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This article delves into the academic discourse surrounding the security implications of artificial intelligence (AI). It highlights the lack of consensus on what AI truly encompasses, which poses challenges for regulating the technology. While some express concerns about the security risks of AI, there are proponents of ethical AI who believe in the possibility of programming the technology to operate ethically, and supporters of AI for Good (or AI for Social Good) who see potential for AI to address sustainable development challenges. Scholars agree that AI will have a significant impact on global security, but they disagree on the specific mechanisms and dimensions of this impact. Some focus on changes in the balance of power and the effectiveness of autonomous weapons, while others highlight the tactical advantages, defensive and offensive capabilities, and even national differences in AI development and deployment. Overall, the article concludes that more critical studies are needed to explore how AI is already affecting security in a broad sense.

The current literature on democratic legitimacy is vital to addressing why assaults on democracy are effective. The theoretical frameworks of the construction of legitimacy by international organizations (IOs) help us comprehend how and why IOs seek support and when the results of these quests effectively curb democratic backsliding in their member states. Furthermore, the explanatory models of domestic democratic legitimacy allow us to understand how anti-democratic actors claim the right to rule and what makes their claims successful. They also explain what makes militant democracies fail. The theories differentiate between socially attributed legitimacy and the acquisition of social legitimacy through claims to the right to rule. Their conceptualizations differ depending on the audiences, claimants, and consequences of legitimacy.

The profusion of conspiracy theories in recent social and political discourse is alarming. As a response to this increasingly concerning problem, there is a rapidly growing multidisciplinary literature on conspiracy theories and conspiratorial thinking. In this article, I review the state of the scholarship on conspiracy theories and its related concepts. I begin with a definition of conspiracy theories and key terms related to their communication and belief. Then, the article turns to the research on the spread, correlates, and consequences of conspiratorial beliefs, highlighting important findings and trends in research. Lastly, I discuss areas where research is lacking and future scholarly efforts should be placed. Altogether, this text provides a much-needed assessment and sorting of a rapidly evolving field of research that spans across several disciplinary boundaries.