foundation is the third installment of the world’s largest annual study on Democracy. It showed that 78 percent of people believe democracy is important, yet only 53 percent believe their country is democratic.
The study was released ahead of the third Copenhagen Democracy Summit, to be held virtually with speakers including President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) 蔡英文 Tsai Ing-wen, US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, US Secretaries John Kerry and Madeleine Albright, EU Commission Vice-President Vera Jourova and Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong, among others.
To see the findings and interactive maps, visit: https://daliaresearch.com/blog/democracy-perception-index-2020/ - for the full data, visit Democracy Perception Index - 2020 - Results Table
Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2020
The Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2020 will take place virtually on June 18-19, 2020. The summit will still gather guests from around the world to discuss the state of democracy. Guests include leaders and thinkers from business and politics, civil society, media, academics and students. General topics this year will focus on US global leadership and 2020 elections, democracy and tech, responsible business, and defending democracy during pandemic times. To find more information on the Summit here.
Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2020
#DefendDemocracy Virtual Series
"What you see is what you trust? - The threat of disinformation and synthetic media to democracy"
On June 4th the Alliance of Democracies Foundation in cooperation with Microsoft’s Defending Democracy Program discussed what threat disinformation and synthetic media – so-called deepfakes - pose to our democracies today and in the future.
The digitalization of society has brought plenty of new opportunities, but also poses a number of challenges to our democracies. Citizens of today are constantly connected, and the introduction of social media platforms has changed the way in which information and news are produced, spread and consumed. While these developments have enabled more people to participate in the political debate, democratized the supply of information and led to positive grassroots engagement, it also created substantial loopholes, which have allowed foreign actors to manipulate and exploit these new communication ecosystem until today.
Speakers:
- Laura Rosenberger, Director of The Alliance for Securing Democracy and Senior Fellow, The German Marshall Fund of the United States
- Lutz Güllner, Head of StratCom Unit, European External Action Service
- Meredith Berger, Senior Manager, Defending Democracy, Microsoft
Moderator:
-Marietje Schaake, Member of the Transatlantic Commission Election Integrity (TCEI), International Policy Director of the Cyber Policy Center and International Policy Fellow at the Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, Stanford University, President of the CyberPeace Institute, Member of the European Parliament (2009-2019)
#DefendDemocracy Virtual Series
How Can Democracies Deal with China?- US and European perspectives
On May 28th, the Alliance of Democracies Foundation in cooperation with the US Embassy Copenhagen, hosted distinguished China-expert, Michael Pillsbury from the Hudson Institute. President Trump has named him a ‘leading authority on China’ and is a regular commentator on Fox News. Pillsbury has authored the book 'The Hundred-Year Marathon: China’s Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower'. Pillsbury was in conversation with key Danish policy-makers and China-experts on the direction of US and European-China policy during the time of a global pandemic.
China and the US have entered a period of great power competition already impacting military and technology affairs. The pandemic reinforces that. Could COVID-19 lead to the US decoupling medical supplies and supply chains from China? Meanwhile, China is propagating an authoritarian response to the pandemic as efficient and superior while remaining opaque on the beginning of the virus. How to deal with China for democracies around the world has become an increasingly urgent question.
Speakers:
- Michael Pillsbury, Senior Fellow & Director for Chinese Strategy, Hudson Institute
- Kristian Jensen, Member of the Folketing, The Liberal Party and Former Danish Minister or Foreign Affairs and Finance
-Camilla Tenna Nørup Sørensen, Researcher, Danish Defense Academy
Moderator:
-Jonas Parello-Plesner, Executive Director, Alliance of Democracies Foundation
#DefendDemocracy Virtual Series
"What you see is what you trust? - How educational initiatives can boost media literacy and fight disinformation"
On May 20th, the Alliance of Democracies Foundation in cooperation with Microsoft’s Defending Democracy Program launched it's second webinar part of a 3-part webinar series on "What you see is what you trust?" - How educational initiatives can boost media literacy and fight disinformation.
There is no doubt that the spread of disinformation and digitally manipulated content poses challenging questions for our democracies, and the use of education to raise awareness among citizens is an important way to mitigate the negative effects. Social media and informal education could be used as an effective method in increasing media literacy or media competence about election interference and the most recent type of synthetic media – deepfakes. Such educational initiatives might not alone solve the challenge of disinformation and deepfakes, but can potentially help in reaching a broader audience of key players who will learn and share knowledge in their networks.
#DefendDemocracy Virtual Series
"What you see is what you trust? - Counter approaches of tech companies to curb deepfakes"
On May 13th, the Alliance of Democracies Foundation in cooperation with Microsoft’s Defending Democracy Program launched it's first webinar part of a 3-part webinar series on "What you see is what you trust?" to discuss what threat disinformation and synthetic media – so-called deepfakes - pose to our democracies today and in the future.
