The Pro-Russia Influence Campaign

Here is something we need to keep an eye on, and it's something I feel is stating the obvious: Russian-inspired and Russian-backed influencers are not resting in their efforts to turn regular citizens in various parts of Europe and the US against the Ukrainian effort to defend itself from a full-scale Russian invasion, and against NATO itself. Martin Longman focuses primarily on the influencers in the US, and Reuters covers the influence campaign in Germany. 

Many of the people Martin Longman refers to are political influencers who were once considered part of what counts for a far-left in the US, but who now are embracing and are embraced by far-right political entities. Some were writers I had some respect for, which is something I regret. Many of us who were left of center in the US were livid about the US invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, and were equally livid about economic policies that left so many fellow Americans behind, and several of these individuals were among the more eloquent voices critiquing those military and economic policies. I noticed a shift in Greenwald's writing during the Obama Presidency, as well as a shift in a number of other writers and political figures who now push Russian propaganda.

It's not clear to me how influenced the German left is by Russian propaganda or how willing German leftists are to push such positions in the name of peace, etc. But it is clear that the main players in spreading pro-Russian propaganda and their followers are associated with the far right. I'll defer to those who know the German political scene fare more than I would.

Why should we care? The US and Germany supply quite a bit of aid to Ukraine. The US is also responsible for keeping NATO a strong alliance, which as we learned during the Trump era, was something neither we nor our European friends can take for granted. Germany has a long history with Russia, and until recently was quite dependent on Russia for natural gas supply. Peel one or both of these nations away from supporting Ukraine, and Putin's efforts to recolonize Ukraine become so much easier. And if that scenario were to transpire? The security of many European nations will definitely suffer, and so will US national security. Despots elsewhere will view a Russian success in Ukraine as the excuse they needed to invade territories they have coveted (Taiwan is very much in the cross hairs of China). 

For the moment, support for NATO and for Ukraine is still strong in both the US and Germany. Let's hope it stays that way. Part of our struggle going forward is to continue to speak effectively truth to Putin apologists, and calling bullshit liberally when we see propaganda being spread by pro-Putin influencers.

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