Though its capabilities remain more limited than those of Russia or China, Iran is becoming a significant authoritarian actor challenging democracy in the United States and Europe. Through information manipulation, malign finance, and cyberattacks, Tehran seeks to weaken the United States and like-minded democracies to undermine their efforts at democratization beyond their borders. Find ASD’s work on Iran on this page.
Taming the Rising Lion: Alignment of Iranian, Russian, and Chinese Narratives on the Israel-Iran Conflict
Dubbing it “Operation Rising Lion”, Israel has launched widespread airstrikes across Iran, hitting key nuclear facilities and killing several military commanders and intensifying decades of hostility between Tehran and Tel Aviv. Given Iran’s long-st [...]
The State(s) of Foreign Information Operations: A State-by-State Look at Foreign Information Manipulation in the United States
Introduction It is easy to dismiss foreign information operations as playing out at the national level, designed to influence federal policymakers and Beltway insiders. But these threats transcend the “Beltway Bubble”. Increasingly, foreign nation [...]
Keep the US Government Focused on Combating Foreign Interference Operations
The US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) detailed charges against Iranian operatives involved in the plot to assassinate Donald Trump during the recent presidential campaign should dispel any skepticism about US national security threats emanating from [...]
David Salvo Joins CNN to Discuss Foreign Interference in the 2024 US Elections
ASD's Co-Managing Director David Salvo joined CNN's Jim Sciutto to discuss foreign interference efforts in the 2024 US election, including Iran's reported hack of Trump campaign documents. watch here The views expressed in GMF publications and c [...]
An autocratic opening: Russian, Chinese, and Iranian messengers capitalize on the Israel-Hamas War
The intensification of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza since the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks has forced liberal democracies to carefully craft a message that balances their support for Israel with growing domestic criticism over civilian casualti [...]
Key Findings from the New Hamilton 2.0 Dashboard
Since 2019, the Alliance for Securing Democracy at GMF has operated the Hamilton 2.0 dashboard, an online tool to track messaging originating from Chinese, Iranian, and Russian state media and government officials. In its time, the dashboard collect [...]
Hamilton Monthly Report: October 2022
This report highlights and analyzes key trends and takeaways from data collected by the Hamilton 2.0 dashboard during the previous month. Unlike ASD’s weekly Hamilton reports, which analyze the main topics and themes promoted by monitored Russian an [...]
Hamilton Monthly Report: September 2022
This report highlights and analyzes key trends and takeaways from data collected on the Hamilton 2.0 Dashboard during the previous month. Unlike ASD at GMF’s weekly Hamilton reports, which analyze the main topics and themes promoted by monitored Rus [...]
British Commentators Promote Pro-Russian Conspiracy Theories on Iranian State-Backed Media
Prominent British pundits David Miller and Chris Williamson have parlayed accusations of antisemitism into media careers on Tehran’s top English-language propaganda channel. “In this episode of Palestine Declassified, we’ll trace the national origin [...]
Hamilton Monthly Report: August 2022
This report highlights and analyzes key trends and takeaways from data collected by the Hamilton 2.0 dashboard during the previous month. Unlike ASD’s weekly Hamilton reports, which analyze the main topics and themes promoted by monitored Russian an [...]
Hamilton Monthly Report: July 2022
This report highlights and analyzes key trends and takeaways from data collected by the Hamilton 2.0 dashboard during the previous month. Unlike ASD’s weekly Hamilton reports, which analyze the main topics and themes promoted by monitored Russian an [...]
Rachael Dean Wilson and David Salvo Discuss How Authoritarian Governments are Influencing Pennsylvania Elections with World Affairs Council Pittsburgh
Exacerbating polarization in America is a strategic move for authoritarian governments like Russia, China, and Iran. A democracy entangled in its own disagreements is a weakened player on the world stage and a boon for competitor nations. Iran and R [...]