Putin's propaganda machine: soft power and Russian foreign policy

Abstract

Part I. The search for Russian -- Russian soft power : hard power in a velvet glove -- The three components of the Russian soft power offensive : mimesis, roll back, and invention -- Reputation laundering : how Western PR firms help improve the Kremlin's image -- The propaganda offensive in the Western media, part I : the creation of Russia today (RT), Russia beyond the headlines, and Rossiya segodnya -- The propaganda offensive in the Western media, part II : buying Western newspapers, the increasing grip on the social media, the Kremlin School of Bloggers -- Financing politicians and political parties -- Spies and spooks as soft power instruments -- Part II. Creating a new missionary ideology : the role of the Russian Orthodox Church -- The Russian Orthodox Church : the Kremlin's secret weapon? -- Attacking universal human rights in the international fora -- A global church for the Kremlin? -- The Russian Orthodox Church : a pillar of Russian neo-imperialism? -- Part III. Undermining Atlanticism : building a strategic triangle Moscow-Berlin-Paris -- An emerging Moscow-Berlin axis? -- Germany's Kremlin-friendly political class -- Russian-German Verflechtung : creating mutual economic interdependence -- The Kremlin's conquest of France -- Conclusions -- Glossary/list of abbreviations.