Bellingcat Founder Eliot Higgins on Truth, Disinformation & Democracy

China, Democracy and Africa's Information Battlefield | Emeka Umejei

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2499050/fan_mail/new] How is China shaping Africa's media landscape? Are Western democracies making strategic mistakes across the continent? And what happens if Africa becomes the next major battleground in the global struggle between democratic and authoritarian models of governance? In this episode of Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight, We speak with scholar, journalist, policy analyst and author Emeka Umejei about misinformation, media influence, China-Africa relations and the future of democracy in Africa. Drawing on decades of experience across journalism and academia, Umejei explains how China uses media partnerships, journalist training programmes and influence networks to advance its interests in Africa, while arguing that Western governments often misunderstand both African priorities and their own shortcomings. The conversation explores the growing threat of AI-driven misinformation, the competition between China and the West for influence on the continent, the future of internet freedom, and why Africa's leaders must ultimately take responsibility for building democratic resilience and economic independence. Topics discussed: * China's media strategy in Africa * Misinformation and AI-generated propaganda * The future of democracy across the continent * Digital sovereignty and internet fragmentation * Journalism, accountability and democratic culture * Why Western policymakers misunderstand Africa * China's economic influence and African manufacturing * Freedom, human dignity and political pluralism Guest: Emeka Umejei is an academic, journalist, policy analyst and entrepreneur whose work focuses on journalism studies, misinformation, digital rights, data governance, China-Africa relations and the future of the internet in Africa. He is the author of Chinese Media in Africa: Perception, Performance, and Paradox and China in African Media: Between Influence Operations and Decolonization. Follow Emeka Umejei * Website: Blenders & Dealers * Latest book: China in African Media: Between Influence Operations and Decolonization Follow Dictators v Democrats * YouTube: @DictatorsvDemocrats * X: @TheoAMullis * Substack: tamullis.substack.com Democracy is non-negotiable. Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/DictatorsvDemocrats]

Bellingcat Founder Eliot Higgins on Truth, Disinformation & Democracy

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2499050/fan_mail/new] From identifying the suspects behind the Salisbury poisonings to exposing Russian involvement in MH17, Eliot Higgins helped pioneer a new era of open-source investigation. But in a world of algorithms, conspiracy theories, AI-generated content and collapsing trust, can truth still hold power? In this episode of Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight, we sit down with the founder of Bellingcat to discuss how a man with no formal journalism background built one of the world's most influential investigative organisations from his home in Leicester. They explore the origins of Bellingcat, the MH17 investigation, information warfare, social media radicalisation, AI-generated misinformation, and why Higgins believes democracy depends on three pillars: verification, deliberation and accountability. This is a conversation about truth, power, technology, and the future of democracy itself.  Topics Covered *  The birth of Bellingcat and open-source intelligence  *  Investigating MH17 and Russian disinformation  *  Online radicalisation and conspiracy theories  *  Social media algorithms and democratic decline  *  AI, deepfakes and the future of verification  *  Why trust in institutions is collapsing  *  How democracy can survive the digital age  *  Advice for the next generation of investigative journalists Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/DictatorsvDemocrats]

Europe Must Prepare for War | General Dominique Trinquand | Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2499050/fan_mail/new]  This week on Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight, We sit down with former French General Dominique Trinquand — one of Europe’s leading military voices on NATO, Russia, Ukraine and the future of European defence.  Drawing on decades of experience in NATO, the United Nations, the Balkans and Lebanon, General Trinquand explains why Europe is rapidly rearming, whether NATO can survive a weakening American commitment, and why he believes Europeans must prepare to defend themselves independently. The conversation explores: *  Europe’s military weaknesses after decades of underinvestment  *  Lessons Western armies are learning from Ukraine  *  France’s long-standing push for strategic independence from the United States  *  The future of NATO and whether a “European army” is realistic  *  Germany’s evolving role in European defence  *  Drone warfare, AI and the transformation of modern combat  *  Putin, Trump and the pressure reshaping Europe  *  Democracy, national identity and what younger generations are losing faith in  General Trinquand also reflects on his family’s history in the French Resistance, his lifelong military service, and why he still believes democracy will endure despite rising authoritarianism. Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/DictatorsvDemocrats]

The Power of Nonviolent Resistance | Why We Fight | Amber French-Griette

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2499050/fan_mail/new]  Amber French-Griette — co-founder and Executive Director of the Organization for Nonviolent Movements — joins Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight to explain why nonviolent resistance remains one of the most powerful weapons against authoritarianism.  From Ukraine’s civic resistance against Russia to the role of strikes, boycotts, social cohesion and information warfare, this conversation explores how ordinary people resist dictators without picking up a weapon.  We discuss wartime civic resistance, hybrid warfare, democratic resilience, social media, and why authoritarian regimes increasingly fear organised citizens as much as military force.  Topics include:  * Nonviolent resistance  * Ukraine and civic resilience  * Fighting authoritarianism  * Information warfare  * Democracy and freedom  * Hybrid war and social media  * Europe’s defence challenges  Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/DictatorsvDemocrats]

Steven Moore on Faith, Freedom & Ukraine | Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2499050/fan_mail/new] Steven Moore, founder of the Ukraine Freedom Project, joins Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight to discuss the war in Ukraine, Russian propaganda, faith under occupation, and why freedom remains worth fighting for. A former Republican congressional chief of staff who arrived in Ukraine days after the full-scale invasion, Moore reflects on frontline aid work, the persecution of religious communities in occupied territories, divisions within American conservatism over Ukraine, and the wider struggle between democracies and authoritarian states. Topics include: *  Russian religious persecution in occupied Ukraine  *  American conservative attitudes towards Ukraine  *  The role of faith during wartime  *  Tucker Carlson, propaganda and the information war  *  Europe, security and rearmament  *  Freedom, democracy and political violence  *  The global axis of authoritarian powers Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/DictatorsvDemocrats]