Propaganda Revisited: A Look at Current Practice in Russia and Egypt

Examining contemporary uses of propaganda, three speakers explore the dynamics of mis/disinformation in Russia and Egypt today.

Peter Pomerantsev and Michael Weiss discuss their recent report on the “weaponization of information” [PDF] in Russia, focusing on how the Kremlin has (re)mastered the art of propaganda for a 21st century context. In the report, the authors discuss Putin’s use of old and new tactics to manipulate not only domestic public opinion, but also opinion in Europe and the United States.

Rabab El Mahdi explains how Egypt has proceeded from revolution to counter-revolution, and how the ancien regime has been able to reverse the nominal gains of the 2011 uprising. Rabab details how the state and business, through orchestrated efforts, use the media, the legal establishment, and the security apparatus to create a dominant narrative about the uprising to shape public understanding.

Speakers

• Peter Pomerantsev is a TV producer based in London. He is the author of the forthcoming book, Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible, about working inside Vladimir Putin’s “postmodern dictatorship.”
• Michael Weiss is the editor-in-chief of the Interpreter Magazine. A widely published journalist, he keeps a regular blog on foreign policy and the Middle East for the Daily Telegraph and one on culture for the New Criterion.
• Rabab El Mahdi is associate professor of political science at the American University in Cairo and a former Open Society Fellow.