Disinformation Wars

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.

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.

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

In this episode of DISINFORMATION WARS, host Ilan Berman talks to the Washington Post’s Josh Rogin about how China is working to reshape global narratives to advance its geopolitical agenda and improve its international standing. MATERIALS REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE: — Josh’s book, Chaos under Heaven: Trump, Xi, and the Battle for the 21st Century: https://www.amazon.com/Chaos-Under-Heaven-America-Twenty-First/dp/0358699282/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1662421880&sr=8-1 — Josh’s August 17th Washington Post column, “The Chinese ambassador’s charm offensive is falling flat in Washington”: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/08/17/chinese-ambassador-disinformation-alternate-facts-taiwan/

In this episode of DISINFORMATION WARS, host Ilan Berman talks to Alexander Pevzner of Strategy Risks, a business risk consultancy, about the mechanics of how China has set about building presence - and popularity - in Israel, and what it might mean. MATERIALS REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE: — The Pew Research Center’s 2019 survey of attitudes toward China: https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2019/12/05/attitudes-toward-china-2019/ — The Pew Research Center’s 2022 survey of attitudes toward China: https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2022/06/29/negative-views-of-china-tied-to-critical-views-of-its-policies-on-human-rights/

In this episode of DISINFORMATION WARS, host Ilan Berman talks to AFPC Fellow and disinformation specialist Monika Richter about the missteps that torpedoed the Biden administration’s latest initiative - and the underlying problems with how the U.S. and Europe approach today’s digital disorder. MATERIALS REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE: -- Monika Richter, “Is Biden’s Disinfo Czar Qualified?” The Bulwark, May 6, 2022, https://www.thebulwark.com/is-bidens-disinfo-czar-qualified/ -- Matt Apuzzo, “Pressured by China, E.U. Softens Report on Covid-19 Disinformation,” New York Times, April 24, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/24/world/europe/disinformation-china-eu-coronavirus.html

In this episode of DISINFORMATION WARS, host Ilan Berman talks to Israeli disinformation specialist Moshe Kwiat about recent terror attacks in Israel - and how they are linked to a broader Iranian media campaign to destabilize the country.  MOSHE KWIAT is an open source intelligence analyst specializing in disinformation, and a graduate researcher at Reichman University. He is a captain in the IDF reserves, and has worked on counterterrorism and international relations for Israel's Ministry of Public Security and the Israeli Ministry of Defense. His research and writing have appeared in such publications as the Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs, The Times of Israel, and The Jerusalem Post.

In this episode of DISINFORMATION WARS, host Ilan Berman talks to veteran Russian journalist Yulia Latynina regarding the myths, misconceptions and errors that have helped shape the Kremlin’s current war in Ukraine. YULIA LATYNINA is an award-winning journalist and literary writer who worked for decades in Russian media, most recently as a correspondent with the Ekho Moskvy radio station and the Novaya Gazeta newspaper. In 2008, she was awarded the U.S. State Department’s Freedom Defenders Award for her work on human rights and civil society in Russia.

In this episode of DISINFORMATION WARS, host Ilan Berman speaks with Mollie Saltskog of The Soufan Group about how Russia is now trying to harness propaganda and disinformation to discourage the Nordic states from joining the NATO alliance. 

In this episode of DISINFORMATION WARS, host Ilan Berman speaks with Cliff May, president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, about the informational and ideological contest surrounding the current war in Ukraine, and its implications for the global order.