Chatham House

In the final instalment of Who Rules Cyberspace? Ben and Joyce are joined by two cyber experts to explore future developments in cyber governance. Kerstin Vignard of UNIDIR reflects on the progress achieved so far through the United Nations processes, and the challenges that lie ahead at future negotiations. Then former cyber diplomat Chris Painter explains how technological innovations could change the debate on regulating the internet, and how these conversations can be made more relevant for wider society.       Read the Journal of Cyber Policy article: Watch the video: Credits: Speakers: Chris Painter, Kirsten Vignard Hosts: Joyce Hakmeh, Ben Horton Editor: Esther Naylor Sound Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced by Chatham House

While international debates on cyber governance can often seem dominated by governments and powerful multi-national corporations, there remains an important role for civil society organisations to play. In this episode of Who Rules Cyberspace? Ben and Joyce speak to cyber experts from the civil society space to find out more.  Ben considers the avenues available for civil society to engage with the UN processes on cyber governance with Allison Pytlak from the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. Then Joyce speaks to Arindrajit Basu from the Centre for Internet and Society about the capacity-building role civil society can play in emerging economies. Credits: Speakers: Arindrajit Basu, Allison Pytlak Hosts: Joyce Hakmeh, Ben Horton Editor: Esther Naylor Sound Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced by Chatham House

As the first two episodes of Who Rules Cyberspace? have shown, much of the debate around cyber governance at the state level takes place within highly complex United Nations processes.  Beyond the high-level diplomacy, however, a wide range of non-state actors are working to develop international solutions to cyber governance. In this episode Ben and Joyce speak to representatives from the private sector to find out how businesses are responding to the challenge. Casper Klynge (VP for European Government Affairs at Microsoft) outlines the apporach that tech companies are taking to support the diplomatic process, and Ria Thomas (Managing Director at Polynia Advisory) explains why non-tech businesses must make cyberspace a higher priority.  Credits: Speakers: Casper Klynge, Ria Thomas Hosts: Joyce Hakmeh, Ben Horton Editor: Esther Naylor Sound Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced by Chatham House

In Episode 2 of Who Rules Cyberspace? Ben and Joyce find out how states are approaching the debate on cyber governance at the United Nations. Through the GGE and OEWG processes, the UN has attempted to be the forum where countries could come together to find solutions to these issues. However, as was explained in , there remain many obstacles to international cooperation on cyber governance. In this episode Joyce speaks to Moliehi Makumane, Special Advisor to South Africa's GGE representative, about her country's approach to the UN negotiations and how so-called developing countries can wield influence in this arena. Then Ben speaks to Carmen Gonsalves from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs about how states can encourage respect for existing norms around cyber governance, and how the potential of the UN processes can be realised.  Credits: Speakers: Carmen Gonsalves, Moliehi Makumane Hosts: Joyce Hakmeh, Ben Horton Editor: Esther Naylor Sound Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced by Chatham House 

A new Chatham House mini-series on the Undercurrents podcast feed explores the ongoing international debate on how to govern cyberspace.  In the first episode of Who Rules Cyberspace? Ben Horton and Dr Joyce Hakmeh, from the International Security Programme at Chatham House, trace the recent history of cyberspace and outline the major dividing lines that characterise debates at the United Nations and beyond.  For the rest of this week Ben and Joyce will be interviewing a wide range of individuals from governments, the private sector and civil society to find out the latest thinking on how cyberspace can be made a safe and prosperous tool for societies throughout the world.  Read the Journal of Cyber Policy article: Watch the video:

Note: this episode was recorded at 9am (GMT) on Friday 6 November 2020.  Three days after polls closed in the highest turnout presidential election in US history, the result is still yet to be definitively decided. As the dust begins to settle Ben speaks to and to find out: what lessons can be drawn from the election so far; what we can expect from both candidates in the coming days as the results are contested; and how the result might affect US foreign policy.  Read the Chatham House Report:  Read the Expert Comment: Credits: Speakers: Michael Cox, Leslie Vinjamuri Host: Ben Horton Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced by Chatham House.

