The Political Expediency of Counter-Disinformation: An Analysis of the Response to Russian Information Warfare

The Russia Federation has, for several decades, been involved in an information war with NATO that has escalated in recent years. However, Western responses to these operations themselves constitute a form of information warfare that employ similar tactical use of disinformation, manipulation, and propaganda. While Russia may be guilty of various crimes, failure to fully disclose Western capabilities and activities in this field have led to the establishment of a narrative within which Russia is the sole perpetrator of unethical and unlawful acts. By analyzing the purported activities of the Russian Federation and the nature of Western responses, this paper shows that conflict in the information sphere is a far more balanced and nuanced affair than is often presented in Western media discussion of the subject.