Whataboutism

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Whataboutism is a propaganda technique formerly used by the Soviet Union in its dealings with the Western world, and subsequently used as a form of propaganda in post-Soviet Russia. When criticisms were leveled at the Soviet Union, the Soviet response would be “What about…” followed by an event in the Western world.

The term whataboutery has been used in British English since the period of The Troubles conflict in Northern Ireland. Lexicographers date the first appearance of the variant whataboutism to the 1990s, while other historians state that during the Cold War Western officials referred to the Soviet propaganda strategy by that term. The tactic saw a resurgence in post-Soviet Russia, relating to human rights violations committed by, and criticisms of, the Russian government. The technique received new attention during Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and military intervention in Ukraine. Usage of the tactic extended to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his spokesman, Dmitry Peskov.

The Guardian deemed whataboutism, as used in Russia, “practically a national ideology” [..] The New Yorker described the technique as “a strategy of false moral equivalences”. Jill Dougherty called whataboutism a “sacred Russian tactic”, and compared it to The pot calling the kettle black.