Candace Rondeaux

2 weeks ago | newamerica.org | Candace Rondeaux |Swati Srivastava |Min Jiang |Arindrajit Basu

In an increasingly multipolar world order, artificial intelligence is reshaping conceptions of national sovereignty—and vice versa. In this new landscape, what are the critical enablers of AI and the crucial parameters of sovereignty and agency? The analyses in this series examine these issues and deliver policy-relevant insights in five arenas: governance frameworks, computing infrastructure, human capital, algorithmic accountability, and data flows.

2 weeks ago | newamerica.org | Candace Rondeaux

Across ministerial offices from Brasília to Beijing, the race for “AI sovereignty” has become the new north star of national technology policy. Yet as our Digital Futures symposium series reveals, what passes for sovereignty in the AI age often amounts to little more than political theater—a carefully constructed narrative where the appearance of autonomy masks the profound dependencies and power asymmetries that define the global AI landscape.

1 month ago | newamerica.org | Candace Rondeaux

Candace Rondeaux examines Russia’s descent into mercenary chaos, revealing how one local crime boss leveraged black markets and Kremlin infighting to build a private army. Her analysis in her latest book, Putin's Sledgehammer: The Wagner Group & Russia's Collapse into Mercenary Chaos, traces the roots of this shadow force to the heart of state collapse.

1 month ago | newamerica.org | Candace Rondeaux

In Lawfare, Candace Rondeaux reveals how Wagner has morphed from a brutal mercenary outfit into a covert arm of Russian intelligence. A Polish espionage trial—the first hybrid warfare conviction since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—exposes the network’s deepening role in Moscow’s sabotage operations across Europe. Read here.

1 month ago | lawfaremedia.org | Candace Rondeaux

Editor's Note: Russia has engaged in sabotage and other gray zone warfare in Europe, but now some states are fighting back. Arizona State's Candace Rondeaux describes Poland's successful prosecutions of Wagner Group members and how this is complicating Moscow's operations there. Daniel Byman***A landmark espionage case in Poland has established a crucial new legal precedent for prosecuting hybrid warfare operations in Europe. On Feb.