Assange and Russia: When Leaks Become Weapons

Resumen

Since the end of the Cold War, political debates are no longer framed by a strict opposition of economic systems capitalism vs socialism, democracy vs “popular democracy”, free market vs self-sufficiency. Instead, today’s struggles revolve around each country’s own “optimal path”, defined by its lawmakers. In this context, the rise of globalization and new technologies has fueled more chauvinist and autocratic ways of redefining terms such as freedom, rights, nation, West, and sovereignty. These notions are frequently abused by leaders across the spectrum: left-leaning figures in Latin America such as Gustavo Petro in Colombia or Lopez Obrador in Mexico; ´and right-wing movements in Europe and the Anglo-Saxon world, from MAGA in the U.S. to Reform UK or Viktor Orban’s Fidesz in Hungary.