The debate on regulating social media platforms to mitigate the efforts of coordinated disinformation campaigns is more relevant than ever in light of the upcoming US presidential election. With many governments being slow in their initial response to digital election interference, the perhaps most comprehensive efforts to stop the spreading of disinformation to date has been taken by social media platforms themselves. Although self-defined restrictions differ by design and target, there is no doubt these voluntary restrictions on content imposed by social media platforms play an important role in mitigating the spread of disinformation.
Speakers:
-Hany Farid, Professor for Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, University of California, Berkeley
-Erica Greene, Non-resident Election Integrity Fellow, Alliance of Democracies Foundation
-Ashish Jaiman,Director Of Technology Operations, Microsoft
Moderator:
-Eileen Donahoe, TCEI and Executive Director, Global Digital Policy Incubator
Report
Latest report on Disinformation, Deepfakes & Democracy
The digitalization of society has brought plenty of new opportunities, but also poses a number of questions to our democracies. While it has enabled more people to participate in the political debate, democratized the supply of information and led to positive grassroot engagement, it has also created substantial loopholes which has allowed foreign actors to manipulate and exploit the new communications ecosystem up until today. Ever since the US presidential elections in 2016, democratic governments, social media platforms and academics around the globe have discussed how to best mitigate these negative effects to democracies in the digital age.
Our new report Disinformation, Deepfakes & Democracy, part of the collaboration with Microsoft, explores the issue by providing an in-depth explanation of how and why new information technologies challenges our democracies. Author and research fellow Christoffer Waldemarsson addresses the question of "What can be done to mitigate the effects of disinformation campaigns?" by mapping out the European response to digital election interference and the voluntary measures taken by social media platforms, as well as providing recommendations for governments or policymakers. The report also explain how deepfakes, a way to digitally fabricate video and audio of for example prominent politicians, can put our free and democratic elections in danger.
Announcement
#DefendDemocracy – with Microsoft
The current coronavirus crisis has exposed important cleavages in our society. Ubiquitous reports about the „Corona infodemic“ and broader public calls for citizens to be aware of disinformation have alerted people about a threat that goes beyond the current pandemic: How resilient are todays’ democracies against disinformation campaigns and foreign interference in democratic processes? A question even more relevant in the digital age of today where (dis-)information travels faster than ever before.
To address these topics, the Alliance of Democracies Foundation in cooperation with Microsoft's Defending Democracy Program presents a 3-part webinar series "What you see is what you trust?" to discuss disinformation, deepfakes and the threats they pose to our democracies. The webinars will be part of AoD’s #DefendDemocracy series and continues the efforts of the Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity to raise public awareness about the risks of foreign election meddling.
#DefendDemocracy Virtual Series
Sharing Taiwan’s Experience with Handling Coronavirus: A keynote talk with Digital Minister Audrey Tang
The Alliance of Democracies held the second edition of the #DefendDemocracy virtual series and called upon fellow democracies to learn from Taiwan’s experiences with handling coronavirus. For this, we were joined by Taiwan’s Digital Minister Audrey Tang, who has a background with Taiwan’s vibrant civic tech community and spoke about Taiwan’s use of tech and an engaged citizenry (#RepublicOfCitizens) to curb the spread of the disease as an inspiration for other countries. The discussion was moderated by Jonas Parello-Plesner, Executive Director, Alliance of Democracies Foundation.
Report
Latest report on Disinformation, Deepfakes & Democracy
The digitalization of society has brought plenty of new opportunities, but also poses a number of questions to our democracies. While it has enabled more people to participate in the political debate, democratized the supply of information and led to positive grassroot engagement, it has also created substantial loopholes which has allowed foreign actors to manipulate and exploit the new communications ecosystem up until today. Ever since the US presidential elections in 2016, democratic governments, social media platforms and academics around the globe have discussed how to best mitigate these negative effects to democracies in the digital age.
Our new report Disinformation, Deepfakes & Democracy, part of the collaboration with Microsoft, explores the issue by providing an in-depth explanation of how and why new information technologies challenges our democracies. Author and research fellow Christoffer Waldemarsson addresses the question of "What can be done to mitigate the effects of disinformation campaigns?" by mapping out the European response to digital election interference and the voluntary measures taken by social media platforms, as well as providing recommendations for governments or policymakers. The report also explain how deepfakes, a way to digitally fabricate video and audio of for example prominent politicians, can put our free and democratic elections in danger.
