Last but not least: Caucasus PR
The conflict between Georgia and Russia is not being fought solely with weapons; the theater of war has long since shifted to the media as well. Two PR agencies in Brussels are also working on shaping the narrative of the conflict—one representing Georgia and one representing Russia.
The conflict between Georgia and Russia is not only being fought with weapons; the theater of war has long since shifted to the media, where the two countries are fighting for the right to interpret what has been happening in the Caucasus since August 7. According to a report in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, for example, both countries pay a PR agency in the EU capital Brussels, which, among other things, writes press releases on the conflict in the interest of the respective country and sends them to the world press.
This apparently with some success. The crisis communicator hired by Georgia, James Hunt, who had already pulled the potatoes out of the fire for Shell in the conflict over the Brent Spar oil platform, managed with his office Aspect Consulting to sell several U.S. media on the second day of the war the story of the "victim Georgia," which had been brutally attacked by its neighbor Russia. This was despite the fact that the Georgian president had opened hostilities. To the SZ, Hunt proudly said that the Georgia war could become his masterpiece.
The Russians seem to have learned from the initial defeat on the propaganda front. Albeit too slowly, as a Russian PR consultant complains in the SZ. The lag, he says, is due to the Kremlin, which "regards PR work as propaganda made primarily for Russian audiences." Russia's man in Brussels, Dutchman Hans Kribbe, also admits that Russia does not yet have a professional communications structure. Kribbe works for Gplus Europe, a subsidiary of the New York PR empire Ketchum. Nevertheless, Kribbe seems convinced that the Russians are still doing their homework in the PR field.
This apparently with some success. The crisis communicator hired by Georgia, James Hunt, who had already pulled the potatoes out of the fire for Shell in the conflict over the Brent Spar oil platform, managed with his office Aspect Consulting to sell several U.S. media on the second day of the war the story of the "victim Georgia," which had been brutally attacked by its neighbor Russia. This was despite the fact that the Georgian president had opened hostilities. To the SZ, Hunt proudly said that the Georgia war could become his masterpiece.
The Russians seem to have learned from the initial defeat on the propaganda front. Albeit too slowly, as a Russian PR consultant complains in the SZ. The lag, he says, is due to the Kremlin, which "regards PR work as propaganda made primarily for Russian audiences." Russia's man in Brussels, Dutchman Hans Kribbe, also admits that Russia does not yet have a professional communications structure. Kribbe works for Gplus Europe, a subsidiary of the New York PR empire Ketchum. Nevertheless, Kribbe seems convinced that the Russians are still doing their homework in the PR field.
