Received 03.06.2024. Revised 20.06.2024. Accepted 01.07.2024.
Acknowledgments. This article was prepared with the support of a grant from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation for major scientific projects in priority areas of scientific and technological development no. 075-15-2024-551 “Global and Regional Centers of Power in the Emerging World Order”.
Abstract. The article reflects on the political war between the United States and Russia that started in 2022 with the launch of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine. The author compares those events to the political war that occurred between the U.S. and the USSR in the 20th century, concluding that once again the American side has chosen to begin with a reactive and defensive approach to the conflict. This approach is primarily aimed at safeguarding the American population (as well as the population of American allies) from Russian influence. In order to achieve that, American public diplomacy institutes (key actors in terms of waging war for the people’s minds and hearts) focused on deconstructing Russian narratives and discrediting Russian information sources. At the same time, the ability of Russian public diplomacy institutes and media to reach Western audiences was paralysed by sanctions and other restrictions. However, the purpose of building resilient defenses to protect American public from foreign influence was mostly achieved through the system of governmental control over the internal information space. This system connects governmental structures responsible for countering disinformation with tech companies and leading social media, and thus allows censorship of every topic coming from any source if deemed concerning national security. After safeguarding the internal information space, in 2024, the United States moved towards extending the defensive approach to political war towards allies, aiming at building the same resilient defenses for their publics. Meanwhile, during the past years, the American public diplomacy, which suffered from atrophy, underfunding and lack of leadership since the end of the Cold War, was being reformed in a way that enhances its effectiveness, strengthens capabilities for dealing with target audiences and integrates a more politically oriented approach. Thus, while ensuring the protection of its population from the adversary’s influence, the U.S. have also been upgrading its arsenal of effective instruments required for political war and effective influencing of foreign public opinion. Bearing in mind the previous experience of political war between the two states, the author concludes that after securing the information space of allies and completing the modernization of public diplomacy capabilities, the Washington is likely to move from defensive to offensive tactic in political warfare. Moreover, those offensive and proactive actions will be most likely realized collectively, together with allies. A theoretical basis for such an approach is being currently developed through the emergence of “reputational security” concept in American expert discourse. This concept not only elevates the issues of reputation (of the states, democracy, liberal values) to the category of national security issues, but also pushes for collective action in terms of protecting one’s own reputation and undermining the reputation of an adversary.
Keywords: public diplomacy, hybrid warfare, information warfare, Russian-American relations, U.S.A., soft power, political warfare, world order, Ukraine, disinformation, propaganda, reputational security
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