Controlling Chaos: How Russia manages its political war in Europe

Author (Person)
Publisher
Series Title
Series Details September 2017
Publication Date September 2017
ISBN 978-1-911544-28-9
Content Type ,

Summary:

+ Russia carries out and encourages ‘active measures’ in Europe to destabilise and confuse governments and societies. But these are often opportunistic and shaped by local conditions. There is no grand strategy, beyond weakening the EU and NATO and creating a more conducive environment for itself.

+ This involves a wide range of actors, from officials and the media, through military threats, to business lobbies and spies. Russia pursues different priorities in different countries. This is largely determined by the correlation between the strength of countries’ national institutions and their vulnerability to Russian influence.

+ Nonetheless, there is an effort to coordinate certain operations across platforms. Insofar as there is a command-and-control node, it is within the Presidential Administration, which is perhaps the most important single organ within Russia’s highly de-institutionalised state.

+ Without giving up hope of persuading Moscow to change its policies, Europe must nonetheless address its own vulnerabilities: ‘fixing the roof’ rather than simply hoping the rain will stop. Among other things, this includes addressing democratic backsliding in parts of the continent.

Source Link Link to Main Source http://www.ecfr.eu/page/-/ECFR228_-_CONTROLLING_CHAOS1.pdf
Related Links
Chatham House: Expert Comment, 01.09.17: Russia’s Dual Response to the West Creates Policy Confusion (et al) http://www.europeansources.info/record/russias-dual-response-to-the-west-creates-policy-confusion/
ESO: Background information: Judy Asks: Can Europe Defeat Russian Disinformation? (11.01.17) http://www.europeansources.info/record/judy-asks-can-europe-defeat-russian-disinformation/
Carnegie Europe: Strategic Europe, 23.11.17: More of the Same in Response to Russia? http://carnegieeurope.eu/strategiceurope/74811?lang=en
The Brookings Institution: Testimonies 28.06.17: The impact of Russian interference on Germany’s 2017 elections http://www.europeansources.info/record/the-impact-of-russian-interference-on-germanys-2017-elections/

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