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Still not sure who has gained the upper hand in information warfare?<\/p>\n
Just have a look at how much of a centre stage Russian interference has taken in recent political debates in the United States, Britain and Turkey.<\/p>\n
For more than two years, the common thread in all political storms swirling around the Trump’s White House was Russia.<\/p>\n
From meddling in the 2016 presidential election, as concluded in the report by Robert Mueller, to the impeachment inquiry centering on President Trump\u2019s Ukrainian policy, the impact of Russia\u2019s propaganda and disinformation machine is crystal clear.<\/p>\n
In Britain, too, in the run up to December 12 general election, the extent of Russian interference during the 2016 Brexit referendum is becoming one of the most contentious political campaign issues.<\/p>\n
The cross-party intelligence and security committee ISC\u2019s report, examining allegations of Russian activity in Britain, especially during the referendum campaign, has been suppressed by the government, despite being cleared for publication by the security services.<\/p>\n
The government\u2019s refusal to publish the report before the election has not only caused consternation but also increased speculation that the government was trying to hide something from the British public.<\/p>\n
Leaks from the report indicate that Prime Minister Boris Johnson\u2019s fears may not be solely domestic. With a NATO summit in London coming up early next month, the report\u2019s conclusions may cause diplomatic embarrassment, too.<\/p>\n
According to The Sunday Times<\/a>, the ISC report concludes that Russian interference may have had an impact on the Brexit referendum but its effect was \u201cunquantifiable\u201d. \u00a0The report is said to look into Kremlin-sanctioned media outlets, such as RT, Sputnik and social media as well as other suspected Russian infiltration methods into Britain’s political establishment, businesses and media.<\/p>\n There is increasing pressure on the government to release the report before the general election, including calls by the main opposition, and by the two former chairmen of the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Dominic Grieve.<\/p>\n The Bureau of Investigative Journalism<\/a> has launched an urgent legal challenge aimed at forcing the publication.<\/p>\n Marina Litvinenko, the widow of murdered Russian former spy Alexander Litvinenko is also planning to take legal action, but the government made it clear that the report would not be published before the election.<\/p>\n In the meantime, Russian disinformation efforts and current thinking in Kremlin seem to have been increasingly under the spotlight at various think tanks, academic institutions and the media in London.<\/p>\n In a well-attended meeting at The Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) last week, Oscar Jonsson, the author of a new book titled \u201cThe Russian Understanding of War<\/a>\u201d gave a good insight into current Russian military and political thinking.<\/p>\n Jonsson said that Russia\u2019s conception of\u00a0 war was changing and the lines between war and peace were blurring. Russians were finding non-military methods such as disinformation and political subversion, more effective than the military means. \u201cRussian strategic culture has always had a wider notion of conflict and their concept of soft power is fundamentally different than ours\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Oscar Jonsson is not the only one saying that after the 2014 revolution in Ukraine, Russia\u2019s information warfare has escalated and widened.<\/p>\n The growing visibility of Russian disinformation as a tool to undermine democracies\u00a0 and the need for a coordinated push-back were the subjects of a EU Parliament report<\/a> earlier this year.<\/p>\n One of the key recommendations of the report was to increase digital literacy of citizens to counter the malign influence of false or misleading information.<\/p>\n This is especially relevant in countries like Turkey where Russia\u2019s use of media channels to pursue its foreign policy objectives are becoming increasingly obvious.<\/p>\n Without a strong independent media, Russia\u2019s propaganda and misinformation machine is even more effective in Turkey.<\/p>\n