Laura Jasper | The Frontline is a Timeline: Elections, Information Integrity and Societal Resilience

On October 23^rd HCSS Strategic Analyst Laura Jasper spoke on the closing panel of the 2BS Forum in Budva, Montenegro. This years 2BS Forum marked the 20^th anniversary of the Atlantic Council of Montenegro. 

The panel focused on the need for building democratic resilience before an election day. Information manipulation increasingly follows the political calendar. Elections, crises and periods of institutional uncertainty create opportunities for domestic and foreign actors to exploit divisions, undermine trust and influence public debate. This panel examined how democratic systems can identify risks earlier, strengthen resilience before vulnerabilities are exploited, and respond proportionately when manipulation occurs.

Jasper her contribution focused on how FIMI and non-state actors erode trust and institutions between elections, not just during them, and what that means for the Western Balkans. She stressed that information manipulation and the erosion of public trust do not occur exclusively during election campaigns but are part of a long-term process that intensifies as elections approach. 

At the end of the panel Laura highlighted three main target areas for what should election authorities and other public institutions have in place before an electoral campaign begins:

1. Train the trainer: Continuously exchange training modules to upskill government and civil society analysts.
2. Beyond the F in FIMI: Semantic debates often distract institutions while malicious actors advance their agendas. 
3. Known unknows: Focus on the system behind the output of narratives rather than only on the narratives themselves. 

Laura spoke alongside 

• Sead Alihodžić, Principal Adviser Elections, Conflict and Risk Management, International IDEA
• Matjaž Gruden, Director for Democracy, Council of Europe
• Moderator: Ned Mendez, Head of Research & Insights, Alliance4Europe

The 2BS (To Be Secure) Forum is a leading politico-security forum in Southeast Europe since its inception in 2011. It is the flagship event of the Atlantic Council of Montenegro and provides an exceptional and unique platform for prominent political figures, as well as international organizations representatives, academia, security experts, business leaders, renowned global think tanks, NGO experts and innovators to generate ideas and solutions to effectively tackle and overcome the prevailing global challenges pertaining to security and stability.