It's (election) interference season.
And some fun links to share.
It was a wild week for Russian foreign influence operations.
The U.S. unveiled charges against Dimitri Simes, the well-known CEO of the Washington-based Center for the National Interest, a realist think tank, for allegedly violating U.S. sanctions on Russia to benefit the sanctioned Russian broadcaster Channel One. Simes and his wife were also accused of money laundering on behalf of the sanctioned Russian oligarch Aleksandr Udodov, and there are some pretty pictures of paintings and other artifacts included in the indictment.
A Florida trial began against four activists from the African People’s Socialist Party who allegedly helped Russia interfere in U.S. elections.
U.S. prosecutors also alleged that two employees of the Russian media channel RT paid almost $10 million to six pro-Trump YouTube commentators. The indictment alleges that right-wing commentators like Dave Rubin, Benny Johnson, Tim Pool, and Lauren Southern were unwittingly working for a Russian influence operation that funneled money into their company, Tenet Media. It’s wild to think that kind of money is going into bad YouTube propaganda, but I guess that’s the media landscape we all exist in.
I link to information about those cases and more in the ‘What I’m Reading’ section below. But it’s safe to say interference season, and the consequent crackdown, is in full swing. I spent part of the weekend attending the Washington, D.C., launch party for Casey Michel’s new book on….foreign agents. Timely, to say the least.
A little tune from ISAbella for those who want to know what I listen to as I write.
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What I’m writing:
• I wrote about rising Israeli settler violence in the West Bank and the problems it could create in the Middle East, even if the Gaza war eventually ends. This story is unlocked and free to read.
• I spoke to Senator Jeanne Shaheen about her recent trip to the Republic of Georgia—including the boundary line of Russian-occupied South Ossetia—and U.S. concerns about Russian influence in the South Caucasus. This interview is unlocked.
• Ukraine had its biggest government shakeup this week since the start of the full-scale invasion. I wrote about how Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is trying to inject “new energy” into the war. This story is unlocked and free to read.
My weekly news blurbs:
What I’m reading:
• RoadBook explores whether social media and its algorithms have made it impossible to have genuinely unique travel experiences.
• The DIAL has a delightful read about a modern-day Hapsburg influencer and ambassador who thinks he can “help you fix your marriage, fix your soul, fix your politics and generally find meaning by following the example of his illustrious forebears.” It’s hilarious and very well-written.
• A trial began in Florida of four activists accused of illegally acting as Russian agents to help Moscow sow political discord and interfere in U.S. elections, the Associated Press reports. All four are or were affiliated with the African People’s Socialist Party and Uhuru Movement.
• The U.S. Justice Department unsealed criminal charges against Russian-American political pundit Dimitri Simes, alleging he was paid more than $1 million from the Russian news outlet RT in violation of U.S. sanctions. CNN has the story.
• The U.S. Department of Justice indicted five Russian military intelligence officers from the GRU’s notorious Unit 29155 and one civilian for conspiring to hack the Ukrainian government.
• NBC has a report on how some of the internet's most popular pro-Trump pundits ended up as paid messengers for Russian propaganda. U.S. prosecutors alleged two employees of the Russia-backed media network RT funneled almost $10 million to six YouTube commentators through a company that appears to be Tenet.
• Azerbaijan’s ruling party is on course for the narrowest of victories in a snap parliamentary election called by President Ilham Aliyev, Al Jazeera reports.
• The European Union said parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan took place in a restrictive political and legal environment.
• Serbia is Russia’s ally and will never sanction Moscow or join NATO, the country’s deputy prime minister Aleksandar Vulin told Russian President Vladimir Putin during a trip to Russia. The Associated Press has the story.
• Romania’s coalition government approved a draft law to give a Patriot defense system to Ukraine, Reuters reports.
• A new report from Nicole Koenig, head of policy for the Munich Security Conference, endorses the idea of a debt-based fund to fuel weapons procurement as part of a European defense union.
• Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) claimed its biggest electoral success since World War II, winning a regional vote in the country’s east, Politico Europe reports.
• German chancellor Olaf Scholz urged mainstream parties to boycott the far-right Alternative for Germany after its election wins in two eastern states, the Washington Post reports.
• Michael Barnier, the European Union’s former chief Brexit negotiator and a member of France’s conservative Républicains, was named as the new French Prime Minister after weeks of deadlock, the BBC reports. He will now have to form a government that must survive a National Assembly divided into three big political blocs, with none able to form a clear majority. The left-wing alliance that came first in July’s snap election vowed to back a vote of no-confidence in Barnier.
• A nationwide labor strike occurred in Israel in the broadest expression of anti-government dissent since the war began, Reuters reports. Some 500,000 people protested across Israel, calling for the government to accept a ceasefire deal immediately.
• The United States is planning to present a “take it or leave it” Gaza ceasefire deal, the Washington Post reports. If either party rejects the deal, it could end the U.S.-led negotiations.
• El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele sat down for an interview with TIME Magazine.
• An arrest warrant has been issued for Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo González following a request by the public prosecutor’s office, which is loyal to Maduro. The BBC has the story.
• Mexico’s lower house of Congress passed a contentious bill enabling a sweeping judicial overhaul requiring all judges to stand for election, the New York Times reports.
• A total of 135 political prisoners from Nicaragua were released on humanitarian grounds in a U.S.-brokered deal, the BBC reports.
• Tunisia’s electoral authority approved only two candidates to challenge current President Kais Saied in October’s election, the Associated Press reports.
• Uganda’s top opposition leader and prominent critic, Bobi Wine, was shot in the leg by police, the New York Times reports.
• Canada’s left-wing New Democratic Party “ripped up” a years-long deal with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals that has helped keep his minority government in power, Politico reports.
You can write to me for any reason: c.maza@protonmail.com