Washington wants to step up its fight against disinformation coming from Russia and China in particular, and on Friday appointed former journalist and diplomat James Rubin to head a special task force at the State Department.

The Global Engagement Center (GEC), which James Rubin will lead at the State Department, aims to “identify, understand, expose, and counter propaganda and disinformation” from foreign countries or non-state actors “that threaten the security of the United States, its allies, and partners “, said the statement of the head of American diplomacy, Anthony Blinken.

James Rubin will have the title of special envoy.

“Jamie has more than 35 years of foreign policy experience, including at the State Department, as a diplomat, press secretary, policy advisor, teacher, and broadcaster. He is uniquely qualified to lead the GEC’s important work to counter foreign disinformation and propaganda by foreign actors. , including Russia, the People’s Republic of China, Iran, and foreign violent extremist organizations such as ISIS and al-Qaeda. It will also help strengthen society’s resistance to foreign disinformation and propaganda. I warmly welcome Jamie back to the Department and look forward to working with him again in this important role,” said Anthony Blinken.

James Rubin, 62, was Secretary of State Madeleine Albright’s press secretary from 1997 to 2000, during the administration of Democratic President Bill Clinton.

Famous in the United States, he taught and was a television commentator before moving to London with his then-partner, CNN correspondent Christiane Amanpour. The two, who have a child together, separated in 2018 after 20 years of marriage.

Prior to his appointment as GEC coordinator, James Rubin was an adviser to the secretary of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

That State Department cell, the GEC, was created in 2016, initially to combat disinformation from extremist groups, but then shifted its focus to China and Russia, the latter of which was accused of a massive disinformation campaign after the invasion of Ukraine. (News.ro)

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