On July 7, the Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET) hosted a delegation from Reichman University’s The Argov Fellows Program in Leadership and Diplomacy. The visit introduced the students and faculty to DSET’s mission and research areas, and provided an opportunity to exchange insights on how Taiwan’s democratic civil society responds to information warfare.
Kai-Shen Huang, Director of DSET’s Democratic Governance Program, highlighted that foreign social media platforms have increasingly permeated young people’s daily lives. He explained that the algorithms of these platforms, often shaped by authoritarian values, attract audiences through entertainment and link to narratives of Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI). He noted that the threat posed by FIMI has shifted from the virtual realm to real-world impacts, citing the example of an earlier migrant workers’ rally in Taiwan that demonstrated how disinformation can rapidly trigger social unrest.
In addition to sharing DSET’s recent research on foreign information manipulation, disinformation countermeasures, energy security and sustainability, and the development of Taiwan’s democratic civil society, the institute also briefed the Argov students on its international connections with think tanks and policy research organizations worldwide.
Established in 2006, Reichman University’s Argov Fellows Program in Leadership and Diplomacy was founded by Gideon Argov in honor of his father, the late Israeli diplomat Ambassador Shlomo Argov, to carry on his vision. Each year, the program selects over 20 outstanding final-year undergraduate students to participate in an intensive one-year special curriculum, cultivating young leaders committed to contributing to public service and international affairs.