Throughout the world, journalists and other news workers are facing new and growing threats. From the state-sponsored killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the state-led harassment of Maria Ressa, to the suppression of dissent in Hong Kong and the demonization of journalists by the Trump administration, the excesses of the state are endangering the lives and livelihoods of journalists as they seek to produce public interest media. These risks are exacerbated by the viral disinformation crisis which was discussed in Episode 2 of the series. This episode focuses on the various threats facing media professionals, and consider new initiatives seeking to protect their rights at a multilateral and local level. Guests include Maria Ressa (CEO and Editor in Chief of ), David Kaye ( and former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression), Caoilfhionn Gallagher (QC, ) and Joel Simon (Executive Director, ).  Credits: Speakers: Caoilfhionn Gallagher, David Kaye, Maria Ressa, Joel Simon Hosts: Ben Horton, Julie Posetti Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced by Chatham House, in collaboration with Luminate and the International Center for Journalists. 

The second episode of Future-Proofing Media Freedom looks at how media organisations are responding to the ongoing crisis of disinformation.  As landmark elections loom in, among other countries, the US and Myanmar, the role of the media as a source of trusted, accurate information is under renewed scrutiny. Social media-driven disinformation campaigns have been regular features of many recent electoral events, from the UK’s referendum on Europe to the 2016 US presidential election, and countless other local and national elections around the world. How can media organisations counter the spread of fake news, and support informed, transparent elections? Have new strategies emerged since 2016 to address disinformation campaigns? What should governments be doing to support the media sector in these endeavours?  To discuss these questions Ben Horton and Dr Julie Posetti are joined by Mevan Babakar (Deputy CEO of Full Fact), Melissa Fleming (United Nations Under-Secretary General for Global Communications), Sonny Swe (Founder of Frontier Myanmar) and Dr Ethan Zuckerman (Founder of the Institute for Digital Public Infrastructure).  Read the report: Credits: Speakers: Mevan Babakar, Melissa Fleming, Sonny Swe, Ethan Zuckerman Hosts: Ben Horton, Julie Posetti Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced by Chatham House, in collaboration with Luminate and the International Center for Journalists. 

Future-Proofing Media Freedom, the new mini-series on the Undercurrents podcast feed, is a collaboration between Chatham House, Luminate, and the International Center for Journalists. Presented by Ben Horton, host of the Undercurrents podcast, and Julie Posetti, Global Director of Research at the ICFJ, the series explores the challenges facing public interest media in the 21st century and highlights how a range of actors are seeking to tackle them. The rise of the major social media platforms and the internet-driven proliferation of news and analysis which is free at the point of delivery, has fundamentally undermined traditional media business models. From the controversies over the BBC licence fee model, to the slow death of local news outlets, the economic strain has rarely felt more pressing. Beyond advertising and subscription business models, what solutions exist to ensure the survival of independent media organisations?  To answer this question, Ben and Julie are joined by Joyce Barnathan (President of the International Center for Journalists), Nishant Lalwani (Managing Director of Luminate) and Renata Rizzi (founder and strategy lead of Nexo, a Sao Paolo-based news start-up).

Credits: Speakers: Joyce Barnathan, Nishant Lalwani, Renata Rizzi

Hosts: Ben Horton, Julie Posetti

Editor: Jamie Reed

Recorded and produced by Chatham House.

Undercurrents returns with two new interviews! As the conflict in Syria raged after 2011, a wide range of state and non-state actors competed for territory, population control and domination of the country's resources. One such resource was water, with access to critical infrastructure like dams acting both as a driver of fierce fighting and brittle compromises. has studied the ways in which water was weaponized during the Syrian conflict, revealing how the Assad regime interacted with actors like ISIS and the Kurdish-led rebel forces in complex struggles to control this scarce resource. Ben spoke to Marwa to find out more.  Depression is the predominant mental health problem worldwide - it is estimated that 1 in 6 people in the past week experienced a common mental health problem and major depression is thought to be the second leading cause of disability worldwide. In his new book, , explores his personal struggle with depression and its impact on his political and family life. Agnes spoke to Alastair about his experiences, and how mental health is (or is not) addressed more broadly within UK politics.  Read the International Affairs article: