International Visitor Leadership Program
AIES Director Michael Zinkanell as participant
Feb 27, 2024 / USA / Global Affairs
AIES Director Michael Zinkanell in Washington D.C.
AIES Director Michael Zinkanell joined the International Visitor Leadership Program in the United States from 25th of Feb until 07th of March 2024.
Michael Zinkanell had the honor to be invited by the U.S. Department of State to participate at the prestigious International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), which focused on “Strategies for Effectively Combatting Disinformation”. The program, which lasted for almost two weeks, took place in Washington D.C., Santa Fe, New Mexico, as well as in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Together with five other participants from Austria, Michael Zinkanell had the opportunity to discuss the topic extensively with distinguished experts, including governmental officials, media representatives, academic scholars, and civil society actors. In particular against the background of the upcoming elections in the United States, in Austria, as well as the European Parliament elections, disinformation poses a multifaceted and serious threat to democratic processes and institutes as well as to societal stability at large. During the extensive program, Michael Zinkanell was able to share his expertise and perspectives, while simultaneously widening his professional knowledge and establishing valuable new contacts in the United States. From his perspective, the need to raise more public awareness about the threats of disinformation as well as the necessity to enhance the analytical research of disinformation strategies and tactics, were the two most significant conclusions of the program.
Michael Zinkanell would like to thank the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Embassy in Vienna, the Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation, the Meridian International Center, and all institutions he met with during the IVLP for organizing and enabling this excellent program.
