From 17 April 2025
The Global Engagement Center, part of the US Department of State, was established in 2016. Its mission was to lead U.S. government efforts to “recognize, understand, expose, and counter foreign state and non-state propaganda and disinformation efforts aimed at undermining or influencing the policies, security, or stability of the United States, its allies, and partner nations.”
Russian, Chinese and Iranian propaganda, a soft power strategy, aimed at influencing US elections has noticeably increased since 2016. These nations really ramped up the volume during the Nov 2024 election (AP).
Russia was particularly audacious, creating and spreading staged videos that aimed to smear Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. The Kremlin’s efforts this year also involved paying a Tennessee media company nine million euros to produce pro-Russian content EuroNews
Not surprisingly, the Donald Trump administration closed the Global Engagement Center for bringing attention to these efforts of Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and the Ayatollah Khamenei to influence US politics. According to Trump’s fiends the department cost too much money and engaged in censorship.
- The Covert War for American Minds Foreign Affairs
- Efforts by Russia, Iran and China to sway US voters may escalate, new Microsoft report says Associated Press
- Russia, China and Iran spread misinformation during US election EuroNews
- Global Engagement Center Wikipedia
- The State Department closes the office that flags disinformation from Russia, China and Iran Associated Press