Social media platforms provide an unprecedented opportunity for influencing populations. Citizens in Western democracies spend a significant amount of time on social media platforms and—as their virtual connections increase in number and intensity—they’ve begun to form social media nations affecting real-world national security.  Moving forward, social media, as an industry, will face a range of advanced persistent manipulators (APM) seeking to infiltrate, harness, and shape the perspectives of social media nations. The challenge of APMs will create an enduring threat to user trust and confidence in social media platforms.

The world is going through a very complicated and dangerous period in its development. One does not need to be an expert on global politics or have access to exclusive sources of information to arrive at this obvious conclusion–all you have to do is flick through the latest issue of a newspaper or watch the news on TV.

Nearly every discussion about Russia raises three questions: Who is to blame?  What is to be done?  And where is Russia heading?  This paper focuses on the third question, though the other two cannot be ignored entirely. Now is a particularly appropriate time to ask where Russia is headed, for the world is undergoing profound and rapid transformation at several levels. We are witnessing dramatic technological changes. These processes of change and transformation – technological, economic, demographic, and climatic – present great challenges for governance at all levels.  

Tehran’s long-term strategy to fortify the Iranian Corridor as a Shiite Crescent requires demographic reengineering. Iran and its allies must be able to rely on a loyal population because of the solidarity it provides at the sectarian level.The attempt to reduce the Sunni numerical advantage is real, but it has had limited results. Even, if viewing the Levant as largely Sunni dominated is a mistake, it seems difficult for Iran to reverse the demographic balance. In contrast, the strategy of promoting internal division among the Sunni promises to be more effective.