#DefendDemocracy Virtual Series
How democracies versus autocracies are handling COVID-19
The Alliance of Democracies in partnership with The Synergia Foundation kicked off the first edition of the #DefendDemocracy virtual series that gathered an expert panel from the US, India and Europe. The group discussed the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on democracies especially with the authoritarian temptation on display internally and externally from China as they tout their approach as the most efficient during this unprecedented crisis. Experts included: Jonas Parello-Plesner, Executive Director, Alliance of Democracies Foundation, Tobby Simon, Founder and President, Synergia Foundation, and Julie Smith, Senior Advisor to the President and Director of the Asia Program, The German Marshall Fund of the United States.
News
Pushing back against disinformation is more needed than ever
In early March, the Alliance of Democracies Foundation- led by Co-chairs of the Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity (TCEI), Anders Fogh Rasmussen and Michael Chertoff- visited Silicon Valley together with commission members, Eileen Donahoe and Marietje Schaake. The delegation met with tech companies to discuss the preparedness prior to the 2020 elections. One thing is clear from the visit - pushing back against disinformation is more needed than ever.
TIME.com
Taiwan Has Been Shut Out of Global Health Discussions. Its Participation Could Have Saved Lives
Taiwan is a frontrunner in the battle against COVID19. Taiwan can help the global response. China must stop playing geopolitics with global health.
Read the article of Chairman, Anders Fogh Rasmussen in Time.com:
News
Visit from Hong Kong democracy activists
On February 26th, we hosted a small round-table discussion on freedom, democracy and the latest situation in Hong Kong. We welcomed a group from Hong Kong and local representatives from Danish media and academia. The round-table discussion covered a variety of topics related to the situation in Hong Kong including international support for the pro-democracy movement, ethical concerns when trading with China and the increase in violent protests.
News
Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity goes global
In the beginning of the new year, the TCEI participated in the Raisina Dialogue in Delhi, India. Co-chair Anders Fogh Rasmussen and TCEI-member Marietje Schaake attended South Asia’s most important international conference to raise awareness towards election interference and to engage with stakeholders from around the world.
News
How Taiwan's successful democracy deals with election interference
Executive Director, Jonas Parello-Plesner, led a Danish ‘Freedom and Democracy’ delegation to the Taiwanese elections in early January by invitation of the Taiwanese government. They met with the government, civil society, and social media platforms with a special focus on election interference during the days leading up to the elections.
News
Alliance of Democracies Foundation partners with
Danish businesses
Alliance of Democracies Foundation has partnered with VL, the Danish Management Society, on the theme 'Responsible Business - A Competitive Advantage'.
VL comprises top executives from Denmark’s business community and is committed to fostering and encouraging knowledge and understanding of modern leadership.
Press release
The Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity taps Aspen Tech Policy Hub fellows to fight deepfakes and disinformation
We are pleased to welcome Erica Greene & Ora D. Tanner as nonresident Election Integrity fellows who will boost our efforts to counter election interference!
Conference about foreign election interference
How can democracies protect their elections from external interference?
On December 2nd, the Alliance of Democracies Foundation hosted an event in the Danish Parliament about election interference. We welcomed the Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jeppe Kofod, and many other Danish and international speakers for speeches and interesting roundtable discussions. Watch and read our live coverage on facebook, youtube and twitter.
Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2019
"Democracy may be broken, but we have no doubt we can fix it"
Anders Fogh Rasmussen opens the Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2019 with a call to end the phenomenon of Western self-doubt.
Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2019
Congressman Schiff on US leadership
The Chair of the US Congress Intel Committee tells CDS that Congress, in a bipartisan approach, is asserting itself and reinforcing around the world that the US remains committed to democracy, human rights and free expression.
Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2019
Democracy couch sessions
Throughout the Summit, we held couch sessions with democracy activists from around the world. In this video, we hear from Mariam Jalabi, representative of the Syrian Opposition Coalition to the UN, and Yan Htaik Seng, Digital Manager, BBC Media Action, Myanmar. We also heard from activists and representatives of civil society from Lebanon, Albania, Tunisia, Iraq, Indonesia and Nigeria. All of the Democracy Couch Sessions can be viewed on the Facebook live stream here.
Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2019
Bi-partisan Congressional discussion
Congressmen Steny Hoyer (D) and Tom Cole (R) discussed the US role in promoting democracy and freedom.
Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2019
Taiwanese Foreign Minister
"Even though our democracy is under threat, we will not give up our democracy and democratic way of life. In fact, we are determined to make Taiwan's democracy a beacon for those who long for freedom, democracy and the protection of human rights" stressed Joseph Wu
Press Release
John Kerry joins transatlantic fight against elections meddling
68th US Secretary of State John Kerry has joined the Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity, a body created to counter the next wave of election interference.
Press Release
"I would like this to serve as a wake-up call to the United States" Former NATO Sec Gen Rasmussen
Today, the Alliance of Democracies Foundation and Dalia Research released the results of their annual Democracy Perception Index survey, the largest single democracy survey in the world, reflecting the views of over 174,000 respondents across 54 countries.
