What exactly is strategic communication, and what problems does it solve in an era where foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) have become hybrid weapons? In this interview, we explore the systemic vulnerabilities that enable FIMI, how governments can strengthen institutional resilience, and how cooperation with tech platforms and independent monitoring organisations can help mitigate algorithmic influence and protect democratic processes. We also look at key lessons from Ukraine’s wartime information resilience and what countries under hybrid pressure – but not in open conflict – can realistically adapt from this model. Finally, we examine how strategic communication can become an operational tool – not just a reputational one – by connecting analysis, institutions, and the public into a unified system for detecting, countering, and deterring hybrid threats. We discuss shared values,viziune comuna, communication with citizens, the role of civil society, cohesion, and trust as essential elements of strategic communication.
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This material was produced with financial support from the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Swedish MFA) and the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF). Its content is the sole responsibility of the European Institute for Development Policy (EURODEV) in partnership with PISA and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs or the GMF.
