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DEZINFORMATSIYA ALIVE BUT TRANSPARENT
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
By Vladimir Socor
Two forgeries now circulating in Europe and North America bear the
classic imprint of Soviet disinformation, presented, however, in
modern-looking packaging developed by Modest Kolerov's department of
the presidential administration in the Kremlin.
One of these forgeries attempts to portray Georgian President Mikheil
Saakashvili as suffering from "psychiatric disturbances." Handed out
discretely to Western journalists in recent weeks, this "study" is
attributed to mental health institutes with prestigious-looking titles
in six West European countries. However, the document is written in
awkward English and with occasional telltale Russianisms ("convinced
in," "diceased.") It purports to "diagnose" Saakashvili with various
psychiatric "syndromes" and "dysfunctions" without substantiating these
in any way, resorting instead to simple assertions and occasionally
innuendo. Significantly, no direct claim is made that any of those
six institutes ever examined or interviewed the Georgian president;
instead, their "contribution to the study" is acknowledged.
The "study's" political goals are also apparent in the forecasts it
derives from that "diagnosis." It warns that the Georgian president
may provoke social and military conflicts and that he tends to situate
himself in opposition to the Georgian public.
To lend credence to such predictions it clearly misrepresents
Saakashvili as an insecure, "paranoid" personality; and his
public speaking style as reflecting those alleged traits as well
as difficulties of expression while under pressure. In reality,
however, this Georgian president's defining message is one of
optimism and confidence in the nation, while his speaking style
in English and Russian makes him undoubtedly one of the most
effective political orators in today's international arena (albeit
one in which oratorical talent is in short supply). Even as this
"study" was being circulated, the June meeting of Saakashvili with
Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg saw a relaxed
and articulate Georgian president easily dominating his stilted
Russian counterpart throughout their lengthy joint news conference
(see EDM, June 16). Economist correspondent Edward Lucas has
wittily debunked the psychological "study" on his widely read blog
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EdwardLucas).
Concurrently with the anti-Georgian "study," a report on Transnistria
was released apparently by the same workshop or a related one, with
false attribution to seven highly reputed academics from leading U.S.
and British universities. This report backs Transnistria's "right" to
secede from Moldova and to be granted international recognition. The
document describes Transnistria as a "democratic" polity meeting
the criteria of state sovereignty under international law. It passes
over in silence Russia's military and economic support that enabled
Transnistria's secession from Moldova.
Some parts of this report are easily recognized as having been lifted
from an earlier report about Karabakh. Other parts are written in
awkward English. The news agency Regnum, a Kolerov outlet (he was
its founder and chief executive prior to his move into the Kremlin)
first publicized this report.
The seven purported co-authors have, in the meantime, denied any
involvement in the preparation of the report on Transnistria and
asked that their names be removed from the authors' roster. Some
other scholars, whose work is referenced in the report's footnotes
in distorted or misleading ways, have similarly asked for removal of
those references. Indeed, most of those names have in the meantime
disappeared the website of the organization that sponsors this report.
The sponsoring organization, the "International Council for Democratic
Institutions and State Sovereignty," at www.icdiss.org, was found
to share an IP address with www.pridnestrovie.net when it posted the
report. The reference to democratic institutions and state sovereignty
reflects this Council's function to advocate for recognition of the
post-Soviet secessionist enclaves. Meanwhile, that same "Council,"
along with something called the "United Euro-Atlantic Forum," has
released a report criticizing Ukraine's cooperation with the European
Union in enforcing customs regulations against Transnistria's "external
trade." Names of disinformation outlets that use misleading references
to Western values (the "Free Europe Foundation," also propagandizing
for recognition of the secessionist enclaves, is another case) are
typical of Kolerov's growing network of such organizations.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
By Vladimir Socor
Two forgeries now circulating in Europe and North America bear the
classic imprint of Soviet disinformation, presented, however, in
modern-looking packaging developed by Modest Kolerov's department of
the presidential administration in the Kremlin.
One of these forgeries attempts to portray Georgian President Mikheil
Saakashvili as suffering from "psychiatric disturbances." Handed out
discretely to Western journalists in recent weeks, this "study" is
attributed to mental health institutes with prestigious-looking titles
in six West European countries. However, the document is written in
awkward English and with occasional telltale Russianisms ("convinced
in," "diceased.") It purports to "diagnose" Saakashvili with various
psychiatric "syndromes" and "dysfunctions" without substantiating these
in any way, resorting instead to simple assertions and occasionally
innuendo. Significantly, no direct claim is made that any of those
six institutes ever examined or interviewed the Georgian president;
instead, their "contribution to the study" is acknowledged.
The "study's" political goals are also apparent in the forecasts it
derives from that "diagnosis." It warns that the Georgian president
may provoke social and military conflicts and that he tends to situate
himself in opposition to the Georgian public.
To lend credence to such predictions it clearly misrepresents
Saakashvili as an insecure, "paranoid" personality; and his
public speaking style as reflecting those alleged traits as well
as difficulties of expression while under pressure. In reality,
however, this Georgian president's defining message is one of
optimism and confidence in the nation, while his speaking style
in English and Russian makes him undoubtedly one of the most
effective political orators in today's international arena (albeit
one in which oratorical talent is in short supply). Even as this
"study" was being circulated, the June meeting of Saakashvili with
Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg saw a relaxed
and articulate Georgian president easily dominating his stilted
Russian counterpart throughout their lengthy joint news conference
(see EDM, June 16). Economist correspondent Edward Lucas has
wittily debunked the psychological "study" on his widely read blog
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EdwardLucas).
Concurrently with the anti-Georgian "study," a report on Transnistria
was released apparently by the same workshop or a related one, with
false attribution to seven highly reputed academics from leading U.S.
and British universities. This report backs Transnistria's "right" to
secede from Moldova and to be granted international recognition. The
document describes Transnistria as a "democratic" polity meeting
the criteria of state sovereignty under international law. It passes
over in silence Russia's military and economic support that enabled
Transnistria's secession from Moldova.
Some parts of this report are easily recognized as having been lifted
from an earlier report about Karabakh. Other parts are written in
awkward English. The news agency Regnum, a Kolerov outlet (he was
its founder and chief executive prior to his move into the Kremlin)
first publicized this report.
The seven purported co-authors have, in the meantime, denied any
involvement in the preparation of the report on Transnistria and
asked that their names be removed from the authors' roster. Some
other scholars, whose work is referenced in the report's footnotes
in distorted or misleading ways, have similarly asked for removal of
those references. Indeed, most of those names have in the meantime
disappeared the website of the organization that sponsors this report.
The sponsoring organization, the "International Council for Democratic
Institutions and State Sovereignty," at www.icdiss.org, was found
to share an IP address with www.pridnestrovie.net when it posted the
report. The reference to democratic institutions and state sovereignty
reflects this Council's function to advocate for recognition of the
post-Soviet secessionist enclaves. Meanwhile, that same "Council,"
along with something called the "United Euro-Atlantic Forum," has
released a report criticizing Ukraine's cooperation with the European
Union in enforcing customs regulations against Transnistria's "external
trade." Names of disinformation outlets that use misleading references
to Western values (the "Free Europe Foundation," also propagandizing
for recognition of the secessionist enclaves, is another case) are
typical of Kolerov's growing network of such organizations.