
Disinformation Wars
The American Foreign Policy Council
Latest episodes

Jun 5, 2023 • 25min
EPISODE 33: The tug-of-war over TikTok
In this episode of DISINFORMATION WARS, host Ilan Berman speaks with Jimmy Quinn of National Review about the current state of the political debate over one of the world’s most popular social media apps - and what it tells us about the larger Great Power Competition that's now unfolding between the United States and China.

May 10, 2023 • 22min
EPISODE 32: Bringing balance to reporting about Israel
In this episode of DISINFORMATION WARS, host Ilan Berman speaks with Jacki Alexander, Chief Executive Officer of HonestReporting, about how her organization is harnessing social media and badly-needed context in order to combat bias in reporting about Israel and its place in the Middle East.
Materials referenced in this episode:
— Report by Israel’s Channel 14 on the Palestinian Authority’s “prisoners project” (in Hebrew): https://www.now14.co.il/למחבלים-בלבד-שכונת-היוקרה-שמוקמת-ברשפ/
— HonestReporting’s expose on the “project”: https://honestreporting.com/obstacle-to-peace-palestinian-authority-approves-terrorists-only-settlement/

6 snips
Apr 17, 2023 • 30min
EPISODE 31: China’s global propaganda push
In this episode of DISINFORMATION WARS, host Ilan Berman speaks with Joshua Kurlantzick of the Council on Foreign Relations regarding his new book on Chinese media strategy, and the methods and means by which the PRC is shaping global perceptions.
Materials referenced in this episode:
Kurlantzick’s book, Beijing’s Global Media Offensive: China’s Uneven Campaign to Influence Asia and the World (Oxford University Press, 2022), available here.
The Associated Press’ investigative report into Chinese influence in Utah (accessible here).

Mar 16, 2023 • 33min
EPISODE 30: Propaganda and the pandemic
In this episode of DISINFORMATION WARS, host Ilan Berman speaks with Michael Sobolik of the American Foreign Policy Council about China's efforts to shape global perceptions surrounding COVID19 at the start of the global pandemic - and how that war of narratives has now returned with a vengeance.

Feb 20, 2023 • 25min
EPISODE 29: Information is a Russian weapon
In this episode of DISINFORMATION WARS, host Ilan Berman speaks with Ivana Stradner of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies about how Russia weaponizes information to achieve its geopolitical objectives -- and how the United States and its allies can begin to push back.

Jan 31, 2023 • 20min
EPISODE 28: Israel’s upgraded digital diplomacy
In this episode of DISINFORMATION WARS, host Ilan Berman speaks with Amb. David Saranga, the head of digital diplomacy at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, about how Jerusalem is using new media and innovative techniques to share Israel’s story with global audiences.

Dec 22, 2022 • 32min
EPISODE 27: Russian disinformation is helping reshape Latin America
In this episode of DISINFORMATION WARS, host Ilan Berman talks to Joseph Humire, Executive Director of the Center for Secure Free Society, about how Russian narratives and tropes are resonating in the Americas - and what that means for local politics, as well as for American security.
Materials referenced in this episode:
— Ilan Berman and Joseph M. Humire, eds., Iran’s Strategic Penetration of Latin America (Lexington Books, 2016), https://www.amazon.com/Irans-Strategic-Penetration-Latin-America/dp/1498505988/ref=sr_1_1?crid=ON196ZVZL7HQ&keywords=iran%27s+strategic+penetration&qid=1671712687&sprefix=iran%27s+strategic+penetration%2Caps%2C63&sr=8-1.
— LatinoBarometer’s 2021 Human Development Report: https://www.latinobarometro.org/lat.jsp?Idioma=0&Idioma=0

Nov 28, 2022 • 32min
EPISODE 26: Russia’s emerging exile media sphere
In this episode of DISINFORMATION WARS, host Ilan Berman talks to Roman Anin, Editor-in-Chief of Russian investigative outlet iStories, about the consequences of the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine, the moral and practical stakes involved, and the emergence of a new media ecosystem for Russian opposition journalists.

Oct 21, 2022 • 31min
EPISODE 25: China’s expanding digital authoritarianism
In this episode of DISINFORMATION WARS, host Ilan Berman talks to Klon Kitchen of the American Enterprise Institute about how technology is enabling China’s deepening domestic repression, and how that same technology is becoming an important - and ominous - export commodity for the PRC.

Sep 22, 2022 • 28min
EPISODE 24: How the rest of the world sees China
In this episode of DISINFORMATION WARS, host Ilan Berman talks to Eric Olander, Editor-in-Chief of the China Global South Project, about how China is seen throughout the developing world - and why these views are so different from Western perceptions of the PRC.
MATERIALS REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE:
— The China Global South Daily Brief is available at https://chinaglobalsouth.com