Shanthi Kalathil is co-author with Taylor C. Boas of Open Networks, Closed Regimes: The Impact of the Internet on Authoritarian Rule.

The advent of the Internet led many to see it as a force in overthrowing dictatorships. The record, however, has been far more mixed. In this conversation, Shanthi Kalathil explains how both demagogues and democrats can effectively use cyberspace.