Revealing Schemes

Insidious Schemes analyzes the political use of conspiracy theories in post-Soviet countries. It asks why leaders sometimes make conspiracy claims and what their effects are. Using a new database of over 1,500 conspiracy claims from 12 post-Soviet states over 20 years, along with original surveys and focus groups from the region, it reveals how conspiracy theories are deployed with the aim of gaining political advantage. At a time of heightened distrust in democratic institutions around the world, understanding how conspiracy theories are used in a region where democracy came late--or never arrived--can be instructive for concerned citizens everywhere.