A project from Evan Feigenbaum, a former American diplomat, and Alena Popova, a Russian oppositionist, to rekindle shattered faith in the power of politics and navigate the promise and perils of technology. Young politicians, entrepreneurs, and technologists should join forces — this podcast is their call to action.
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Remember when you’d run for president or parliament if you wanted to make the world a better place? Well, after nearly 40 years of false “peace,” cross-border wars and internal political conflicts are breaking out but politicians can’t stop them and sometimes cynically enable them.
No wonder so many millions around the world have lost their faith in politics, or so many young people think technology not politics offers the only “real” promise for change despite its dark side of hacking, disinformation, and shady financing.
Alena Popova and Evan Feigenbaum come from two parallel universes—a Russian and an American whose countries have become bitter adversaries, an opposition politician who has struggled against dictatorship and a diplomat who sometimes had to negotiate with dictators, a lawyer who champions the fight against total surveillance and a geostrategist who has worked to prevent conflict while fighting complacency.
As nearly half the world heads to the ballot box in 2024 in free elections or authoritarian “selections,” Evan and Alena offer a call to action for those who no longer believe that politics has any power.
“Politics Possible” brings together young politicians, entrepreneurs, and tech whizzes from around the world for some straight talk about what politics can and should achieve in a fragmenting world.
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Alena Popova, a Russian oppositionist, has run for office and been oppressed, surveilled, and repeatedly detained by Putin’s regime, which has branded her as a “foreign agent.” Alena has spanned the worlds of politics, technology, law, and civic action. She has founded companies and been a startup investor. A women’s rights activist, she co-authored one of Russia’s first anti-domestic violence laws. Her work aims especially to counter authoritarians’ use of big data and AI for surveillance and violence.
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Evan Feigenbaum, a former diplomat, has been an advisor to two American Secretaries of State, a former Treasury Secretary, the CEOs and boards of leading companies, and investment funds. He has negotiated with dictators and ex-guerrillas, written a book on China as a high-tech superpower, and worked with and in countries from China to India, Australia to Kazakhstan. He is vice president for studies of one of the world’s leading think tanks.
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How Pita Limjaroenrat Took On Political Manipulation in Thailand
How could the party that won the most votes and seats and helped boot a coup leader from office face court-ordered dissolution just one year later? Pita Limjaroenrat changed the face of Thailand’s politics by leading his Move Forward Party to a huge win in 2023 parliamentary elections. But he was blocked from the prime ministership, hauled through the courts, and may now face the imminent dissolution of his party and a personal ban from politics. Pita tells us how he won, how he perseveres, and what aspiring politicos everywhere can learn from Thailand about campaign tactics, voter targeting, social media, and how to win against the odds.
How Taiwan’s Young Techies Fight Political Disinformation
In January, Taiwan elected a new president but there were three deeper stories behind the headlines: voters were bombarded with a stream of disinformation to influence their views and votes; Taiwan’s techies countered by using generative AI to publicize and fight this manipulation; and young voters were more influential than ever before. Puma Shen and Jason Hsu—a current legislator and a former one, both deeply experienced with technologies and tech-enabled politics—join us to discuss what the world can learn from Taiwan about countering disinformation tactics and techniques.
Can Authoritarians Be Challenged When the Ballot Box is Rigged?
In an open election, the winner is the one who gets more votes. But what happens when authoritarians stage “selections” instead of elections, or try to rig the outcome while still allowing other parties and candidates to campaign? Mu Sochua and David Smolansky Urosa, prominent Cambodian and Venezuelan opposition leaders who managed to win election to office against the odds, share their perspectives on how bold oppositionists around the world have tried to challenge authoritarians at the heavily tilted ballot box—and ultimately retain and even build connections to home from exile.
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Is Crypto Becoming a Tool for Political Change?
Crypto divides the global political class. Some see only crime in crypto—a source of bribes, illegal donations, and money laundering. But in countries like South Korea, many young voters support crypto-friendly candidates. Some aim to use blockchain technology to reshape electoral processes. And crypto is becoming especially popular among oppositionists and dissidents who see it as a tool to avoid the heavy hand of dictatorial regimes. Can crypto be harnessed for political good?
Rocking Out For Political Change
In Mongolia, rock and roll helped to spur a revolution that toppled seven decades of Communist dictatorship. In China, Cui Jian’s song “Nothing to My Name” defined a generation of youth and became an anthem of the 1989 protests in Tiananmen Square. From Russia to Latin America, music—but especially rock—has helped to spur political mobilization on six continents. How and why has rock spurred change, or not, around the world? How can rockers across borders learn from each other's experiences with movements and mobilization?
Bad Guys Want Deepfakes to Influence Elections—Here’s How to Fight Back
In Argentina, both presidential candidates used AI generated videos. In Slovakia, a deepfake may have sunk a leading candidate’s campaign. In every country, voters may soon come to doubt who and what is actually real. Here’s how to counter deepfakes and preserve political integrity
Are Women the Force to Topple Dictatorships and Preserve Democracies?
In Russia’s authoritarian “selections,” most voters are women while female artists are a potent political force. In Western electoral democracies, economic and social issues are mobilizing a new generation of women not just to vote but to run for office. Whether dictatorships or democracies, women have tremendous power—but they need to use their power in unconventional ways and leverage new technologies.
Bots Want To Steal Your Democracy—Don’t Let Them
AI generated disinformation could influence elections in dozens of countries. But while some bots work, others don’t. And while some work on X, others seem to work better on TikTok. We don’t have to let digital dictators tell us how to vote. Here’s how to keep Russian, Chinese, and North Korean hands off our elections.
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