Conclusion: What Are the Main Lessons?

Abstract

Well into the Biden presidency at the time of writing in fall 2022, the spectre of Russiagate remains potent. Western politicians and the US media alike continue to sound the alarm not only regarding Vladimir Putin’s purported dreams of empire, but also with respect to the alleged threat posed by ongoing Russian hybrid warfare and related attempts to spread disinformation and sow discord in western democratic societies. Predictably, such rhetoric was heightened after Russia launched its Special Military Operation in Ukraine, an act that Putin claimed was necessary to protect the self-declared people’s republics of the Donbass from Kiev’s aggression, and counter NATO’s eastward expansion and accelerating military build-up along Russian borders following the US-supported Maidan coup of 2014. Meanwhile, a growing network of institutions ostensibly dedicated to combatting disinformation continues to take shape both within the USA and amongst its closest allies. It includes state-supported agencies such as the National Endowment for Democracy, and think tanks like the Atlantic Council, often working directly or indirectly with the intelligence community alongside Silicon Valley corporations, and academic and non-governmental initiatives and sources of expertise. Drawing on our ten contributions dealing with these and related topics, we here draw five lessons in the aftermath of Russigate. This list is not intended to be exhaustive but to underscore some of the most marked political developments and media trends that began or gained momentum during the run-up to the US federal election of 2016.