Paris and Putin’s Prism

Is it really possible that sowing conspiracy theories following the attacks in Paris works to Putin’s advantage at home?

The Middle-East and Russia have long been competing for the prize that goes to the country with the most ardent believers in far flung conspiracies. According, to the Financial Times it appears that rivalry has yet to be settled. The ramifications for the Russian polity differ depending on the origins of these conspiracies.

If sowing confusion is the Kremlin’s goal in tackling the new media sphere with a vigor that can successfully tap into a wide portion of the populace and manipulate perceptions, then why is Putin not at risk? Certainly, increased chaos can work to the detriment of any establishment. Especially, a chaos that attacks what the public is willing to accept as truth. Possibly it is a calculated risk that assumes a vacuum in the new media landscape is decidedly to the Kremlin’s disadvantage.

To be sure, there is real political leverage in deeming that America could be behind such an attack, (see FT article for clarification). Also, however absurd the claim may be, there is for now, a genuine willingness for these theories to be believed. The problem comes when plausibility is snuffed out of the room. Between the fascists in Ukraine, and now, an American plot to unite France, there seems to be too much confusion for a coherent narrative, or even a useful one.

This can only hurt the Kremlin, at the very least such a deceitful media environment only has a few acts left before the curtain falls. If this is Russia at its best, there is plenty of room for improvement.