Michelle C. Watson & Mónika Palotai , Kristóf György Veres
To combat Russian disinformation, policymakers in Washington DC must approach this critical threat as a nonpartisan national security issue and take proactive measures to identify and counter the Kremlin's operations. Once manipulated stories enter the mainstream public discourse, it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish falsehoods from facts. As a result, the damage has already been done. We have witnessed during the months-long debate on the Ukraine-aid package, that allegations of Ukrainian religious freedom violations were able to play a significant role in stalling the agreement in the House for months. The passage of the $61B package does not negate Putin’s disinformation operation’ national security implications.
Recently, Michael McCaul (R. Tx.), head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Mike Turner (R., Oh.), House Intelligence Committee Chair, accurately highlighted the Kremlin's influence on decision-makers in Washington DC. Russia, China and Iran have exponentially increased their targeted deception campaigns since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine to create narratives that promote their agenda. Russia spends $1.5B on influencing foreign audiences annually, while China allocates $7B to the same purpose. The soft power strategies of these authoritarian regimes often overlap, amplifying each other’s messages that are tailor-made for specific regions and countries.
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