“In war, avoid what is strong and strike at what is weak”, Sun Tzu said.
Russia has taken this to heart in spinning its narrative surrounding the Ukraine crisis, leaving Europe at a loss on how to counter Moscow’s relentless propaganda campaign. Russia’s success in the propaganda war is chiefly due to the Kremlin’s grip on the country’s main media outlets, and the ease with which these can penetrate our media landscapes.
Scrambling to find a response, the EU decided in March to create a strategic communication plan “to counter Russian disinformation”. But rather than creating its own counter-propaganda, the EU should take its cue from Sun Tzu, and target Russia by bolstering online and social media to reach out to civil society in Eastern Europe and Russia itself.
Brussels-based EU Observer published an article by Sijbren de Jong, Willem Oosterveld, Katarina Kertysova, Juncal Fernández-Garayzábal Gonzalez and Ihor Ilko on this issue, which can be read here.
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