Disinformation Wars

American Foreign Policy Council
  • 4.7 (15)
  • POLITICS
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

The American Foreign Policy Council

  1. FEB 12

    EPISODE 59: The "War of Ideas" in the Americas

    In this episode of DISINFORMATION WARS, host Ilan Berman speaks with Leah Soibel of Fuente Latina about the state of the Latin American media market - and how external actors like Iran, China and Russia are trying to manipulate opinions and attitudes in the Western Hemisphere. BIO: Leah Soibel is the Founder and CEO of Fuente Latina, the only nonprofit media organization that empowers Hispanic journalists and influencers globally to report on the Middle East accurately and in real time. Leah has spent two decades producing news for thousands of Spanish-language media professionals covering Israel and the Middle East. Each year, Fuente Latina's work drives thousands of news stories that counter disinformation. In 2023, she also launched Activista Media, the first Spanglish digital news brand informing US Latinos under 40.

    28 min

  2. JAN 16

    EPISODE 58: America's voice, disrupted

    In this episode of DISINFORMATION WARS, host Ilan Berman speaks with Dr. James Robbins, Senior Fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council and Dean of Academics at the Institute of World Politics, about their experiences dealing with international broadcasting during the Trump 47 Transition - and where America's public diplomacy enterprise is today. BIO: Dr. James S. Robbins is a national security columnist for USA Today and Senior Fellow in National Security Affairs at the American Foreign Policy Council. He is a former special assistant in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and in 2007 was awarded the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joint Meritorious Civilian Service Award. Dr. Robbins is also the former award-winning Senior Editorial Writer for Foreign Affairs at The Washington Times. His work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, National Review, and other publications. He appears regularly on national and international television and radio. Dr. Robbins holds a Ph.D. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and has taught at the National Defense University and Marine Corps University, among other schools.

    28 min

  3. 12/04/2025

    EPISODE 57: In the Russia-Ukraine war, language is a weapon

    In this episode of DISINFORMATION WARS, host Ilan Berman speaks with Arthur Barys of TVP World about how Poland's premier English-language broadcaster is trying to change the conversation - and provide crucial context - about Russia's information offensive on Europe's eastern flank. BIO: Arthur Barys is a Warsaw-based translator and head language editor at TVP World, the English-language news channel of Poland’s public broadcaster. TVP World covers the region from a Central European perspective, with a special focus on Ukraine, Russia, and NATO’s eastern flank.

    26 min

  4. 09/09/2025

    EPISODE 56: Israel's missing messaging

    In this episode of DISINFORMATION WARS, host Ilan Berman speaks with journalist and author Yaakov Katz about the institutional dysfunctions plaguing Israel's conduct of public diplomacy - and the impact these deficiencies have had on the country's current conflict with Hamas. MATERIALS REFERENCED: -- Yaakov Katz and Amir Bohbot, While Israel Slept: How Hamas Surprised the Most Powerful Military in the Middle East (St. Martin's Press, 2025) BIO: Yaakov Katz is an Israeli-American author and journalist and a senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute in Jerusalem. Between 2016 and 2023, Yaakov was editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post, where he continues to write a popular weekly column. He is the author of three prior books - “Shadow Strike – Inside Israel’s Secret Mission to Eliminate Syrian Nuclear Power”, “Weapon Wizards - How Israel Became a High-Tech Military Superpower” and “Israel vs. Iran: The Shadow War”. His new book, co-authored with Amir Bohbot, is “While Israel Slept: How Hamas Surprised the Most Powerful Military in the Middle East."

