Shanthi Kalathil (born 1972) is an American foreign policy analyst and former journalist, currently serving as a

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

–based senior fellow at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

's Center on Communication Leadership and Policy and a visiting senior fellow at the

German Marshall Fund The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) is a non-partisan American public policy think tank that seeks to promote cooperation and understanding between North America and the European Union. Founded in 1972, through a gift from the W ...

's Alliance for Securing Democracy, 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) is a non-profit American non-governmental organization whose stated mission is to "support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability". It is ...

and

Radio Free Asia Radio Free Asia (RFA) is a news service that publishes online news, information, commentary and broadcasts radio programs for its audiences in Asia. The service, which provides editorially independent reporting, has the stated mission of pro ...

. Kalathil was formerly deputy assistant to the president and coordinator for democracy and human rights at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

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 n ...

during the

Biden administration Joe Biden's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 46th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Joe Biden, his inauguration on January 20, 2021, and ended on January 20, 2025. Biden, a member of the Democr ...

. Prior to this, Kalathil was a fellow at the

US Agency for International Development The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian United States foreign aid, foreign aid and development assistance. Established in 19 ...

(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 Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in democracy, separation of powers, civil liberties, and ...

Early life and education

Kalathil was born to Lucia Tang, a Taiwanese national, and James Kalathil, a

Malayali The Malayali people (; also spelt Malayalee and sometimes known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala and Union Territory of Lakshadweep in India, occupying its south ...

Indian. She holds a B.A. in communications from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

and a M.Sc. in

comparative politics Comparative politics is a field in political science characterized either by the use of the '' comparative method'' or other empirical methods to explore politics both within and between countries. Substantively, this can include questions relat ...

from the

London School of Economics and Political Science The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public university, public research university in London, England, and a member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the University ...

, where she focused on autocracies versus democracies. She is married to Jon Wolfsthal.

Career

In the late 1990s, Kalathil was a staff reporter for the ''Wall Street Journal Asia'', based in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

. 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 Asia, East Asia, and the Middle East, as well as the United States. Foun ...

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

(USAID). She also was a non-resident associate with

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

's Institute for the Study of Diplomacy and worked for the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

as a consultant on media and development. Kalathil joined the

(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 The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a quasi-autonomous non-governmental organization in the United States founded in 1983 with the stated aim of advancing democracy worldwide and counter communism, communist influence abroad, by prom ...

International Forum for Democratic Studies The International Forum for Democratic Studies (IFDS) was an analytical initiative of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). Established in April 1994, its programs included the '' Journal of Democracy'' (which has Spanish and Portuguese editi ...

. According to one of her colleagues at the NSC, covering the

handover of Hong Kong The handover of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China was at midnight on 1 July 1997. This event ended 156 years of British rule in the former colony, which began in 1841. Hong Kong was established as a specia ...

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 Center on Communication Leadership and Policy 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 (national defense in American English), is the security and Defence (military), defence of a sovereign state, including its Citizenship, citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of ...

. In May 2023, the

Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (MFA Russia; , МИД РФ) is the central government institution charged with leading the foreign policy and foreign relations of Russia. It is a continuation of the Ministry of Foreig ...

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

's Alliance for Securing Democracy as a visiting 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 Information technology (IT) is a set of related fields within information and communications technology (ICT), that encompass computer systems, software, programming languages, data processing, data and information processing, and storage. Inf ...

but rather proactively advanced internet development to further their interests. In a review for ''

The China Quarterly ''The China Quarterly'' (CQ) is a British triple-anonymous peer-reviewed academic journal established in 1960 on contemporary China including Taiwan. It is considered one of the most important academic journals about China in the world and is p ...

'', Christopher R. Hughes of the

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 National Defence (or Defense) University (or College) may refer to: :''Alphabetical by country'' University * Marshal Fahim National Defense University, Afghanistan * National Defense University (Azerbaijan) * People's Liberation Army National Defe ...

'', 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. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C., but also has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, its original home. Its stated miss ...

'', April 16, 2014 * Developing Independent Media as an Institution of Accountable Governance, ''

'', 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 The ''Journal of Democracy'' is a quarterly academic journal established in 1990 and an official publication of the National Endowment for Democracy's International Forum for Democratic Studies. It covers the study of democracy, democratic regi ...

'', January 2020 (co-authored with Christopher Walker and Jessica Ludwig) * Forget Hearts and Minds, ''

Foreign Policy Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...

'', 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 foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit organization, nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership or ...

'', August 16, 2018 (co-authored with Christopher Walker and Jessica Ludwig) * China in Xi’s “New Era”: Redefining Development, ''

'', April 2018 * Dot Com for Dictators, ''

'', November 4, 2009 * Democrats Vow in Calm Protest To Remain Voice of Hong Kong, ''

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'', 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,

, 2013

Reviews

* Globalization Chinese-Style, ''

'', 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