In CHALLENGING MOSCOW’S MESSAGE, Ilan Berman examines the strategic logic underpinning Russia’s extensive use of propaganda and disinformation, and evaluates the effectiveness of the institutions erected by a range of Western governments over the past decade in response. He also offers concrete recommendations for how the United States can upgrade the effectiveness of its own response to Russia’s manipulation of the information domain.
ILAN BERMAN is Senior Vice President of the American Foreign Policy Council in Washington, DC. An expert on regional security in the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Russian Federation, he has consulted for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency as well as the U.S. Departments of State and Defense.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY COUNCIL:
For more than four decades, the American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC) has played an essential role in the U.S. foreign policy debate. Founded in 1982, AFPC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to bringing information to those who make or influence the foreign policy of the United States.
AFPC is widely recognized as a source of timely, insightful analysis on issues of foreign policy, and works closely with members of Congress, the Executive Branch and the policymaking community. It is staffed by noted specialists in foreign and defense policy, and serves as a valuable resource to officials in the highest levels of government.
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THE LONG ARC OF RUSSIAN DISINFORMATION 5
The logic of disinformation 6
Cold War applications 10
The Soviet collapse, and after 16
Disinformation under the Putin regime 18
New media, new opportunities 25
A force multiplier for Russian foreign policy 28
MAPPING THE WESTERN RESPONSE 31
The EU: regulating the threat 36
The Czech Republic: building a walled garden .42
Poland: a politicized response 49
Latvia: outsourcing awareness and response 55
Estonia: building capacity 59
Lithuania: all hands on deck 63
Sweden: a counter-disinformation ‘quarterback’.68
Finland: instilling resiliency 71
Lessons learned… so far 75
NEXT STEPS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST
RUSSIAN DISINFORMATION 81
Regaining expertise in Russian information warfare 82
Scaling to meet the challenge 86
Encouraging independent investments in
counter-disinformation 89
Nurturing Russian exile media 93
CONCLUSION: SEEING RUSSIAN
DISINFORMATION IN GEOPOLITICAL CONTEXT 99
ABOUT THE AUTHOR 105