The Russia watchRussia exploiting U.S. racial divisions; disinformation: Moscow style; Reddit’s “war room,” and more
· New method, same strategy: Russia has long exploited U.S. racial divisions
· Russian billionaire set up U.S. company before Trump Tower meeting
· Paul Manafort has begun dishing on Roger Stone
· Reddit has dedicated ‘war room’ to fight Russian misinformation
· Why Russia may have already hacked the 2018 midterms
· Disinformation: Moscow style
· An Army veteran wages war on social-media disinformation
· Ex-CIA chief’s take on election security: Don’t panic, do stay paranoid
· EU to boost defenses to curb Russian cyberattacks
· U.S. libel case over Russian poisoning takes aim at Kremlin propaganda
New method, same strategy: Russia has long exploited U.S. racial divisions (Faiza Patel and Raya Koreh, Just Security)
As the country prepares for the first national election since evidence emerged of the Russian government’s interference in the presidential race two years ago, it is worth recalling that the 2016 election was not the first time that Russia intervened in U.S. politics. Recent Russian operations used American racism to stoke divisions in our society. More than half of the Facebook advertisements created by the Kremlin-backed Internet Research Agency (IRA) to influence Americans around the 2016 presidential election referenced race. While the use of social media is new, Russia has a long history of highlighting the conflict between American ideals of equality and the reality of racial injustice in this country. This history provides important context as the U.S. grapples with how to respond to the continued threat of Russian government interference in our democracy.
In 2016, the Russians used well-tried tactics to directly interfere in our democracy and may even have engineered a specific electoral outcome: a Trump victory. These activities require a firm response from the United States. At the same time, we cannot avoid the reality that in many respects the Internet Research Agency, like the International Red Aid of the 1930s, drew upon pre-existing, pressing issues of racial inequality that are deeply embedded in the fabric of U.S. society. With or without Russian interference, these issues will continue to shape the outcomes of our elections.
Russian billionaire set up U.S. company before Trump Tower meeting (John Swaine, Scott Stedman, Guardian)
Aras Agalarov, who attended the meeting with Donald Trump Jr in June 2016, formed a shell company with an accountant who has had clients accused of money laundering and embezzlement
Paul Manafort has begun dishing on Roger Stone (Abigail Tracy, Vanity Fair)
Trump’s former campaign chairman has become a frequent guest at the special counsel’s office as the Russia investigation quietly accelerates. Stone says he expects he could be indicted soon.
