“Political War” 2.0 (USA vs Russia – on the Verge of Change)

13
DOI: 10.20542/0131-2227-2024-68-9-29-38
EDN: HIJGPR
U. Artamonova, artamonova.u@imemo.ru
Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russian Academy of Sciences (IMEMO), 23, Profsoyuznaya Str., Moscow, 117997, Russian Federation.
 

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


REFERENCES

1. Kennan G.F. The Inauguration of Organized Political Warfare (Redacted Version), 30.04.1948. History and Public Policy Program Digital Archive. Available at: https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/document/28654-document-10-policy-analysis-paper-state-department-policy-planning-staffcouncil (accessed 02.06.2024).

2. Burnham J. Sticks, Stones, and Atoms. Ordnance, 1961, vol. 1, pp. 484-487. Available at: https://mca-marines.org/wp-content/uploads/Jun1961-Sticks_Stones_amp_Atoms.pdf (accessed 23.06.2024).

3. Smith P.A., Jr. On Political War. Washington, D.C., National Defense University Press, 1989. 279 p.

4. Artamonova U.Z. “Political Warfare” 2.0 (USA vs Russia – Moment between Past and Future). World Eñonomy and International Relations, 2023, vol. 67, no. 10, pp. 40-49. (In Russ.) Available at: https://doi.org/10.20542/0131-2227-2023-67-10-40-49 

5. Artamonova U.Z. Public diplomacy of the U.S. as a political technology. Diss. Cand. Sci. (Polit.) Moscow, 2023. 244 p. (In Russ.)

6. Artamonova U.Z. History Rhymes Itself: U.S. Public Diplomacy as a Tool for “Political Warfare”. World Eñonomy and International Relations, 2022, vol. 66, no. 11, pp. 41-49. (In Russ.) Available at: https://doi.org/10.20542/0131-2227-2022-66-11-41-49

7. Zhuravleva V.Yu. The American Leadership: Political and Conceptual Origins. USA & Canada: Economy, Politics, Culture, 2014, no. 11, pp. 19-32. (In Russ.) Available at: https://usacanada.jes.su/s268667300000616-7-1-ru-80/ (accessed 23.06.2024).

8. Tsvetkova N.A., Fedorova I.V. Continuity and new trends in the public diplomacy of Donald Trump administration (2017–2018). Shiryaev B.A., Tsvetkova N.A., Minkova K.V., Boguslavskaya Yu.K., eds. XXVII International Russian-American seminar at Saint-Petersburg State University. Saint-Petersburg, Saint-Petersburg State University’s press, 2020, pp. 198-205. (In Russ.) Available at: https://dspace.spbu.ru/bitstream/11701/19598/1/119204_Ðîññèéñê.-àìåðèêàí.%20ñåìèíàð%20â%20ïå÷àòü.pdf (accessed 23.06.2024).

9. Artamonova U.Z. System of governmental control over the information space in the U.S. Russia and America in the 21st Century, 2023, Special Iss. 3. (In Russ.) Available at: https://doi.org/10.18254/S207054760029044-5 

10. Dwoskin E., Nakashima E. Tech didn’t spot Russian interference during the last election. Now it’s asking law enforcement for help. The Washington Post, 26.06.2018. Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/06/26/tech-didnt-spot-russian-meddling-during-last-election-now-its-asking-law-enforcement-help/ (accessed 02.06.2024).

11. Helberg J. The Wires of War: Technology and the Global Struggle for Power. New York, Simon & Schuster, 2021. 384 p. Available at: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Wires-of-War/Jacob-Helberg/9781982144449 (accessed 23.06.2024).

12. Pugnet A., Griera M. Von der Leyen promises ‘European Democracy Shield’ to combat foreign interference at EU level. Euractiv, 15.05.2024. Available at: https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/von-der-leyen-promises-european-defence-shield-to-combat-foreign-interference-at-eu-level/ (accessed 02.06.2024).

13. Cull N.J. Reputational Security: Refocusing Public Diplomacy for a Dangerous World. Cambridge, Polity Press, 2024. 232 p. Available at: https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Reputational+Security%3A+Refocusing+Public+Diplomacy+for+a+Dangerous+World-p-9781509559275 (accessed 23.06.2024).

14. Tsvetkova N.A. Public diplomacy as an instrument of ideological and cultural expansion of the U.S. in the world, 1914– 2014. Dr. Diss. (Hist.) Saint-Petersburg, 2015. 552 p. (In Russ.)

15. Cull N.J. The Cold War and the United States Information Agency: American Propaganda and Public Diplomacy, 1945–1989. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2008. 530 p. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511817151 (accessed 02.06.2024).

