Russian Propaganda in the Context of the Syrian Crisis

Abstract

Russia has strong information warfare capabilities, especially its RT Arabic and Sputnik news services, which are helpful in advancing its foreign policy goals in the Middle East: of becoming a great power in the region, reducing the role of the United States, propping up allies such as Bashar al-Assad in Syria, and fighting terrorism. While the longstanding drivers of Russian policy are constant—prestige, trade and stability—the Kremlin has broadened its interests in recent years. Russia uses sponsored media to promote its ability to interact with many state and non-state actors in the Middle East. Communication has been used aggressively as a tool by the Russian government to further its foreign policy objectives in Syria and to give justifications for its actions and positions. Evidence suggests that Russian media’s narratives are disseminated broadly in the region by traditional means and online. However, outside Syria, its impact has been limited. Control over the media that regional authoritarian governments impose cross-cutting political pressures, lack of longstanding ethnic and cultural ties with Russia and widespread doubts about Russian intentions makes it difficult for Moscow to use information operations as an effective tool for justifying Russian presence in Syria. The chapter discusses examples of Russian narrative and the vehicles used for transmitting these messages. It also analyzes its successes and shortcomings.