But now it is the authoritarians, in Russia especially, who have become adept at pushing an underlying narrative. Their main story is that democracy is a sham, that everywhere is corrupt, that we live in a cynical, chaotic world where you can't tell truth from lies, and where you need a strongman leader to guide you through the murk. This comes with a sense of personal and group identity that is conspiratorial, and that gains its power from making people feel part of a superior in-group. When I worked with researchers at Georgetown University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recently, we found that just asking about whether Russian culture was superior to others, or whether Russia is a victim, was enough to make a majority of Russians more supportive of the war, and more resistant to the idea of peace.
In a chaotic world, the race is on to see who can best engage with many people's sense of anxiety and instability. The alternative to the autocratic crowd and the conspiratorial personality is a community where individuals feel they have agency. Digital technology that enables better democratic debate, culture that explores how we can form less authoritarian group identities and policies that show freedom helps to enhance security - all have a role to play.
Radio Free Europe, Trump and the fight for ‘sharp power’: Stepping in to save the media outlet after US cuts could help European democracies combat Russian disinformation. archive.ph/RtpAy By @peterpomerantsev.bsky.social #democracy #authoritarianism #SharpPower