16. Garner I. The West Is Still Oblivious to Russia’s Information War. Foreign Policy, 09.03.2024. Available at: https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/03/09/russia-putin-disinformation-propaganda-hybrid-war/ (accessed 02.06.2024).

17. Cull N.J. The Tightrope to Tomorrow: Reputational Security, Collective Vision and the Future of Public Diplomacy. The Hague Journal of Diplomacy, 2019, vol. 14, iss. 1–2, pp. 21-35. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1163/1871191X-14011014 (accessed 02.06.2024).

18. Cull N.J. From soft power to reputational security: rethinking public diplomacy and cultural diplomacy for a dangerous age. McKercher B.J.C., ed. The Routledge Handbook of Diplomacy and Statecraft. New York, Routledge, 2022, pp. 409-419. Available at: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003016625 

19. Custer S., ed. Reputational Security: The Imperative to Reinvest in America’s Strategic Communications Capabilities. Williamsburg, VA, AidData at William & Mary, 2022. 350 p. Available at: https://www.aiddata.org/publications/reputational-security-the-imperative-to-reinvest-in-americas-strategic-communications-capabilities (accessed 23.06.2024).

20. Ramabadran S. India is bringing reputational security back into focus. Observer Research Foundation, 12.01.2024. Available at: https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/india-is-bringing-reputational-security-back-into-focus (accessed 02.06.2024).

21. Artamonova U.Z. ‘Popcorn Diplomacy’: American Blockbusters and World Order. Analysis & Forecasting. Journal of IMEMO, 2022, no. 3, pp. 76-90. (In Russ.) Available at: https://doi.org/10.20542/afij-2022-3-76-90 

22. Saunders R. Popular Geopolitics and Nation Branding in the Post-Soviet Realm. New York, Routledge, 2017. 278 p. Available at: https://www.routledge.com/Popular-Geopolitics-and-Nation-Branding-in-the-Post-Soviet-Realm/Saunders/p/book/9780367668235 (accessed 02.06.2024).

23. Cull N.J. Public Diplomacy: Foundations for Global Engagement in the Digital Age. Cambridge, Polity, 2019. 272 p. Available at: https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Public+Diplomacy%3A+Foundations+for+Global+Engagement+in+the+Digital+Age-p-9780745691206 (accessed 02.06.2024).

24. Artamonova U.Z. International broadcasting reform in the light of US public diplomacy systemic crisis. Russia and America in the 21st Century, 2020, iss. 4. (In Russ.) Available at: https://doi.org/10.18254/S207054760013295-1 

25. Artamonova U.Z. Faceless Leadership of American Public Diplomacy (HR Crisis in the Post-Bipolar Era). World Eñonomy and International Relations, 2021, vol. 65, no. 12, pp. 33-39. (In Russ.) Available at: https://doi.org/10.20542/0131-2227-2021-65-12-33-39

26. Snow N. Rethinking Public Diplomacy in the 2020s. Snow N., Cull N.J., eds. Routledge Hand-book of Public Diplomacy. Abingdon, Routledge, pp. 3-12. Available at: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780429465543-2/rethinking-public-diplomacy-2020s-nancy-snow (accessed 02.06.2024).

27. Artamonova U.Z. J. Biden’s first term: renaissance of U. S. public diplomacy? USÀ & Canada: Economics, Politics, Culture, 2024, vol. 54, no. 5, pp. 92-105. (In Russ.) Available at: https://doi.org/10.31857/S2686673024050075 


SOURCES

1. Treasury Targets the Kremlin’s Continued Malign Political Influence Operations in the U. S. and Globally. U. S. Department of the Treasury, 29.07.2023. Available at: https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy0899 (accessed 02.06.2024).

2. Treasury Sanctions Russians Bankrolling Putin and Russia-Backed Influence Actors. U. S. Department of the Treasury, 03.03.2022. Available at: https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy0628 (accessed 02.06.2024).

3. The Information Laundromat. Available at: https://informationlaundromat.com/about (accessed 02.06.2024).

4. #Connexions Conference “Extreme in the Mainstream: Information Disorder, (Dis)engagement, & Digital (R)evolution”. The University of Texas at Austin, 2024. Available at: https://www.connexions.ai/2024 (accessed 02.06.2024).

5. Disarming Disinformation: Our Shared Responsibility – Global Engagement Center. U. S. Department of State. Available at: https://www.state.gov/disarming-disinformation/#reports (accessed 02.06.2024).

6. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine: Council bans broadcasting activities in the European Union of four more Russia-associated media outlets. European Council the European Union, 17.05.2024. Available at: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2024/05/17/russia-s-war-of-aggression-against-ukraine-council-bans-broadcasting-activities-in-the-european-union-of-four-more-russia-associated-media-outlets/?__cf_chl_tk=_NWW1fRK9beE.zgGHWcDNnTzS8dnqOIl6snZDzJxRlg-1717150947-0.0.1.1-4842 (accessed 02.06.2024).

