Russia, which tumbled back out of the Soviet Union in 1991 as a fledgling “democracy” is not collecting a good record for supporting democracy or staying out of other country’s democratic processes. U.S. Intelligence Agencies have confirmed, and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the United States Senate recently issued another dire warning confirming that Russia is at it again; attempting both to cause general chaos and outright interference in the 2020 election.
The clock tower at the Kremlin, Moscow, Russia. Image courtesy of Unsplash
Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S election has been investigated and verified by multiple sources: from the CIA, the NAS, the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee Report, and the Mueller Report. If you think this is normal, or legal, think again. It is illegal for a foreign entity, whether a person or a government, to interfere in a U.S. election.
Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller, a man with storied credentials in the Intelligence services including leading the FBI, warned us in Volume I of the Mueller report: that not only did they interfere in 2016, but that Russia would do it again.
President Trump with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Helsinki Summit. Photo by Patch
Why? Russia sees itself against the rest of the western world. Their goal is to cause chaos and destabilize the countries and the alliances that have held the world in peace and relative security since World War II.
According to U.S. Intelligence, the Russians have mounted a multi-pronged approach of “active measures” the intelligence term for action steps already in process to accomplish their objectives. Lest you think this doesn’t affect us here in the Central Colorado Rockies, think again. Active measures include:
- Hacker and Bot attacks on email addresses of officials and influencers.
- Extensive social media interference, creating fake identities, to amplify fake messages at the right time.
- Gaining access to thousands of social media groups that represent message targets; many of them, such as Chaffee Patriots, are making themselves targets.
- Using group access to launch concerted campaigns to influencing social media trending topics, spread division, hate, and bigotry.
- Placing extensive online advertising of their falsehoods, focusing on media that don’t require claims substantiation.
- Planting fake news stories that neither the U.S. election process nor the U.S. Postal Service are safe.
- Encouraging Q-Anon conspiracy theories about Democratic candidates, about social issues and even the wearing of facemasks.
- Placing and encouraging rumors that stoke social division: that COVID-19 is a hoax, anti-Black Lives Matter messaging, false stories about anti-fascists, expanding stories that Antifa is an organized force, that they are violent, “invading ” the suburbs, and starting fires in Oregon and California (none of which is true).
- Placing positive stories of right-wing militias, while down-playing their extensive network of organization and expansion into America’s law enforcement agencies.
- Inflaming differences; placing stories on both sides of the social justice issue.
- Planting disinformation about Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden.
- Outright hacking into most states U.S. election process, including databases. While in 2016 it was noted that perhaps 10 state’s voter rolls were accessed by Russian hackers, it is now known that the voter rolls of all 50 states have been accessed. The danger appears to be them actually deleting voter registration.
Saint Basil Cathedral, Red Square Moscow 2015. Wondra has long experience with Russia and the former Soviet bloc countries. Self-photo by Jan Wondra.
The disinformation campaign and the active measures being taken against the people of the United States is malicious; it is intended to divide us and weaken the country’s standing in the world. A divided country and divided western alliances work to strengthen Russia’s hand as well as the power of Vladimir Putin, a practicing totalitarianist who has gotten himself declared Russian President for more than another decade.
There is a pervasive pattern of contact with top agents of the Russian government by members of the Trump campaign, and the Trump White House. Russia appears to have had a willing object for its work; a president who has attracted an audience of more than 38 percent of the electorate willing to believe whatever he says. How you might ask? A recent article in The Atlantic offers at least a partial answer:
The political theorist Hannah Arendt once wrote that the most successful totalitarian leaders of the 20th century instilled in their followers “a mixture of gullibility and cynicism.” When they were lied to, they chose to believe it. When a lie was debunked, they claimed they’d known all along—and would then “admire the leaders for their superior tactical cleverness.” Over time, Arendt wrote, the onslaught of propaganda conditioned people to “believe everything and nothing, think that everything was possible and that nothing was true.”
The article’s author said that one woman told her that, given the president’s accomplishments, she didn’t care if he “fabricates a little bit.”
“Another man responded to my questions about Trump’s dishonest attacks on the press with a shrug and a suggestion that the media “ought to try telling the truth once in a while,” wrote Arendt. She added that Tony Willnow, a 34-year-old maintenance worker who had an American flag wrapped around his head, told her that Trump had won because he said things no other politician would say. “When I asked him if it mattered whether those things were true, he thought for a moment before answering. “He tells you what you want to hear,” Willnow said. “And I don’t know if it’s true or not—but it sounds good, so f**k it.”
Russia knows this. Its chaos plan to disrupt the 2020 election is counting on this. We are 50 days from Nov. 3
Jan, that is a lot of copy & paste, wouldn’t it be easier to just say I hate Trump!
No Dennis, this is a news piece, not an opinion and I don’t hate Trump. My opinion on this does not matter, but you are welcome to yours.
In this case, there are several credible sources, including reports from the U.S. Intelligence Services and a current Dept of Homeland Security warning that Russia is already interfering in the many ways described in the article.
You may or may not know I have direct knowledge of Russian interference during the 2016 election through various means, confirmed by the FBI, the CIA and the Dept. of State. My leadership of a national non-profit focused on adoptive parent support for those of us who have adopted in Russia, Ukraine, Eastern European, and Central Asian countries has placed me in communications with these countries and their embassies and I assure you — Russia did it, and they are doing it again. That said, China and Iran are following Russia’s lead — as long as our executive branch looks the other way — they will continue to do so. That is not hate — it’s fact.
Jan, thank you for the response. We do not agree on what are credible news sources. I passionately believe the 2016 Russian interference was paid for by the Clintons and the DNC to be used against President Trump. We view the political landscape differently, but we both love America and just see different paths as a way forward. And, I like you!
Dennis, we shall have to agree to disagree. Since you provide no factual sources for your opinion, and you, yourself call it a belief, t a fathen you aren’t basing your opinion on facts. Yes, I believe we both love our country,and we are both very nice people, but guess you’ll keep drinking the Kool Aid!
Jan, we should also be talking about the Chinese influence. They have 20 different border disputes with their neighbors, their reconnaissance move into India, though rebuffed, is indicative of their mind set and their economy is being severely impacted by the West, not just by the US. They have every reason to disrupt our country and there are reports that there is a full court press to use social media robot blogs to pit, what used to be, loyal opposition groups here against each other. Not to mention their dispute with Russia over their hegemony issues has resulted in quiet shooting incidents over the past 40 years, and that antagonism is not getting any better.
Its a big world and our news services are not keeping us up to speed. I guess those stories aren’t as sexy as our political woes 🙂
This is true Alan. China and Iran both have a strong presence in advertising and social medida and are just as interested in executing disinformation campaigns. While nay-sayers are very anxious to explain-away the falsehoods coming at us, the threat is real and it is growing after they saw Russia get away with it in 2016. I have direct experience dealing with Russian interference, which is why this particular piece focused more on Russia.