Education and Democracies Network Lead
Michael O'Connell is the Education and Democracies Network Lead at Ditchley. He focuses on the impact of media on democracy, as well as technological and economic threats to democratic discourse. He recently graduated in Philosophy and Politics from the University of Leeds, where his dissertation explored counter-narrative strategies to combat online extremism.
Michael also studied at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey. He previously served as the Regional Officer for Ditchley’s Alumni Network, having interned with the organisation during his studies, and was also involved in coordinating events for the alumni network.
His interests include UK defence and security, US politics, and relations with China, with a broader focus on international security and democracy.