Securing Democracy in the Digital Age

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The proliferation of cyberspace and rise of social media have enriched and strengthened the application of democratic governance.

Technological developments have expedited the international flow of information, improved freedom of speech in many areas of the world, and increased the quality of interaction, accountability and service delivery from democratic governments to their citizens. But these benefits must be balanced against a longstanding vulnerability of democracy to manipulation that cyberspace has enhanced in both scope and scale.

The 2016 US presidential election demonstrated the increasingly complex cyber and information environment in which democracies are operating. Using US case study illustrations, this report offers a conceptual framework by which to understand how cybersecurity and information security techniques can be used to compromise a modern-day election.

The report places this case study in its historical context and outlines emerging approaches to this new normal of election interference before identifying associated policy considerations for democracies.

Fractured Europe: the Schengen Area and European border security

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The simultaneous ‘crises’ of irregular migration and terrorism have demonstrated the continued importance of border security for Schengen member states and the EU as a whole.

The principles of the EU have become closely aligned with the existence of the Schengen Area, which created a distinction between ‘internal’ and ‘external’ borders in Europe; it also created a tension between the goals of European integration and the core Westphalian principle of state sovereignty.

This paper assesses some of the factors behind member states resorting to national over collective action in response to recent challenges, exploring the role of intelligence and institutions such as Frontex, before ultimately arguing for the creation of a European Agenda on Border Security to provide a strategic framework for border security in Europe.

Border security lessons for Australia from Europe’s Schengen experience

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This Strategic Insights report explores Calum Jeffray’s key observations in his report Fractured Europe: the Schengen Area and European border security and analyses them through an Australian and then an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) border security lens.

It also provides recommendations for Australian border security policymakers based on the lessons learned from the Schengen experience. It examines the implications of Schengen for ASEAN member states in the development of the ASEAN Economic Community.