Election interference is one of the most widely discussed international phenomena of the last five years. Defending Democracies seeks to bring domestic and international perspectives on elections and election law into conversation with other disciplinary frameworks, presenting a broad array of solutions.

Duncan B. Hollis is Laura H. Carnell Professor of Law at Temple University. He is editor of the award-winning Oxford Guide to Treaties (2012, 2nd ed., 2020) and co-editor (with Allen Weiner) of the textbook, International Law (2018). Professor Hollis is a Non-Resident Scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a member of the American Law Institute, and an elected member of the Inter-American Juridical Committee of the Organization of American States. He consults regularly on issues of international law and cybersecurity, including for the Microsoft Corporation and its "digital peace" agenda.
Jens David Ohlin is Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Cornell Law School. He specializes in international law and criminal law. He specifically focuses on the laws of war with special emphasis on the effects of new technology on the waging of warfare, including unmanned drones in the strategy of targeted killings, cyber-warfare, and the role of non-state actors in armed conflicts. He authored The Assault on International Law (2015) and Lethal Autonomous Weapons (2021).

• Introduction


• Duncan B. Hollis and Jens David Ohlin


• I. Election Interference by Foreign Powers: Understanding Its History and its Harm(s)


• Chapter 1. Should we worry about partisan electoral interventions? The nature, history, and known effects of foreign interference in elections


• Dov H. Levin


• Chapter 2. Understanding Disinformation Operations in the 21st Century


• Steven J. Barela and Jérôme Duberry


• Chapter 3. Weaponizing Information Systems for Political Disruption


• Valeria Marcia and Kevin C. Desouza


• Chapter 4. Protecting Democracy by Commingling Polities: The Case for Accepting Foreign Influence and Interference in Democratic Processes


• Duncan MacIntosh


• II. Understanding Election Interference via a Comparative Lens


• Chapter 5. The Specter of Chinese Interference: Examining Beijing's Inroads into India's Digital Spaces and Political Activity


• Arun Mohan Sukumar and Akhil Deo


• Chapter 6. A Swedish Perspective on Foreign Election Interference


• Alicia Fjällhed, James Pamment, and Sebastian Bay


• Chapter 7. When Does Election Interference Via Cyberspace Violate Sovereignty?


• James Van de Velde


• III. Combatting Foreign Election Interference under International Law


• Chapter 8. Foreign Election Interference and International Law


• Chimène Keitner


• Chapter 9. Cybersecurity Abroad: Election Interference and the Extraterritoriality of Human Rights Treaty Obligations


• Ido Kilovaty


• Chapter 10. The Dangers of Forceful Countermeasures as a Response to Cyber Election Interference


• Jacqueline Van de Velde


• Chapter 11. Election Interference: A Unique Harm Requiring Unique Solutions


• Jens David Ohlin


• Chapter 12. The Free Speech Blind Spot: Foreign Election Interference on Social Media


• Evelyn Douek


• IV. Combatting Foreign Election Interference Through Other Means


• Chapter 13. Foreign Election Interference and Open-Source Anarchy


• David P. Fidler


• Chapter 14. Defending Democracies via Cybernorms


• Duncan B. Hollis and Jan Neutze


• Chapter 15. Using Campaign Finance Reform to Protect U.S. Elections from 'Dark Money' and Foreign Influence


• Ian Vandewalker and Lawrence Norden


• Chapter 16. Conclusions


• Herb Lin