REMINDER: Bette's Tuesday Happy Hour with Heidi, Mo’, & Dietmar!
Bette members: please register for our weekly Tuesday Happy Hour, where we will be joined by geopolitical analyst Monique Camarra and disinfo analyst Dietmar Pichler at NOON Pacific
***Paid Bette members will find the registration link below the paywall. To join our community events and to help support independent investigative journalism in a time of grave peril, please upgrade to a paid membership. All my investigative content at Bette Dangerous is free, and like many Substack reporters post-November 2024 election, paid subs are dwindling. Please consider reversing that trend with a paid subscription.***
Bette members are invited to our Tuesday Happy Hour, September 9, Noon Pacific, 3 pm Eastern, where we will be joined by EuroFile’s Monique Camarra from Italy, and Dietmar Pichler, a disinformation analyst from Vienna, Austria.
This week’s topics will include: a Moldova election preview and general narrative picture in select EU locations by Mo’; and Dietmar will focus on the Shanghai Summit and a disguised tankie festival.
From Monique:
Russia’s offensive against civilian targets in Ukraine is being matched by its grey zone warfare across Europe at the moment. What I’m most concerned about at the moment is the intensity of information warfare against Moldova, because of its upcoming general election, and, in general, how Russia is targeting the United Kingdom, France and Germany — the Group of Three heading the charge in Europe for increasing Ukraine’s defence capabilities. Should Moldova’s government fall to internal pro-Kremlin forces, the consequences would be dire for Europe’s eastern defence posture, and Ukraine’s southeastern flank.
Russian narratives have moved away from its mainstays of nuclear Armageddon, and peace initiatives. What we are seeing is an increase in narratives about the negative aspects for Ukraine’s accession to EU and NATO, denigratory narratives targeting the governments of France, the UK and Germany by siting corruption scandals and their supposedly weak economic output, and neutrality narratives in European member states most open to ‘peace’ initiatives. Lastly, owing to Trump’s whitewashing of Putin, narratives about how we must come to a working relationship with Russia once peace has been established abound on social media, Russian proxy conferences and notable pro-Russian YouTube channels.
While Germany and France are not on the brink of political crisis, unfortunately, we are already seeing the consequences of information warfare in the UK as the Starmer government is struggling against continuous demands for an early election, which could conceivably usher in a Farage Reform government.—Monique Camarra for Bette Dangerous
And from Dietmar:
“Shanghai Summit shows the fronts of the information world war. Dictatorships and their stooges are sending the democratic Western world an ideological declaration of war. Plus, how international tankie organizations met in Vienna. Music, food, and a fringe authoritarian political agenda.”—Dietmar Pichler for Bette Dangerous
In addition to Monique and Dietmar’s updates, I will update you on my latest Hot Type column in Byline Supplement, which posits that the main point of the Alaska Summit was to reputation wash Putin:
More here, including additional reporting by Michael MacKay and Monique:
I look so forward to seeing everyone as Mo’, Dietmar, and I dish news.
Info about our guests:
Dietmar Pichler is an advisor on strategic communication against foreign interference, founder of the Disinfo Resilience Network, and an editor at Inved.eu.
Monique Camarra writes EuroFile, which brings daily news on the war in Ukraine, as well as global breaking news. She served as co-host of the Kremlin File, which focused on Russia and the spread of authoritarianism throughout the world. She is based at the University of Siena.
A note for new members: the Happy Hour began two and a half years ago, when I noticed many Bette members in despair. I thought a weekly wellness checkin for newsies was in order, and it evolved into a session where global guests offer news from around the world. The title was always meant to be ironic, but I know I feel better when our community comes together.
Lastly, a heartfelt thank you to those of you who are renewing your memberships and those who continue to support me at the Founding Member level. Your support means everything to me.
Keep scrolling below the paywall for the registration link.
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More info about Bette Dangerous - This magazine is written by Heidi Siegmund Cuda, an Emmy-award winning investigative reporter/producer, author, and veteran music and nightlife columnist. She is the cohost of RADICALIZED Truth Survives, an investigative show about disinformation and is part of the Byline Media team. Thank you for your support of independent investigative journalism.
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