Within Washington’s current disinformation campaign targeting Russia, there are a series of traits which reflect a pattern. A pattern that becomes visible when one has studied the cycle of imperialist propaganda long enough. In the 21st century, where sanctions, online narratives, and a dynamic of reignited great-power competition define how imperialism operates, this cycle revolves around exercises in marketing which use “humanitarianism” as the selling point. A network of “human rights” organizations engage in theatrics, manufacturing dramatic stories of atrocities by the targeted country, and the narrative managers portray this as the thing we should care most about.