The zenith of the Cold War
The zenith of the Cold War is now.
I used to live in West Germany, and I remember when the Berlin wall fell, how many Ossies (East Germans) commented on how surprised they were by the freedom and friendliness of the Bundesrepublik (West Germany). They always thought that no matter how bad things were in East Germany - and things were bad indeed - their lives were still superior to West Germany or any Western nation for that matter.
That was the power of Russian disinformation. I say Russian rather than Soviet because even during the Cold War the Russians were the driving force behind everything. They mastered the art of psychological operations and propaganda. Both in the Soviet Union and in its satellite states they managed to keep people in line by telling them over and over that the US/Western Europe/NATO was about to attack, and failure to fulfill their duties might lead to an enemy victory.
Yet much of this pales in comparison to what we are seeing now. While the Internet and cable news makes it more possible than ever to share information, it also makes it more possible than ever to share falsehoods and lies. I see it on my FB feed every day, from conservative acquaintances reposting right-wing fantasies and creating their own alternate universe in the process. Every attack on Trump strengthens them, as does every lie from Trump himself.
These people are not interested in the truth. At best, they are interested in manipulating the truth for their own purposes. At worst, they are the interested in creating a new but false truth that suits their agenda. That's why they love Putin, because their fondness for disinformation and propaganda is the same.
