Russophobia: propaganda in international politics
by Glenn Diesen
Palgrave Macmillan £89.99.

THIS is an exceptionally important book. It exposes the Nato campaign, led by the British and US governments, to whip up hatred of Russia.

In 2015, the British government launched the Integrity Initiative, “dedicated to revealing and combating propaganda and disinformation.” According to its website 95 per cent of its funding comes from the government, the US State Department, Nato and Facebook.

The Initiative was largely aimed at Russia, although it could also target domestic dissent. In December 2018, the Sunday Mail reported that the Initiative was targeting the Labour Party’s leader Jeremy Corbyn. That is, the government was using public funds to attack the official opposition.
 
The US government cynically used vaccines for propaganda purposes. The US Department of Health and Human Services’ annual report revealed that the government had tried to persuade the Brazilian government to reject Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, despite the Bolsonaro government’s appalling failure to provide enough vaccines, which led to the deaths of 605,000 of its citizens.