Shanthi Kalathil (born 1972) is an American foreign policy analyst and former journalist, currently serving as a Washington D.C.-based senior fellow at the University of Southern California's

Center on Communication Leadership and Policy The Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy (CCLP) at the University of Southern California promotes interdisciplinary research in communications between the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Viterbi School of Engineering, and the separate ...

and a visiting senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund's

Alliance for Securing Democracy The Alliance for Securing Democracy (ASD) is a non-partisan transatlantic national security advocacy group formed in July 2017 with the stated aim of countering efforts by Russia to undermine democratic institutions in the United States and Europe. ...

, where her work focuses on strengthening global democratic resilience in countering authoritarian influence. She is also a board member of the

National Democratic Institute The National Democratic Institute (NDI), or National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, is a non-profit American NGO that works with partners in developing countries to increase the effectiveness of democratic institutions. The NDI's ...

and

Radio Free Asia Radio Free Asia (RFA) is a United States government-funded private non-profit news service that broadcasts radio programs and publishes online news, information, and commentary for its audiences in Asia. The service, which provides editoriall ...

. Kalathil was formerly Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for Democracy and Human Rights at the White House

National Security Council A national security council (NSC) is usually an executive branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues and advising chief executives on matters related to national security. An NSC is often headed by a na ...

during the Biden administration. Prior to this, Kalathil was a fellow at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and a staff reporter for the ''Wall Street Journal Asia'' in Hong Kong. Her co-authored 2003 book, ''Open Networks, Closed Regimes: The Impact of the Internet on Authoritarian Rule'', explores technology’s role in advancing the objectives and bolstering the legitimacy of authoritarian regimes.

Early life and education

Kalathil was raised in the US. Her mother (Lucia Tang) is a Taiwanese national and her father (James Kalathil) was of Indian descent. She holds a B.A. in communications from the University of California, Berkeley and a M.Sc. in comparative politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science, where she focused on autocracies versus democracies. She is married to

Jon Wolfsthal Jon Wolfsthal is an American security analyst currently serving as director of global risk at the Federation of American Scientists. Education Wolfsthal graduated from the New Lincoln School in Manhattan and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in ...

Career

In the late 1990s, Kalathil was a staff reporter for the ''Wall Street Journal Asia'', based in Hong Kong. She joined the

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) is a nonpartisan international affairs think tank headquartered in Washington D.C. with operations in Europe, South and East Asia, and the Middle East as well as the United States. Founded in ...

as an associate in 2000. Her research focused on the role of information and technology in international affairs. From 2004 to 2006, Kalathil was a senior democracy fellow at the US Agency for International Development (USAID). She also was a non-resident associate with Georgetown University's Institute for the Study of Diplomacy and worked for the World Bank as a consultant on media and development. Kalathil joined the Biden administration's

(NSC) in January 2021 as Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for Democracy and Human Rights after serving as Senior Director at the National Endowment for Democracy's

International Forum for Democratic Studies The International Forum for Democratic Studies (IFDS) is an initiative of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). Established in April 1994, its programs include the ''Journal of Democracy The ''Journal of Democracy'' is a quarterly academic ...

. According to one of her colleagues at the NSC, covering the handover of Hong Kong from the U.K. to China in 1997 was among the events that caused Kalathil to leave journalism and pursue graduate studies. During her tenure, she was the lead organizer of the inaugural Summit for Democracy. In February 2022, she left the NSC. She started private practice before joining University of Southern California's

as a DC-based senior fellow in April 2023, leading expansion of the Center's portfolio on the intersections of democratic development, the information environment, and

national security National security, or national defence, is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military atta ...

. In May 2023, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced entry bans over her and 499 other American citizens in response to the Biden administration's earlier sanctions on Russia. In February 2024, Kalathil joined the German Marshall Fund's

as a visting senior fellow, leading a new long-term initiative aimed to bolster global democratic resilience. Kalathil is a board member of the

and

, which she described as having “filled a critical role in combating Chinese disinformation and providing timely news to millions in Asia who would otherwise be in the dark."

Research

In their 2003 book titled ''Open Networks, Closed Regimes: The Impact of the Internet on Authoritarian Rule'' (''

),'' drawing on cases from China, Cuba, Singapore, Vietnam, Burma, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, Kalathil and co-author Taylor Boas found that contrary to conventional wisdom, authoritarian regimes did not fear the advent of information technology but rather proactively advanced internet development to further their interests. In a review for ''The China Quarterly'', Christopher R. Hughes of the London School of Economics and Political Science noted that Kalathil and Boas broadened "the debate beyond issues of dissidents-versus-the-state and toward more complex issues concerning the relationship between technological and social change," but critiqued that its coverage of China is too limited. John Ikenberry instead described the book's chapter on China, which illustrates how "Beijing has promoted the Internet while attempting to control its political impact by filtering and monitoring content and encouraging self-censorship," as "a particularly illuminating example."

Publications

Books

* Open Networks, Closed Regimes: The Impact of the Internet on Authoritarian Rule, ''

'', 2003 (co-authored with Taylor C. Boas)

Reports

* The Evolution of Authoritarian Digital Influence: Grappling with the New Normal, '' National Defense University'', 2020 * Adapting for the Global Diplomatic Arena: A Report of the Aspen Institute Dialogue on Diplomacy and Technology, ''

Aspen Institute The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1949 as the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. The institute's stated aim is the realization of "a free, just, and equitable society" through seminars, policy programs ...

'', April 16, 2014 * Developing Independent Media as an Institution of Accountable Governance, '' World Bank'', June 2011 * Timor-Leste Media Assessment, ''USAID'', February 2006

Articles

* Community and Communalism in the Information Age, ''Brown Journal of International Affairs'', March 1, 2022 * The Cutting Edge of Sharp Power, '' Journal of Democracy'', January 2020 (co-authored with Christopher Walker and Jessica Ludwig) * Forget Hearts and Minds, ''

Foreign Policy A State (polity), state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterall ...

'', September 14, 2018 (co-authored with Christopher Walker and Jessica Ludwig) * How Democracies Can Fight Authoritarian Sharp Power, ''

Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and ...

'', August 16, 2018 (co-authored with Christopher Walker and Jessica Ludwig) * China in Xi’s “New Era”: Redefining Development, '' Journal of Democracy'', April 2018 * Dot Com for Dictators, ''

'', November 4, 2009 * Democrats Vow in Calm Protest To Remain Voice of Hong Kong, '' Wall Street Journal'', July 1, 1997 * "U.S. Business School Setting Up Program on Chinese Companies", ''Wall Street Journal'', March 17, 1997

Edited Volumes

* Diplomacy, Development and Security in the Information Age, Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, Georgetown University, 2013

Reviews

* Globalization Chinese-Style, '' Journal of Democracy'', October 2017

Testimonies

* Statement by Shanthi Kalathil, Director, International Forum for Democratic Studies, National Endowment for Democracy, Before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific Hearing on "U.S. Responses to China's Foreign Influence Operations," 2018