Information War in the Baltics Author: Michelle Markey, Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies, University of Washington

Abstract: Information and the media can be used as a powerful tool of manipulation and the diffusion and content of information has an enormous effect on politics.  After the break-up of the Soviet Union, information was not immediately used in the Baltic countries as a political tool, but more recently it has proved as an effective and significant public relations device. Violence as a means to power has become less acceptable and without soft power, which demands a focus on perception management and strategy with regards to public relations, no country can achieve such influence. This thesis will examine to what extent information is being used as a political tool in the Baltic countries. I argue that the intent of distributing information is a new aspect of Russian foreign policy which abandons old methods of gaining influence and focuses on soft power through information management. Additionally, methods of combating  negative effects of purposefully inflammatory information transmission will be discussed.