
Disinformation Wars
The American Foreign Policy Council
Latest episodes

Sep 7, 2022 • 32min
EPISODE 23: China’s global propaganda push
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/

Aug 19, 2022 • 30min
EPISODE 22: China’s growing “discourse power” in Israel
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/

Jul 5, 2022 • 28min
EPISODE 21: The rise and fall of Biden’s disinformation board
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

May 23, 2022 • 17min
EPISODE 20: How Iran is influencing Israeli society
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.

May 12, 2022 • 28min
EPISODE 19: The roots of Russian dysfunction
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.

May 3, 2022 • 22min
Episode 18: Russia's new anti-NATO offensive
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.

Apr 14, 2022 • 25min
EPISODE 17: A war of narratives with Russia
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.

Mar 24, 2022 • 21min
EPISODE 16: Russia’s shrinking information space
In this episode of DISINFORMATION WARS, host Ilan Berman visits once again with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty president Jamie Fly to talk about how the war in Ukraine has served as a catalyst for a new, more restrictive media environment in Russia, and how U.S. public diplomacy is adapting as a result.

Mar 17, 2022 • 23min
EPISODE 15: How the West is responding to Russia's new war
In this episode of DISINFORMATION WARS, host Ilan Berman speaks with Bill Browder, CEO of Hermitage Capital and one of the world's leading anti-corruption crusaders, about the economic pressure the U.S. and its allies are bringing to bear against Moscow in an effort to deter Russian aggression.

Mar 4, 2022 • 23min
EPISODE 14: Making sense of Putin’s war against Ukraine
In this episode of DISINFORMATION WARS, host Ilan Berman speaks with leading Russia expert Michael Kofman of CNA about the strategic realities and media optics surrounding Russia’s military offensive against Ukraine and the new war in Europe.