- February 14, 2026
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- February 14, 2026
When information becomes a weapon, influence itself turns into a battlefield. In the 2024 Romanian and 2025 German elections, coordinated campaigns deployed bot networks, fabricated narratives, and paid influencers to polarize voters and erode trust. These operations – foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) executed in part through influence-for-hire (IfH) networks – represent a new front in hybrid warfare, where private actors and state proxies blend digital disinformation with traditional tools of coercion, espionage, and destabilization. With this as background, Aspen Germany looks forward to hosting a panel discussion in cooperation with the Amerikahaus Munich and Tagesspiegel on Saturday, February 14, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., within the context of the Munich Security Conference. The discussion will examine how hybrid tactics blur the line between civic disruption and national security threats, threatening democratic discourse and the integrity of defense and governance systems. Featuring social media influencers and experts from government, tech, and media, the panel will explore how societies can counter weaponized influence and build resilience across the information and security domains. Participants will gain a clearer view of how hybrid influence operations impact national security and how to respond effectively.
