New Eastern Europe Magazine April-May 2023 Back Issue

The information war, as we understand it, has in fact been with us for quite some time. The reason for its existence lies mainly in our mysterious human psyche, which is often vulnerable to such phenomena as conspiracy theories, propaganda and disinformation. New technologies only contribute to amplifying the effects of such hazards and make them borderless.

Hence, if we cannot define the moment of inception of information war, can we imagine its conclusion? This is the key question which we asked ourselves while preparing this issue of New Eastern Europe. Admittedly, the question remains unanswered. Yet, our authors provide valuable insight into the inner workings and methods of information manipulation and how we can better protect ourselves and our communities. A key conclusion from our authors is that addressing malign online activity aimed at divisions and polarisation takes time and a lot of energy. Meanwhile hostile actors continue to adapt and find new ways to penetrate our societies. While creating a greater awareness is the first step to defend against information attacks, more needs to be done on both the individual and political levels. Certainly, the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine is key to better understanding how the information war works.