Information Operations

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Stalled in Ukraine, Kremlin Increasingly Turns to Political Theater

Stymied in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has amped up the political theater to achieve his objectives. How do we interpret Putin's statements? While no nuclear threat should be ignored, Putin's pronouncements remain in the realm of propaganda.

Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins

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The Ukrainian Army Is Leveraging Online Influencers. Can the U.S. Military?

Much has been said about Ukraine's astounding success in the information battlefield. How might the U.S. military emulate Ukraine's success to not only help win wars, but also to address its flagging campaign to recruit new members?

Todd C. Helmus @Helmus

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State of the Union, Mental Health First Aid, China's Spy Balloon: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on President Biden's State of the Union address, the benefits of mental health first aid training, insights on China’s spy balloon, and more.

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Standing Up to Kim Jong-un's Divide-and-Conquer Strategy

Kim Jong-un is frightened by even the current modest flow of information into the North. He may be prepared to reduce his provocations if those threats lead to the further spread of outside information in the North. At the very least, the ROK and the United States could try such efforts.

Bruce W. Bennett @bwbennett

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The Trouble with Russian Blacklisting

Analysis, informed by interactions with Russians, offers Western leaders a window into Russia. Blacklists hinder this process. With the stakes so high, much depends on experts' success in getting their analysis right.

Alyssa Demus

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Ukraine's Lessons for the Future of Hybrid Warfare

A new decision-analysis approach is necessary to capture the use of disinformation in the context of hybrid warfare. Multiple tools must be integrated to help generate a robust policy response to modern hybrid threats.

Weilong Kong, Timothy Marler

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How Russia's War in Ukraine Has Impacted Its Christian Image

Over the past decade, the Russian government has taken pains to present itself as a bastion of Christianity and traditional values. Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, however, there have been noticeable cracks in the receptivity to this messaging strategy.

Ryan Bauer

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Emerging Domestic Battery Supply Chain Should Be Wary of China's Information Ops

China has a huge stake in producing lithium-ion batteries, and is not above waging disinformation campaigns against U.S. firms involved in the battery supply chain. Extraction sector companies could work with cybersecurity experts and the U.S. intelligence community to educate their executives and local governments about any foreign disinformation risks.

Fabian Villalobos @doktor_wolfhaus

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Putin's Gambits, Xi Jinping, Machine Learning: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on Putin's latest “desperate measures” in Ukraine, support for Xi Jinping, whether machine-learning tools can tell if you're lying, and more.

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Could K-Pop Help Deter Kim Jong-un's Provocations?

The United States and Republic of Korea could be more specific and creative in seeking to deter Kim Jong-un. The global popularity of K-Pop could be part of the strategy.

Bruce W. Bennett @bwbennett

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Elon Musk May Have a Point About Bots on Twitter

Twitter has a deep bench of engineers working for the company. They have access to trillions of data points on their over 300 million monthly active users. Why has a company this size struggled to clean up its platform?

Marek N. Posard @mnposard

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Debunking Russian Lies About Biolabs at Upcoming U.N. Meetings

Before Russia invaded Ukraine in February, its diplomatic missions began circulating some particularly fantastical lies. It's tempting to write off such claims as cartoonish propaganda. But Russia is making similarly outrageous claims to the United Nations and other international forums. Such maneuvers could dangerously undermine international arms control agreements.

John V. Parachini @JohnParachini

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Facebook Misinformation Is Bad Enough. The Metaverse Will Be Worse

Virtual reality environments such as the metaverse will enable psychological and emotional manipulation of users at a level unimaginable in today's media. We must not wait until these technologies are fully realized to consider appropriate guardrails for them. We can reap the benefits of the metaverse while minimizing its potential for great harm.

Rand Waltzman

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New Legislation May Not Be Enough to Counter Chinese Interference in British Universities

There is alarming evidence of growing Chinese espionage and influence in UK universities that could threaten UK national security and academic freedoms. Three complementary initiatives could increase university researchers' awareness of the potential risks of collaborating with certain Chinese partners.

Fiona Quimbre @FQuimbre

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The Irony of Misinformation: USIA Myths Block Enduring Solutions

Unlike Russia and China, the U.S. government has failed to institutionalize the importance of information in foreign policy. The United States lacks formalized leadership structures to tackle information issues head on, and a central organization to coordinate activities to understand, inform, and influence foreign audiences.

Christopher Paul, Matt Armstrong