In this talk, Aaron Maté examines the Russiagate conspiracy theory, arguing that it was a baseless narrative that served elite interests while exacerbating geopolitical tensions. He traces the origins of Russiagate to the Clinton campaign's funding of the Steele dossier and CrowdStrike's unverified claims of Russian hacking, which were amplified by media and political figures to deflect blame for Trump's 2016 victory. Maté highlights how the scandal distracted from substantive opposition to Trump's policies and created a perverse incentive for Trump to adopt hawkish stances toward Russia to disprove allegations of collusion. This, in turn, escalated tensions with Russia, undermined peace efforts in Ukraine, and prolonged the conflict there. Maté critiques the elite "protection racket" that scapegoated Russia instead of addressing domestic failures, polarizing discourse and fostering contempt for ordinary voters. Ultimately, he frames Russiagate as a disinformation campaign with far-reaching, destructive consequences for U.S. politics and global stability.

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