Emily Parker’s Post

My new piece about Alexei Navalny and the future of Russia for Public Seminar "In circumstances where any civil or political activity in Russia is severely punished, with a huge portion of the opposition in forced exile, every action, no matter how small, is valuable."

Dismiss, Distort, Distract and Dismay - these are the key tactics used to create an alternative reality, 'in which all truth is relative and no information can be trusted. This piece by Ben Nimmo was posted back in 2015 and is about Vladmir Putin's use of disinformation. But it could apply to tactics used by some groups and politicians online and in the real world now. TL:DR; Dismiss - deny allegations, or attack the person making them Distort - manipulation information to serve their own version of events Distract - 'whataboutism', making counter-accusations Dismay - make allusions to disastrous consequences for anyone opposing their point of view. Sound familiar? Worth a look back at this useful analysis. https://lnkd.in/gssuHRXR

For class today we are discussing Russia's weaponization of disinformation in the modern era. A NYT journalist, Adrian Chen, provided a window into the heart of Russian disinformation operations through time spent with an opposition leader named Ludmila Savchuk in 2015. Savchuk had worked to expose the Internet Research Agency, a Russian organization that produced and spread disinformation across the Russian internet. The article provided a number of comments that bear striking resemblance to the U.S. media environment today: "[About the Internet Research Agency] by working every day to spread Kremlin propaganda, the paid trolls have made it impossible for the normal Internet user to separate truth from fiction. The point is to spoil it, to create the atmosphere of hate, to make it so stinky that normal people won’t want to touch it." This description matches the sentiments of many American consumers of news and media, who are fed up with what has become a toxic, polarized information environment. The real danger is when that frustration turns to apathy and disinterest, pushing away American citizens from efforts to stay informed and engaged with politics and current events. The creation of an uneducated and apathetic public is central to the mission of disinformation actors. #Disinformation #IRA

CHINA: THE PERFECT HIGH-TECH TOTALITARIAN STATE At the moment, China is in the process of fulfilling what Stalin, Hitler and Mao could only dream about: The flawless totalitarian state, powered by digital technology, where the individual has nowhere to flee from the all-seeing eye of the Communist state. https://lnkd.in/epirkwcJ

In my 97th long-read on my blog Tenzer Strategics, I strive to decipher some of the words and turns of phrase used by Western leaders, who, more often than not, unwittingly fuel rhetoric favorable to the #Kremlin. Without realizing it, these policy-makers are becoming Putin enablers. While progress, albeit insufficient, has been made in democracies to counter cyber-attacks and massive #propaganda operations, despite numerous warnings over many years, there has been no intellectual work on #narratives. In this essay, I attempt to analyze three types of discourse which, in the West, continue to reinforce the Kremlin's positions and weaken those of democracies and #Ukraine. The first is the discourse on #peace, #agreement or #negotiation, which, even when presented by certain governments as concerning only a distant future and with all possible caveats ("Russia doesn't want it", "it will be when Ukraine decides it", etc.), feeds a narrative that is consistent with its logic and intentions. I show the ways in which #Russia is legitimized in this manner. The second is not, strictly speaking, discourse, but precisely #silence or #oblivion. Some silences are, as one says, eloquent. And what democratic leaders say little or nothing about, indirectly becomes a weapon that Moscow knows perfectly well how to use. This is particularly true of silence on crimes, such as #genocide, but I provide other examples here. Finally, the third type of narrative (of which there are many, often indirect) leads to what I call the externalization of war, or its remoteness. This is precisely what the Kremlin is hoping for: to "parochialize" the #war, to make it a "classic" conflict between Kyiv and Moscow only, to create distance. Yet I give several examples where Western decision-makers have produced statements sidelining the war, meaning that it was not theirs, or downplaying its total dimension and #warofextermination. These major mistakes create a mirror image of the discourse that the leaders of the free world should hold. As the new school year begins, if you can afford, and if you'd like to join the thousands of regular Tenzer Strategics readers, please consider taking out a full subscription to my strategy blog, and you'll have access to the entire archive (97 long-reads published to date). An additional benefit is available to founding members. https://lnkd.in/emZpfzmd

