This week on the Active Measures Newsletter Podcast, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson speak with Poppy McPherson (Special Correspondent for Southeast Asia) and Karen Lema (Philippines Bureau Chief) of Reuters whose recent reporting showed Chinese government use of a local public relations firm in the Philippines to mount a pro-China/anti-U.S. influence campaign in the country. Mark and Jim also review some of the big stories from this week's newsletter including Suzanne Nossel's case that Americans have lost sight of what 'soft power' actually is; Peter Pomerantsev on how to fight Putin in an information war; rising temperatures in the hybrid war in Europe; and the deepfake attack on Ireland's election.

This week on the Active Measures Newsletter Podcast, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson speak with Poppy McPherson (Special Correspondent for Southeast Asia) and Karen Lema (Philippines Bureau Chief) of Reuters whose recent reporting showed Chinese government use of a local public relations firm in the Philippines to mount a pro-China/anti-U.S. influence campaign in the country. Mark and Jim also review some of the big stories from this week's newsletter including Suzanne Nossel's case that Americans have lost sight of what 'soft power' actually is; Peter Pomerantsev on how to fight Putin in an information war; rising temperatures in the hybrid war in Europe; and the deepfake attack on Ireland's election.

From the Pell Center at Salve Regina University and the creators of the Active Measures Newsletter, a weekly dive into the latest trends in political warfare, influence, and information campaigns. 

From the Pell Center at Salve Regina University and the creators of the Active Measures Newsletter, a weekly dive into the latest trends in political warfare, influence, and information campaigns.

A weekly dive into the headlines in the Active Measures Newsletter from the Pell Center at Salve Regina University.

The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast

China Relies on Local Voices with Poppy McPherson and Karen Lema

The terminology we use to describe new phenomena matters.  On this week's podcast, defense intellectual Frank Hoffman reviews Chinese, Russian, European, and--to the extent there is any--American writings about 'cognitive warfare.' For the uninitiated--this runs the gamut from traditional tools of influence to novel technologies, including chemical and directed energy weapons that can "alter peoples’ brains and thought processes. . . .” Co-hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also discuss the latest news about CopyCop/Storm1516 and the latest recruiting ad for the 4th PsyOp Group.

The terminology we use to describe new phenomena matters.&nbsp; On this week's podcast, defense intellectual Frank Hoffman reviews Chinese, Russian, European, and--to the extent there is any--American writings about 'cognitive warfare.' For the uninitiated--this runs the gamut from traditional tools of influence to novel technologies, including chemical and directed energy weapons that can "alter peoples&rsquo; brains and thought processes. . . .&rdquo; Co-hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also discuss the latest news about CopyCop/Storm1516 and the latest recruiting ad for the 4th PsyOp Group.

The terminology we use to describe new phenomena matters.  On this week's podcast, defense intellectual Frank Hoffman reviews Chinese, Russian, European, and--to the extent there is any--American writings about 'cognitive warfare.' For the uninitiated--this runs the gamut from traditional tools of influence to novel technologies, including chemical and directed energy weapons that can "alter peoples’ brains and thought processes. . . .” Co-hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also discuss the latest news about CopyCop/Storm 1516 and the latest recruiting ad for the 4th PsyOp Group.

Cognitive Warfare with Frank Hoffman

American social media is filled with high-strung posters, outrage-addicts, and partisan players.  It's a perfect avenue for amplifying division and most platforms let anyone play anonymously.  So it came as a shock to some this week when X turned on a new geolocation service and the overseas posting of active accounts--some with hundreds of thousands and even millions of followers--proved to originate from Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia.  In this special edition of the podcast, host Jim Ludes takes us back to 2017, when Russia's use of fake personas on social media first became obvious.

American social media is filled with high-strung posters, outrage-addicts, and partisan players.&nbsp; It's a perfect avenue for amplifying division and most platforms let anyone play anonymously.&nbsp; So it came as a shock to some this week when X turned on a new geolocation service and the overseas posting of active accounts--some with hundreds of thousands and even millions of followers--proved to originate from Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia.&nbsp; In this special edition of the podcast, host Jim Ludes takes us back to 2017, when Russia's use of fake personas on social media first became obvious.

American social media is filled with high-strung posters, outrage-addicts, and partisan players.  It's a perfect avenue for amplifying division and most platforms let anyone play.  So it came as a shock to some this week when X turned on a new geolocation service and the overseas posting of active accounts--some with hundreds of thousands and even millions of followers--proved to originate from Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia.  In this special edition of the podcast, host Jim Ludes takes us back to 2017, when Russia's use of fake personas on social media first became obvious.

Special Edition: Social Media's "Fake Americans" Problem

This week, Naomi O’Leary, European Correspondent for The Irish Times describes Russia’s hybrid warfare across Europe—from severed pigs heads dumped at French mosques to cases of arson in Poland and the United Kingdom.  “Russia is recruiting what they call ‘Telegram agents’ over this messaging app to do small-scale sabotage,” she says, “and the aim is . . . ‘to disrupt the unity of Western states and sow discord among citizens of European countries. . . .’” Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also discuss emerging details about the Trump administration’s latest push for a deal in Ukraine; the potential for U.S. agentic AI information operations in Venezuela; and a litany of current disinformation campaigns in the Balkans.

This week, Naomi O&rsquo;Leary, European Correspondent for The Irish Times describes Russia&rsquo;s hybrid warfare across Europe&mdash;from severed pigs heads dumped at French mosques to cases of arson in Poland and the United Kingdom.&nbsp; &ldquo;Russia is recruiting what they call &lsquo;Telegram agents&rsquo; over this messaging app to do small-scale sabotage,&rdquo; she says, &ldquo;and the aim is . . . &lsquo;to disrupt the unity of Western states and sow discord among citizens of European countries. . . .&rsquo;&rdquo; Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also discuss emerging details about the Trump administration&rsquo;s latest push for a deal in Ukraine; the potential for U.S. agentic AI information operations in Venezuela; and a litany of current disinformation campaigns in the Balkans.

This week, Naomi O’Leary, European Correspondent for The Irish Times describes Russia’s hybrid warfare across Europe—from severed pigs heads dumped at French mosques to cases of arson in Poland and the United Kingdom.  “Russia is recruiting what they call ‘Telegram agents’ over this messaging app to do small-scale sabotage,” she says, “and the aim is . . . ‘to disrupt the unity of Western states and sow discord among citizens of European countries. . . .’” Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also discuss emerging details about the Trump administration’s latest push for a deal in Ukraine; the potential for U.S. agentic AI information operations in Venezuela; and a litany of current disinformation campaigns in the Balkans.

China Relies on Local Voices with Poppy McPherson and Karen Lema

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