Read the latest news, commentary, and analysis from the Ash Center.
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In response to the recent anti-democratic patterns in the United States, the Ash Center hosted a panel of Harvard scholars to discuss how civil society can resist democratic backsliding through social mobilization and organizing.
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Harvard-ID holders are invited to join the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation and David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies for the RFK Visiting Professor in Latin American Studies Lecture.
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During the fifth-annual convening of the Truth and Transformation Conference hosted by the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project (IARA), experts discussed challenges as well as best practices for holding organizations accountable for antiracist change.
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The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Institute of Politics, and HKS Black Alumni Association invited folks to watch a discussion with former West Virginia Secretary of State and current Institute of Politics Fellow Natalie Tennant, and Ash Center’s Tova Wang for a discussion on running an election in turbulent times.
Commentary
Over the past 10 days, the wave of U.S. street activism supporting Palestine has accelerated. Since October 7, 2023, when Palestinian militants launched attacks on Israel that killed more than 1,400 people, CCC has logged 420 pro-Palestine rallies, protests, demonstrations, and vigils in more than 180 different cities and towns across 46 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam.
Commentary
Since the October 7 attacks on Israel, the U.S. has seen hundreds of vigils, rallies, demonstrations, and protests in response to those attacks and the political and military reactions to them.
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“The Dark Side of AI: Crime and Adversarial Use Cases” webinar session featured the following speakers and topics:
Commentary
In a new essay, Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders argue that AI is poised to dramatically ramp up digital campaigns and outline how accountability measures across platforms, government, and the media can curb risks.
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A Global Challenges to Democracy Seminar Series event was held featuring Katrin Kinzelbach, Professor of International Politics of Human Rights, Friedrich-Alexander-Universitä. Professor Kinzelbach discussed academic freedom from a human rights-based perspective.
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The Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia and AAPI Student Caucus held a panel discussion featuring Qingjian (QJ) Shi and Jason Doo. The conversation delved into the vital challenges confronting AAPI-owned businesses including local government regulations, anti-Asian prejudice, access to capital, linguistic barriers, and more. They explored how government policy and nonprofit initiatives can address challenges faced by Asian American small businesses, as well as how economic justice is vital for thriving communities and democracies.