Foreign interference in the democratic process: countdown to the midterms

U.S. political philosophy has always encompassed a deep-rooted aversion to any form of foreign interference against the countrys democratic institutions. But today, the threat is astonishing. Rapid advances in technology, interconnected global communications, flattening of in-person social interactions, creation of social media bubbles, and anonymized financial networks have fed and resulted in effective foreign interference efforts on a scale and scope not seen beforeand that many believe are outpacing U.S. counter-efforts.

Moderated by Trudy Rubin, award-winning foreign affairs columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer, the panel includes:

• Clint Watts, Distinguished Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI), author of Messing with the Enemy: Surviving in a Social Media World of Hackers, Terrorists, Russians, and Fake News, and frequent MSNBC commentator
• Raymond Baker, President of Global Financial Integrity and internationally renowned authority on dark money
• Mitchell Orenstein, Department Chair of Russian and Eastern European Studies and Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania
• Shawn Turner, Director of Communication for Center for a New American Security (CNAS), a former senior national security communication executive in the U.S. government, and a regular contributing on-air national security analyst with CNN