👇🧠⚡Thread on new #InformationWarfare #narratives: Many are wondering about the latest development: #Helsinkisummit, #Putin’s visit, #Trump’s open support of #Russia, etc. Is he insane? No. Russian psychological war manuals are hard to find. The sum up of the latest strategy:
A new strategy: Brainwashing Trump’s base and the rest of the society into whitewashing and normalizing Putin’s Russia. The new narrative is “Yes, Trump works with Putin. It is perfectly normal. Russia is a friend. Putin is good. Thank you, Russia, for helping Trump.”
This is how it is achieved—in the broad daylight. (The silence of the press does not help.)
1. The best defense is a good offense. #Kremlin is conducting a full and open attack. They are using a military principle of destroying the enemy's ability to attack, in this case by shock and confusion.
1.1. The White House announces: “Putin is coming to the White House.” Psychological effect: “Trump wouldn’t be able to invite him so openly if anything was fishy. It must be okay.” The ability to respond is paralyzed.
Next, a slower and more gradual work is being done in the open view. Tactics:
2. Divide and conquer, also called “bait and bleed.” Here, the focus is on “dividing”: Dividing the society in groups and targeting each group with psychologically tailored arguments “Russia is our friend:”
2.1. The argument for the wide base: “It is not USSR anymore. The Cold War is over. The communists are long gone. Time to establish good relationship.”
2.1. The reality: The same security services people are in power in Russia. The FSB is a new name for the KGB; Putin was a communist and a KGB operative; his government officials had high power positions in the USSR.
2.1. “Party nomenklatura” or high profile officials for the USSR had access to the best education and career opportunities and, later, the communist party money. The “red directors” became oligarchs. Some families have been in power for generations. medium.com/@ZarinaZabrisk…
2.2. An argument for a wide base: “Russians defeated fascists therefore they are good!” In reality, the Kremlin is supporting fascists and the ultra-right worldwide. medium.com/@ZarinaZabrisk…
2.3. An argument for the left and socialists: “Russia is the birth country of communism, Lenin, and the follower of Karl Marx’s ideas. USSR was great and Putin is restoring it.”
2.3. Putin’s Russia is an oligarchic capitalist country; a poverty-struck state with GDP per capita lower than in Turkey and Romania.
2.3. A group of individuals in power possesses the wealth produced by the sales of the raw material (mainly, oil and gas) stolen from the people. medium.com/@ZarinaZabrisk…
2.4. An argument for the right and fascists: “Putin supports nationalists and fights globalization.” medium.com/@ZarinaZabrisk…
2.5. An argument for the conservative and religious people: “Russia is protecting values against the Western moral corruption.”
2.5. Reality: the Russian Orthodox Church is not only a former seat of the KGB informants and spies (Patriarch Kirill is a former agent of the KGB) but is also known to be involved in money-laundering scandals and has ties to the organized crime groups. medium.com/@ZarinaZabrisk…
2.6. An argument for the Russian-speaking and Pro-Slavic diaspora in the West: “Russia is fighting for the great national idea against the West.”
2.6. in reality, the government officials and oligarchs keep their fortunes in the West, where they own mansions, establish home bases for families and send children to study. medium.com/@ZarinaZabrisk…
2.7. “Nuclear war threat.” “Trump is a diplomat; he is negotiating with Putin, working on a better relationship, to avoid the WWIII.” This argument was also used during the elections 2016: the Russian fabricated an interview with Hillary Clinton threatening the nuclear attack.
2.8. “Whataboutism” is used to point fingers at the Democrats and resistance and redefine the current situation as an ongoing political game in which both sides are attacking each other.
2.8. A good example is Putin’s “mistake:” #Putin first claimed that #BillBrowder donated “400 mn” to Clinton’s campaign and his press office followed up by acknowledging a mistake in number, clarifying it was “400 thousand.” According to #Browder, no donations were made.
2.8. This is not a mistake; it is a tactic called “rotten herring.” The first impression is what stays in mind: the accusation might be reversed but the emotional response stays. medium.com/@ZarinaZabrisk…
2.8. By blaming a group of American diplomats, the Kremlin is legitimizing it’s position. medium.com/@ZarinaZabrisk…
2.9. or sports fans: “Soccer World Cup was a great event enjoyed by all.” In reality, thousands of cats and dogs were slaughtered to prepare the cities for foreign visits; the public transportation stopped functioning smoothly right after the event...
...and many cities went back to the regime of “no hot water in summer” as soon as foreigners left. (according to my own sources reporting from Russia.)
CONCLUSION: This list can go on. The toolbox of tactics is as versatile as it is endless. The danger: our society, if not mobilized and aware, might lose the ability to defend itself against the mafia state. Demoralization is the number one goal in the hybrid war.
We, the American people, need to not just push back against the attack in an educated and effective manner, we need to develop a winning strategy against a calculating and experienced intruder.
Delaying action and further splitting in groups are not a vital option. Stay alert and proactive. Read history books. Think critically—this is a brain war. SHARE FACTS. Time to act. ⚔️⚔️⚔️🧠🧠🧠⚡️⚡️⚡️#resist medium.com/@ZarinaZabrisk…
☝️Thread on new #Trump/#Kremlin narratives. #Propaganda tactics and tools. @dcpoll @PolygraphInfo @WendySiegelman @BylineFest @ColdWar_Two @MollyMcKew @ushadrons @USseriously @FavThngs
