CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2025
| Author | Gruber, Vincens |
|---|---|
| Title | From KGB To GOP And AFD: Disinformation Strategy In Two Liberal Democracies |
| Summary | This thesis investigates how disinformation has been adapted by right-wing actors within democratic societies deriving from a comparative analysis of two cases – Donald J. Trump’s Republican Party (GOP) and the Alternative für Deutschland (AFD) – the thesis introduces the theoretical concept of Strategic Internalisation to describe how Kremlin-style disinformation techniques have been restructured for domestic political gain, challenging the traditional threat models focused on foreign interference. The thesis provides a theoretical and historical overview of its conceptual lineage from the Soviet Union to contemporary disinformation, outlining the applied comparative qualitative methodology. Presents an in-depth analysis of the GOP and AFD, respectively examining their use of Narrative Saturation, Emotional Identity-Based Framing and Institutional Delegitimisation in their political communication. Additionally, it will comparatively analyse both convergences and divergences in how disinformation is internalised in both cases. Finally, it will conclude by reflecting on the implications for democratic resilience, particularly the need for structural responses that go beyond fact-checking or media literacy. Overall, this thesis focuses on how disinformation is embedded in the mode of contemporary right-wing politicians in liberal democracies rather than on disinformation as a foreign interference threat. |
| Supervisor | Ashraf, Cameran |
| Department | Undergraduate Studies BA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2025/gruber_vincens.pdf |
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