Russia is spreading disinformation in the Middle East, especially in Syria, in order to discredit its critics and advance its interests. This week Jon, Amber, and Will discuss the scope of the issue and its consequences. Then Elliot Higgins, founder of Bellingcat, sits down with Jon to explain how his citizen journalist platform detects and counters disinformation.

Elliot Higgins, “Chemical Weapons and Absurdity: The Disinformation Campaign Against the White Helmets,” Bellingcat, December 2018.

Mark Katz, “When the Friend of My Friends Is Not My Friend,” The Atlantic Council, May 2019.

Mark Katz, “What Do They See in Him? How the Middle East Views Putin and Russia,” Russian Analytical Digest, May 3, 2018.

Suzanne Spaulding, “Democracy and Justice in the Age of Disinformation,” CSIS, May 1, 2019.