Authoritarian regimes skilfully employ disinformation to curb dissent, undermine positive images of Western democracies, and showcase their own political structures as superior alternatives. In The Conversation, Aiden Hoyle, an Assistant Professor in Intelligence and Security and Global Affairs (Leiden University), shows how countries such as Russia and China engage in “expansive projects aimed at creating a tilted reality.”

This endeavour focuses especially on “portraying western societies as dysfunctional and strange” neo-colonial powers. As Dr. Hoyle explains, a difficult reality is that these stories—often meant to provoke shock, resentment, and anger—resonate deeply with audiences in developing countries.

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