The Invisible War: Foreign Influence and Misinformation in Germany’s 2025 Vote
Author: Tim Beyer, Political scientist at the University of Applied Sciences for Public Service in Bavaria Western democracies are under attack. This holds true not only for the state of Ukraine, which has to defend its pathway to democracy with guns and the lives of their soldiers, but also for every state in the EU, […]
Forecasting the Future of FIMI: Key Findings from ATHENA’s Mini-Delphi
By Pedro Peres Cavalcante (Trilateral Research) Forecasting is not an easy task, especially if it involves a constantly changing scenario being reshaped by grand technological leaps in short periods of time. When it comes to FIMI, having a fair understanding of what is yet to come is paramount to curb the nefarious effects of influence […]
DISARM Framework – “Mendeleev’s table” of information operations and campaigns
Author: Marianna Prysiazhniuk, FIMI Analyst at ISSP “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” — Charles Darwin In today’s increasingly complex, digitalized, and polarised world, analyzing Foreign Information and Manipulation campaigns requires an out-of-the-box approach. Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) are […]
Mapping the methods of influence: insights from ATHENA’s 32 FIMI case studies
Author: Demetris Paschalides, University of Cyprus In today’s contested information environment, foreign influence operations have become increasingly systematic, strategic and scalable. Disinformation tools now include AI-generated media, and psychological manipulation is part of coherent, coordinated campaigns rather than spontaneous acts. The ATHENA project has undertaken a detailed analysis of how these operations unfold, examining 32 […]
Fighting disinformation to achieve the SDGs: ATHENA’s contribution to the SDGs
Author: Dr Richa Kumar, Trilateral Research The UN has stated that threats to information integrity can have a negative impact on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In addition, the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Risks Report, 2025, noted that misinformation and disinformation as the top risks over the next two years for […]