How Former Soviet Regimes Are Building Corrupt Alliances in the West

Nondemocratic regimes in the former Soviet Union have increased their efforts to influence policymakers and public opinion in the United States and the European Union. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and other countries are going beyond traditional diplomatic efforts of winning friends, building alliances and cutting deals. Today, their toolbox includes everything from influencing academic discourses by commissioning reports to using PR and political communications agencies that deliberately spread misinformation to blatantly buying former elected Western officials.

But now, a countermovement led by human rights activists both in the West and in the countries itself has been forming. The campaign around the Eurovision Song Contest is but one example.

At a recent panel discussion, experts took a closer look at these developments and what lies ahead in the contest over who will shape public and policy opinion in the West.