On this week's Active Measures Newsletter Podcast, Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson discuss the pattern that emerges when you look at the divisive issues being injected into diverse Western media environments--including Canada, Switzerland, and Germany--where a looming election in February is liberal-democracy's next test against a familiar pattern of ethno-nationalist grievance and promises of national renewal.  They also discuss the Chinese AI phenom DeepSeek and its penchant for pro-Beijing disinformation.

On this week's Active Measures Newsletter Podcast, Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson discuss the pattern that emerges when you look at the divisive issues being injected into diverse Western media environments--including Canada, Switzerland, and Germany--where a looming election in February is liberal-democracy's next test against a familiar pattern of ethno-nationalist grievance and promises of national renewal.&nbsp; They also discuss the Chinese AI phenom DeepSeek and its penchant for pro-Beijing disinformation.

From the Pell Center at Salve Regina University and the creators of the Active Measures Newsletter, a weekly dive into the latest trends in political warfare, influence, and information campaigns. 

From the Pell Center at Salve Regina University and the creators of the Active Measures Newsletter, a weekly dive into the latest trends in political warfare, influence, and information campaigns.

A weekly dive into the headlines in the Active Measures Newsletter from the Pell Center at Salve Regina University.

The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast

An Ethno-Nationalist International?

As anti-government protests in Iran ratcheted-up in the waning days of 2025, the Iranian government cracked-down harshly, using physical violence against their own people and shutting down the internet in the country. Steven Feldstein and Shreya Joshi of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace put Iran’s actions in a broader global context of digital-repression where regimes fight the population by controlling the flow of information.  Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also discuss the Trump administration’s overt efforts to shape political debate in Europe before turning their attention to the deployment of StarLink terminals to Iran.

As anti-government protests in Iran ratcheted-up in the waning days of 2025, the Iranian government cracked-down harshly, using physical violence against their own people and shutting down the internet in the country. Steven Feldstein and Shreya Joshi of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace put Iran&rsquo;s actions in a broader global context of digital-repression where regimes fight the population by controlling the flow of information.&nbsp; Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also discuss the Trump administration&rsquo;s overt efforts to shape political debate in Europe before turning their attention to the deployment of StarLink terminals to Iran.

As anti-government protests in Iran ratcheted-up last month, the Iranian government cracked-down harshly, using physical violence against their own people and shutting down the internet in the country. Steven Feldstein and Shreya Joshi of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace put Iran’s actions in a broader global context of digital-repression where regimes fight the population by controlling the flow of information.  Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also discuss the Trump administration’s overt efforts to shape political debate in Europe before turning their attention to the deployment of StarLink terminals to Iran.

The New Era of Digital Repression with Steven Feldstein & Shreya Joshi

Somebody is growing a network of pages across social media targeting professional sports franchises in the United States and the star athletes they employ with rage bait, spam, and AI slop that undermines the multi-billion dollar sports industry. This week, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson discuss the operation of these networks with Shawn Eib and Eric Nelson of Alethea, the private firm whose research identified their presence. Also on the docket: informal information networks in Venezuela and one Russia-linked network’s exploitation of the content of the Epstein files.

Somebody is growing a network of pages across social media targeting professional sports franchises in the United States and the star athletes they employ with rage bait, spam, and AI slop that undermines the multi-billion dollar sports industry. This week, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson discuss the operation of these networks with Shawn Eib and Eric Nelson of Alethea, the private firm whose research identified their presence. Also on the docket: informal information networks in Venezuela and one Russia-linked network&rsquo;s exploitation of the content of the Epstein files.

Somebody is growing a network of pages across social media targeting professional sports franchises in the United States and the star athletes they employ with rage bait, spam, and AI slop that undermines the multi-billion dollar sports industry. This week, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson discuss the operation of these networks with Shawn Eib and Eric Nelson of Alethia, the private firm whose research identified their presence. Also on the docket: informal information networks in Venezuela and one Russia-linked network’s exploitation of the content of the Epstein files.

Inauthentic 'Fan Pages' with Shawn Eib and Eric Nelson

Before it became a Europe-wide phenomenon, Russia's use of migration as a weapon was a test-case stressing the borders between Russia and its two arctic neighbors: Norway and Finland. On this week's episode of the podcast, Karen-Anna Eggen (Norwegian Institute for Defense Studies) and Jyri Lavikainen (Finnish Institute for International Affairs) share their research detailing Russia's efforts to weaponize human migration.  Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also review new reporting on the potential for agentic AI to disrupt defense planning and democracy, itself.

Before it became a Europe-wide phenomenon, Russia's use of migration as a weapon was a test-case stressing the borders between Russia and its two arctic neighbors: Norway and Finland. On this week's episode of the podcast, Karen-Anna Eggen (Norwegian Institute for Defense Studies) and Jyri Lavikainen (Finnish Institute for International Affairs) share their research detailing Russia's efforts to weaponize human migration.&nbsp; Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also review new reporting on the potential for agentic AI to disrupt defense planning and democracy, itself.

An Ethno-Nationalist International?

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