Babel: Translating the Middle East
Alessandro Accorsi: Disinformation Warfare in the Middle East
Feb 13, 2025
Alessandro Accorsi, a senior analyst for social media and conflict at the International Crisis Group, dives deep into disinformation warfare in the Middle East. He explores how social media is weaponized in conflicts, highlighting its role in the 2017 Qatari rift and the Libyan civil war. Accorsi discusses the severe impact of misinformation on civilian safety and humanitarian efforts, particularly in Gaza and Syria. He emphasizes the need for robust media practices to combat these threats and advocates for a healthier information landscape to ensure public safety.
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Quick takeaways
- Information operations effectively undermine national stability and complicate peace efforts by controlling narratives and influencing public opinion during conflicts.
- The evolving landscape of disinformation, with smaller private networks leveraging advanced technologies, challenges attribution and complicates the promotion of truthful information.
Deep dives
The Cost-Effectiveness of Information Operations in Conflict
Information operations are recognized as a cost-effective means in warfare and conflict, serving to undermine national stability and complicate peace efforts. Countries employ these operations to control narratives and influence public opinion both domestically and internationally. For example, Gulf states utilize influence campaigns to strengthen their regional dominance, while Egypt focuses primarily on managing its internal information landscape. The ongoing conflicts in places like Gaza and the dynamics between Morocco and Algeria illustrate how these narratives shape conflicts without requiring physical confrontation.
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