ArgumentWhy Does Russia Use Disinformation?

There is much discussion about Russian disinformation in today’s popular discourse, but the conversation about why Russia uses disinformation usually does not get beyond general notions of Moscow wanting to “divide us” or “muddy the waters.” Kasey Stricklin writes in Lawfare that after the revelations that Russia is working to help Bernie Sanders in the 2020 primary, a Wired article stated, correctly, that Russia does not actually care whether Sanders gets elected, but the headline went further to propose that, instead, Russia wants “chaos.” A senior U.S. government official working in cybersecurity, speaking at a conference which Stricklin attended, said Russia’s goal with regard to disinformation is just to “watch the world burn,” comparing the country to the Joker in the movie The Dark Knight.

Stricklin writes:

This is dangerous thinking. If Russia has no desire beyond destruction, then it is difficult to deter it from engaging in this kind of malign behavior. It is also incorrect. Russia has a number of strategic goals that it hopes to advance through its use of disinformation, including restoring Russia to great power status, preserving its sphere of influence, protecting the Putin regime and enhancing its military effectiveness. Those aims are intimately tied up in Russia’s history, geography, culture, domestic situation and perceived place in the world. (For the purpose of simplicity, this essay will use the word “disinformation” to refer to the broader array of information tools used for psychological influence, including disinformation, propaganda, manipulated media (such as artificial intelligence-generated photos), and the creation of polarizing memes and social media pages).

Awareness about Russian tactics and how to identify them has begun to spread, even as Russia’s methods change and adapt to remain effective. In Fiona Hill’s November 2019 public testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, she explained to millions how the U.S. political establishment has fed into and repeated narratives “propagated by the Russian security services themselves.” This powerful statement seemed to strike a chord on Twitter and in the media, where awareness about how Russian narratives become ingrained in our minds could be seen spreading. However, this blossoming understanding of what is happening stands in sharp contrast to the blind spot about why it is happening.