Disinformation Narratives and Memory Politics in Russia and Belarus

<p>This book examines the ways in which Russia and Belarus use disinformation, "weaponised" historical narratives, and the politics of memory for domestic and foreign policy purposes, utilising these factors to justify aggressive foreign policy in defensive terms and, domestically, for legitimating local ruling elites, consolidating the states’ propaganda machines, and mobilising both societies around national power centres. Besides analysing Russian and Belarusian disinformation, geopolitical narratives, and policies, the book also assesses the effectiveness of these measures and discusses how the West can counteract the geopolitical narratives disseminated by Russia and Belarus that attempt to undermine Western democracies and weaken the resilience of its societies.</p> <p>Introduction <i>Agnieszka Legucka and Robert Kupiecki</i> 1. Russia: Her Political and Historical Identities - Strategic Dilemmas <i>Adam Daniel Rotfeld</i> 2. Russian Disinformation: Old Tactics and New Narratives<i> Agnieszka Legucka</i> 3. "Western Betrayal": The Founding Myth of Russian Foreign Policy <i>Robert Kupiecki</i> 4. How to Weaponize Information: Russian Patterns <i>Jakub Olchowski</i> 5. Political Narratives as a Source of Lukashenka's Legitimacy <i>Justyna Olędzka, Max Rust</i> 6. The Role and Place of Belarus in Contemporary Russian Geopolitical Narratives <i>Michał Słowikowski</i> 7. The Myth of a Great Patriotic War and Russia’s Foreign Policy<i> Maria Domańska</i> 8. Russia’s Approach to International Law as a Foreign Policy Tool: the Case of the Annexation of Ukrainian Crimea <i>Sławomir Dębski</i> 9. The Strategic Culture of Russia: Why is the Dialogue so Challenging? <i>Agata Włodkowska</i> 10. When Europe is Sick, Russia is Not the Remedy: A French Attempt at a European Reset with Russia? <i>Marek Menkiszak</i> 11. Sanctions as a Form of Dialogue Ernest Wyciszkiewicz 12. Does the West Need a Coherent Response to Russian Disinformation? <i>Tomasz Chłoń</i></p>