In his 97th long-read on Tenzer Strategics, Nicolas Tenzer deciphers some of the words and turns of phrase used by Western leaders, who, more often than not, unwittingly fuel rhetoric favorable to the #Kremlin. Without realizing it, these policy-makers are becoming #Putin enablers. While progress, albeit insufficient, has been made in democracies to counter cyber-attacks and massive #propaganda operations, despite numerous warnings over many years, there has been no intellectual work on #narratives. In this substantial essay, Nicolas Tenzer analyzes three types of discourse which, in the West, continue to reinforce the Kremlin's positions and weaken those of democracies and #Ukraine. The first is the discourse on #peace, #agreement or #negotiation, which, even when presented by certain governments as concerning only a distant future and with all possible caveats ("Russia doesn't want it", "it will be when Ukraine decides it", etc.), feeds a narrative that is consistent with its logic and intentions. Nicolas Tenzer shows the ways in which #Russia is legitimized in this manner. The second is not, strictly speaking, discourse, but precisely #silence or #oblivion. Some silences are, as one says, eloquent. And what democratic leaders say little or nothing about, indirectly becomes a weapon that Moscow knows perfectly well how to use. This is particularly true of silence on crimes, such as #genocide, but Nicolas Tenzer provides other examples here. Finally, the third type of narrative (of which there are many, often indirect) leads to what he calls the externalization of war, or its remoteness. This is precisely what the Kremlin is hoping for: to "parochialize" the #war, to make it a "classic" conflict between Kyiv and Moscow only, to create distance. Yet Nicolas Tenzer gives several examples where Western decision-makers have produced statements sidelining the war, meaning that it was not theirs, or downplaying its total dimension and #warofextermination.  These major mistakes create a mirror image of the discourse that the leaders of the free world should hold. As the new school year begins, if you'd like to join the thousands of regular Tenzer Strategics readers, consider taking out a full subscription to Nicolas Tenzer's strategy blog, and you'll have access to the entire archive (97 long-reads published to date). Another advantage is available to founding members. https://lnkd.in/eASgqNVa

In light of the riveting article titled "One word Russians are banned from saying," (https://lnkd.in/gJQVdNDR), I couldn't help but ponder the implications of this seemingly innocuous linguistic constraint. As an advocate of free speech and expression, it is disconcerting to see the power of language being stifled in such a manner. In this modern digital age, where our digital footprints hold substantial weight on our real-world existence, the effects of suppressing an everyday term could potentially resonate, leading to a chilling effect on Russian society. As we in the West strive to encourage and uphold democratic virtues, the pervasive influence of online platforms like social media has become apparent. The crux of the matter, however, lies in the balance between ensuring the stability and security of a nation-state and protecting civil liberties. Can we really afford to draw distinct lines between these interests? As someone well-versed in e-commerce and digital strategy, I recognise the significance of enabling the seamless flow of ideas and dialogue. Ultimately, the ramifications of this lexical restriction transcend merely just a word – it stands as a testament to the challenges we face while navigating through a rapidly-evolving digital landscape. #FreeSpeech #DigitalRights #CivilLiberties #OnlineCensorship

Leonid Bershidsky's recent article in Bloomberg provides an insight into the relevance of George Orwell's ‘1984’ in the context of the Russian occupation of Ukraine. It examines the history of the Russian translations of ‘1984’ and the US response to the novel, and draws parallels between Orwell's warnings of totalitarianism and the current situation in Ukraine. Furthermore, the article highlights the resilience of Ukrainians in the fight for freedom and the support they have received from allies. READ: https://lnkd.in/gBeEqbnb #orwell #1984 #russia #kremlin #putinswar #russia #authoritarianism #putin #ukrainerussiawar

🕯 Please pay attention to what's happening.🕯 All of this in Palestine - is and has been happening in the U.S. all day - every day for hundreds of years. The actions of the oppressor are just shaded differently. Be they cloaked in hooded sheets or systemic inadequacies, or workplace torture. (Yup - calling the behavior what it is. Stop White Washing it!!!) I'm persevering, my parents persevered, my parent's parents persevered, their parents, parents persevered, their parents parents parents persevered. 🔦Time to sever this mess. 🔦 For me and all my kin -- Resilience is simply necessary to survive How all that I'm saying is falling upon so many deaf ears is a clear indication of the mental dis-ease we are in the midst of. That this is even a question and completely not-discussed anywhere is and always will be perplexing... "Under capitalism and imperialism, "free press" and "free speech" exercised via protests, publishing, or political statements will always be met with backlash. Why? Because The Powers That Be know if the people are heard, the Empire will fall. "Authoritarians and autocrats will dictate permissible talking points, and redact anything they deem irrelevant. Israel seems to believe it can apply their rules to our media, our congress, our students, and our press." Learn how the U.S. government work. understand what the electoral college does and how it maintains inequity, read the constitution and work to comprehend. Take Action. Emily O. Weltman, M. Ed. - I so appreciate you. #TogetherWeWin #TogetherIsTheNow