Webinar — Disinformation pandemic: Russian and Chinese information operations in the COVID-19 era

Webinar Description

On Tuesday, May 5, AEI hosted a panel of experts who discussed Russian and Chinese efforts to shape the US and global information environment amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The panel, moderated by AEI’s Frederick W. Kagan, deliberated how Chinese and Russian methods to spread disinformation appear to be converging.

AEI’s Dan Blumenthal and Zack Cooper addressed China’s traditional modes of censorship, how these methods have evolved since the pandemic emerged, and the impact these narratives have on the global information space. Nataliya Bugayova of the Institute for the Study of War explained how recent Russian disinformation campaigns support the regime’s long-standing objectives and the method patterns employed to advance these aims. Dr. Kagan outlined how the US can increase efforts to investigate and expose deliberate disinformation campaigns. The panel offered recommendations on how to address information operations challenges, reset the narrative, and sustain engagement on the disinformation space.

— Jacqueline Derks

Webinar Description

Was the COVID-19 virus produced in the US? Was it created by the US Army? So Moscow and Beijing would have you believe.

Russia and China aggressively manipulate perceptions to achieve their own aims. Their increasingly aggressive information campaigns are converging in method and narrative. What can the US and its allies — and the average citizen — do to inoculate against these disinformation viruses?