7. The United States of America and Finland Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Expand Collaboration on Countering Foreign Information Manipulation. Office of the Spokesperson. U. S. Department of State, 04.04.2024. Available at: https://www.state.gov/the-united-states-of-america-and-finland-sign-memorandum-of-understanding-to-expand-collaboration-on-countering-foreign-information-manipulation/ (accessed 02.06.2024).

8. The United States of America and the Republic of Latvia sign Memorandum of Understanding to Expand Collaboration on Countering Foreign State Information Manipulation. Office of the Spokesperson. U. S. Department of State, 15.03.2024. Available at: https://www.state.gov/the-united-states-of-america-and-the-republic-of-latvia-sign-memorandum-of-understanding-to-expand-collaboration-on-countering-foreign-state-information-manipulation/ (accessed 02.06.2024).

9. The Framework to Counter Foreign State Information Manipulation. Office of the Spokesperson. U. S. Department of State, 18.01.2024. Available at: https://www.state.gov/the-framework-to-counter-foreign-state-information-manipulation/ (accessed 02.06.2024).

10. #Connexions Conference on global media in diplomacy and foreign policy. The University of Texas at Austin, 2023. Available at: https://www.slavx.org/connexions (accessed 02.06.2024).

11. 2023 Comprehensive annual report on public diplomacy and international broad-casting. US Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, 19.12.2023. Available at: https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2023_ACPD_Annual_Report_508C_v2-1.pdf (accessed 02.06.2024).

12. 2023 Interim Report – Quantitative Analysis. International Mobility and World Development: Estimating the System-level Impact of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and International Exchanges. Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. U. S. Department of State, 10.07.2023. Available at: https://eca.state.gov/files/bureau/interim_report-quant_analysis-508_4.pdf (accessed 02.06.2024).

13. International Counter-Disinformation Research Agenda. Opportunities for University and Think-tank Research and Analysis. Global Engagement Center, 2023. Available at: https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/International-Counter-Disinformation-Research-Agenda-508.pdf (accessed 04.02.2024).

14. The Global Engagement Center: A Historical Overview 2001–2021. ACPD Special Report. US Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, 30.04.2024. Available at: https://www.state.gov/the-global-engagement-center-a-historical-overview-2001-2021/ (accessed 02.06.2024).

15. Putting Policy & Audience First: A Public Diplomacy Paradigm Shift. ACPD Special Report. US Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, 30.12.2021. Available at: https://www.state.gov/putting-policy-audience-first-a-public-diplomacy-paradigm-shift-2021/ (accessed 02.06.2024).

16. S.1605 – National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (Public Law No. 117-81). Library of Congress. Available at: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1605/text (accessed 02.06.2024).


For citation:
Artamonova U. “Political War” 2.0 (USA vs Russia – on the Verge of Change). World Eñonomy and International Relations, 2024, vol. 68, no. 9, pp. 29-38. https://doi.org/10.20542/0131-2227-2024-68-9-29-38 EDN: HIJGPR



Comments (0)

No comments

Add comment







Indexed

 

 

 

 

Dear authors! Please note that in the VAK List of peer-reviewed scientific journals, in which the main scientific results of dissertations for the degree of candidate and doctor of sciences should be published for the “MEMO Journal” the following specialties are recorded:
economic sciences:
5.2.5. World Economy.
5.2.1. Economic Theory
5.2.3. Regional and Branch Economics
political sciences:
5.5.4. International Relations
5.5.1. History and Theory of Politics
5.5.2. Political Institutions, Processes, Technologies

 

Current Issue
2024, vol. 68, No. 11
Topical Themes of the Issue:
  • U.S. Protectionism Against China’s Mercantilism  
  • U.S. Military Cooperation with Its Allies in Northeast Asia 
  • Russia Under the Conditions of Global Economy Regionalization
  • Greater Middle East
Announcement

Dear authors of the journal!

Please note that the author's copies of the issues in which your texts are published are kept in the editorial office for no more than one year. After this period expires, the editorial office has the right to dispose of unclaimed copies at its own discretion.

 

Submit an Article
INVITATION FOR PUBLICATION
The Editorial Board invites authors to write analytical articles on the following topics:
  • changes in the processes of globalization in modern conditions
  • formation of the new world order
  • shifts in civilization at the stage of transition to a digital society

The editors are also interested in publishing synthesis articles / scientific reviews revealing the main trends in the development of certain regions of the world - Latin America, Africa, South Asia, etc.