    28 min

  5. 08/20/2025

    EPISODE 55: Rebuilding information integrity

    In this episode of DISINFORMATION WARS, host Ilan Berman speaks with Ellen McCarthy, CEO of the Trust in Media Cooperative, about how AI and foreign actors are altering the media landscape, the dangers associated with declining trust in information, and what the U.S. government and private sector institutions can do about it. MATERIALS REFERENCED: -- Gallup, "Americans' Trust in Media Remains at Trend Low," October 14, 2024, https://news.gallup.com/poll/651977/americans-trust-media-remains-trend-low.aspx. -- YouGov, "Survey: Trump and the Media," January 30-February 3, 2025, https://ygo-assets-websites-editorial-emea.yougov.net/documents/Trump_and_the_Media_poll_results.pdf. BIO: The Honorable Ellen McCarthy is Chairwoman and CEO of the Trust in Media Cooperative (https://www.timcoop.org), a nonprofit working to rebuild public trust in the information ecosystem through a new infrastructure that includes multi-sector standards, tools, and public awareness. She has over 30 years of experience in the U.S. intelligence community and public service, including serving as Chief Operating Officer of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) from 2015-2018. From January 2019 to January 2021, she served as Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research (INR).

    31 min

  6. 07/21/2025

    EPISODE 54: How tech is turbo-charging disinformation

    In this episode, host Ilan Berman speaks with Sam Douglas-Bate of British futures consultancy ForgeFront about how advances in technology are assisting the proliferation of “fake news” and disinformation - and what Western governments can do about it. MATERIALS REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE: — Sam Douglas-Bate, "The Double-Edged Sword: New Technologies to Win the War on Fake News," New Lines Institute, May 2, 2025, https://newlinesinstitute.org/strategic-technology/the-double-edged-sword-new-technologies-to-win-the-war-on-fake-news/. BIO: Sam Douglas-Bate is the founder of ForgeFront, a futures and foresight consultancy based in the UK. The company works with government and businesses around the world in a policy field called futures thinking, helping them use technology to analyze and react to systemic threats and opportunities. A large part of ForgeFront's work is focused on how new technologies intersect with fake news. Prior to establishing ForgeFront, Sam worked for the European Union and the UK’s Cabinet Office, Brexit Department and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. He has also worked in the House of Commons, led high profile accounts for a leading public affairs firm and was in the last tranche of British EU Civil Servants working for the institutions in Brussels.

    31 min

  7. 04/10/2025

    EPISODE 53: Europe and Russian disinformation, revisited

    In this episode of DISINFORMATION WARS, host Ilan Berman speaks with Janis Sarts, Director of NATO's Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence, about the current informational environment in Europe, and the threats now being posed to the West by Russia, China and others. BIO: Jānis Sārts is the Director of the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence, a multinational, cross-sector organisation providing comprehensive analysis, advice, and practical support in strategic communications to the Alliance and its allied nations. Prior to that, he served as State Secretary of the Latvian Ministry of Defence for more than seven years, leading defence sector reforms during an economic crisis period, developing a new state defence concept, and encouraging regional defence cooperation within NATO and the EU. He has also led the Latvian Government’s efforts to increase its security and defence in cyberspace. As Chair of the National Cyber Security Board, he was responsible for formulating and overseeing the implementation of Latvia’s cyber security policy, as well as for overseeing the work of the National Information Technology Security Incident Response Institution.

    30 min

  8. 02/14/2025

    EPISODE 52: Breaking down digital barriers

    In this episode of DISINFORMATION WARS, host Ilan Berman speaks with Laura Cunningham, President of the Open Technology Fund, about how authoritarian regimes are improving their censorship game - and how technology is helping free media fight back against this growing digital authoritarianism. MATERIALS REFERENCE IN THIS EPISODE: — “Does Bypassing Internet Censorship in China Change Individual Beliefs, Attitudes and Behaviors?” Stanford University China Brief, May 1, 2023 (https://sccei.fsi.stanford.edu/china-briefs/does-bypassing-internet-censorship-china-change-individual-beliefs-attitudes-and) BIO: Laura Cunningham is the President of the Open Technology Fund, a position she has held since April of 2020. In that role, she is responsible for OTF’s strategic development, long-term planning, and day-to-day operations to enable OTF to fulfill its mission to support internet freedom worldwide. Prior to joining OTF, Laura was the Senior Advisor for Internet Freedom in the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, where she led the Department’s Internet freedom programs focused on technology development, digital security, Internet policy advocacy, and research.

    33 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.7
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

The American Foreign Policy Council

Information

  • Creator
    American Foreign Policy Council
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    59
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © American Foreign Policy Council
  • Show Website
    Disinformation Wars

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