Leonid Bershidsky

Bershidsky: Social media has failed its self-driving test

November 20, 2017 at 1:22 p.m.

The big problem with artificial intelligence right now isn't that it's taking over; it's that it's being entrusted with serious tasks with real-world consequences before it works properly.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks at the opening of the Frankfurt Book Fair on Tuesday in Frankfurt.

Bershidsky: How Angela Merkel wins while disappointing everyone

October 10, 2017 at 11:46 a.m.

By accepting an upper limit to the number of immigrants Germany will accept for humanitarian reasons, German Chancellor Angela Merkel made one of her trademark compromises.

Bershidsky: I’m beating my smartphone addiction

September 1, 2017 at 3:52 p.m.

Most of the research on phone addiction and deprivation is done on students. It's not just the "kids these days," though. At 45, I'm a recovering addict. It's been four...

Bershidsky: Why nudity became a German election issue

August 11, 2017 at 4:01 p.m.

There can't be many countries where a major political party's leader would campaign on a nude beach.

Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in a ceremony to release juvenile omul into Lake Baikal at the Baikal State Nature Biosphere Reserve in Tankhoy village, Buryatiya region, Russia, last Friday.

Bershidsky: Why shirtless Putin is having the last laugh

August 7, 2017 at 4:49 p.m.

Westerners appear to be mesmerized by what they see as a display of machismo and bad taste, but also bad-boy physical power. The images of Putin without a shirt reinforce...

Russian President Vladimir Putin takes his time to shake hands with President Donald Trump during a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7.

Bershidsky: Trump wanted to collude, but did Putin?

July 14, 2017 at 4:39 p.m.

The U.S. public has known for a year that Donald Trump would have no scruples about using the spoils of Russian spying against Hillary Clinton.

Bershidsky: Islamic State remains dangerous in defeat

July 11, 2017 at 4:30 p.m.

There must be a better alternative for the locals than a new insurgency, and that's the biggest challenge in Mosul and, soon, in Raqqa.

According to the Intelligence Community Assessment on Russia's efforts to interfere with the 2016 presidential election, Vladimir Putin ordered a campaign to influence the election in favor of Donald Trump.

Bershidsky: How Vladimir Putin’s election meddling can make the U.S. stronger

July 5, 2017 at 2:00 p.m.

It would be useful to look beyond partisan perceptions of Russian hacking into last year's presidential election and consider how America might prevent it from happening again.

A screenshot of the warning screen from a purported ransomware attack, as captured by a computer user in Taiwan, is seen on laptop in Beijing on, Saturday. Dozens of countries were hit with a huge cyber-extortion attack Friday that locked up computers and held users' files for ransom at a multitude of hospitals, companies and government agencies.

Bershidsky: Ransomware attack shows threat of cyber war crimes

May 15, 2017 at 1:16 p.m.

Intelligence agencies should be legally required to give up any cyberweapons that don't specifically target the military capabilities of adversary states.

As his forces regained momentum, Syrian President Bashara Assad has taken a more hard-line position, saying he will continue fighting until he recaptures every inch of Syrian territory.

Bershidsky: Trump’s missiles hit U.S. critics, not Assad

April 22, 2017 at 5:00 p.m.

President Donald Trump's missile strike on a Syrian regime-controlled airfield was presented to the public as an act of retaliation against President Bashar Assad for allegedly launching a chemical attack...

抖阴ap