Lukes Publishes Article on Manipulation of Public Opinion
Igor Lukes, Professor of International Relations and History at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, published an article in Denik N (Diary N) discussing disinformation campaigns and government manipulation of public opinion.
In the article, titled “Putin Rejoices as The Merchants of Doubt Offer Their Wares,” is based on the premise that taking the public into a maze of mutually exclusive conspiracy theories is a more effective tool of public opinion manipulation than the old-fashioned disinformation. Lukes demonstrates this with references to the Malaysian flight MH17, the aftermath of the Skripals case in Salisbury, and the attempt to murder Alexei Navalny in Tomsk.
The full article can be read online.
Igor Lukes is a past winner of the 1997 Metcalf Award for Excellence in Teaching and the 2020 winner of the Gitner Prize for Faculty Excellence at the Pardee School. He writes primarily about Central Europe. His work has won the support of various other institutions, including Fulbright, Fulbright-Hays, the Woodrow Wilson Center, IREX, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Read more about Lukes on his faculty profile.