Press Release
Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer to back democracy in Copenhagen
Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer will join for the 2nd annual Copenhagen Democracy Summit, taking place on June 27 - 28. He will provide a keynote address on the current state of global democracy.
Press Release
Congressman Adam Schiff to Give Keynote Speech and Participate in Dialogue at Copenhagen Democracy Summit
Congressman Adam Schiff, the chairman of the U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, will speak at the 2nd Copenhagen Democracy Summit, to be held June 27th and 28th. Other speakers, including Maria Ressa and Joyce Banda, will also be present.
Video
The Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity's work to fight deepfake technology
How does deepfake technology affect our democracies? The Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity is examining this crucial question and coming up with solutions to fight disinformation and foreign election meddling.
Column
For election hackers, a new and more dangerous tool
Commissioners for the Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity Michael Chertoff and Eileen Donahoe write for Reuters about the threat deepfake technology poses to our democracies.
Copenhagen Democracy Summit
Recap of the 2018 Copenhagen Democracy Summit
The inaugural Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2018 took place at the scenic Royal Danish Playhouse, situated beautifully on the harbor front in central Copenhagen. The Summit highlighted important current issues facing the world’s democracies, and successfully brought together more than 300 participants from over 40 different countries having a range of backgrounds from politics, business, academia and journalism.
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Jack Tomarchio: Making Democracy Great Again
Board Member of the Center for Expeditionary Economics, Jack Thomas Tomarchio, reflects on the 2018 Copenhagen Democracy Summit: It wasn’t the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and it wasn’t meant to be. Bono wasn’t there, nor was Beyoncé, but former U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair were. The event was the first Copenhagen Democracy Summit held on June 22, 2018. No glam, no glitz, just serious policy discussions from an array of former and current world leaders to discuss the precipitous slide in democracy and democratic values the world over.
Press Release
Transatlantic legislators unite to step up efforts against election meddling
Despite the recent bizarre election meddling double-denial from Presidents Trump and Putin, lawmakers from both sides of the Atlantic joined forces to demand stronger action against meddling and foul play. Governments, legislatures, social media companies, and civil society are all called upon to step up their efforts.
Press Release
Elections still face risk of foreign interference on both sides of the Atlantic, high-level commission warns
A transatlantic, bi-partisan group of political, tech, business and media leaders are warning that neither side of the Atlantic is adequately prepared for the next wave of election meddling coming their way in 20+ major elections before 2020. The Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity (TCEI) includes a former NATO Chief, US Homeland Security Secretary, US Vice-President, heads of state and senior political, media and tech figures.
Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2018
Did you miss the Summit?
Do not worry. We have gathered speeches and panel debates from the Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2018 on the Alliance of Democracies Facebook page for everyone to watch. Here you will also find interviews with the members of the Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity.
Press Release
Democracy Perception Index 2018
The largest single global study measuring citizens’ trust in government indicates democracies are facing a severe crisis of faith in the eyes of the public. The Democracy Perception Index 2018 (DPI) finds that a majority of people living in democracies are disillusioned with the idea that their government is formed “by the people” and works “for the people.” The DPI, conducted by Dalia Research in collaboration with the Alliance of Democracies and Rasmussen Global, is based on nationally representative interviews with over 125,000 respondents in 50 countries worldwide.
Building an Alliance of Democracies
The first panel discussion at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit was hosted by Peter Robinson of the Hoover Institution and featured prominent politicians from some of the world’s leading democracies, who discussed how we can build friendships that realize our ambition of bringing together an international alliance of democracies:
José María Aznar, former Prime Minister of Spain
Felipe Calderón, former President of Mexico
Nick Clegg, former Deputy Prime Minister of the UK
Stephen Harper, former Prime Minister of Canada
Toomas Hendrik Ilves, former President of Estonia
The Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2018
Opening Remarks by Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Anders Fogh Rasmussen commenced the first Copenhagen Democracy Summit with a strong address stating: “Today gives us an opportunity to recommit to principles that we often take for granted; freedom, democracy, open markets and open societies.”. The opening statement by the Chairman and Founder of the Alliance of Democracies Foundation displayed great determination and conviction emphasizing the need to continuously promote democracy: “We are here to make democracies great again”. In light of this, Anders Fogh Rasmussen emphasized that the project of building an alliance of democracies is more important than ever.
The Campaign for Democracy
Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity
A Transatlantic Commission will seek to fill a critical gap by fostering a more transatlantic and collective approach to prevent the next wave of election interference. It will raise awareness of public and governments on what foreign powers, especially Russia, are doing to undermine liberal democracies and recommend solutions to address this challenge.