In tackling Vladimir Putin web of troll farms and hackers , we have one advantage : democracy | Peter Pomerantsev

Russia, under Vladimir Putin, is portrayed as a mafia state with ambitions to become a mafia empire, according to UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy. Lammy highlights the dual nature of Putin s political model, which combines traditional imperialism with modern tactics like corruption, criminal networks, and tech-driven psychological operations to undermine open societies. Lammy warns that if democracies fail to counteract this model, it could spread globally. Ukraine is actively resisting this older form of imperialism on the battlefield, but Lammy emphasizes the need for democracies to arm Ukraine and themselves to properly constrain Russia. The challenge lies in combating the contemporary tools of political warfare that Russia pioneers, such as weaponizing corruption and exploiting globalization s interconnectedness to facilitate subversion. Lammy suggests that democracies must work together to expose Russian agents, build joint capabilities, and collaborate with the global south to counter Putin s disinformation campaigns. The UK, US, and Canada have already taken steps to expose RT, a state media outlet linked to Russian intelligence, for its involvement in money laundering and cyber incidents. However, legal action alone is insufficient. Democracies must also communicate effectively to counter Russia s narratives, which exploit anti-western and anti-colonial sentiments. For example, Russia s efforts to undermine Ukraine s sovereignty through propaganda and cultural influence in cities like Odesa must be met with a concerted effort to engage with important audiences and communicate the significance of Ukraine s role in global grain supply chains. To counter Russia s war machine, democracies must build their own networks, combining the strengths of open source researchers, anti-corruption activists, media, businesses, and special forces. This democratic swarm must focus its strengths together to compete with the coordinated efforts of dictatorships like Russia and China. In summary, Lammy calls for democracies to unite in exposing Russian agents, building joint capabilities, and communicating effectively to counter Russia s political warfare tactics.

Source: theguardian.com
Published on 2024-09-29