Considering that the 2015 US election and 2016 Brexit referendum upsets, foreign influence on democratic elections has developed into a hot topic. On John Oliver’s A week ago Tonight, a segment explained the simplicity of tampering with voting machines which inspired me to create this post. Before I buy into how simple and easy , inexpensive it can be to propagate disinformation on the internet, I’d like provide some background on why and how more nations is going to be entering a digital warfare space inside the future.
Foundations of Geopolitics, a magazine drafted through the International Department of the Russian Ministry of Defence back 1997, led the way as being a philosophical instructions manual for dismantling and dethroning enemies and super-powers alike, using the ultimate purpose of “Finlandization” like Europe. In accordance with Wikipedia’s summary about the strategy:
“Military operations play relatively little role. The textbook advocates a classy program of subversion, destabilization, and disinformation spearheaded by the Russia special services.”
During the 2015 US election with a meagre monthly budget of only $1.25M (estimated $15M each year), Russia’s Investigation Agency was able to provide you with the US election towards the Republican Party. With regards to return-on-investment (ROI), Russia spends $36M per Mi-35 helicopter. It is no surprise then, that as Russia gains more territory and influence, its actual military expenses are decreasing.
Military power is clearly an extremely costly ongoing expense where destabilization is comparatively cheap and plentiful. But how exactly are these claims done?
Tactic 1: Choose the Fractures Then Divide & Conquer
Using the example of the united states, this fracturing tactic was exquisitely executed by fuelling instability and actively supporting all dissident groups simultaneously to inflame tensions and divide communities. Enemies of the USA have been fanning the flames of white nationalism, gun rights groups, stoking anti-immigration sentiment as well as the vilification of refugees and Muslims are already most visible. Yet this only scratches the counter.
But more subtle and vicious domestic attacks have been in support of fringe and other right-wing religious groups attacking women’s reproductive rights, gay marriage equality, homelessness and mental health.
We are seeing generational divisiveness growing between Seniors and Millennials. There’s a growing demonization of environmental stewardship (see baseless attacks and other trolling of Greta Thunberg) and attacks on democratically-held values generally.

Long-term, inter-generational damage through the exploitation of such existing divides sometimes appears from the gutting of the US education system, diminishing entry to healthcare for all, ballooning deficits that future generations will be saddled down by a few of the long-term consequences to become gone through this surprisingly inexpensive destabilization warfare technique.
What were once cracks within an overarching national unity are getting to be red line fractures in an artificially created, cold civil war. Most are now asking what was completed to exploit these existing social divides?
Tactic 2: Leverage digital age intersection between behavioural economics, social networking loopholes along with the relative simplicity of search engine exploitation
Like a digital strategist and online marketer I’ve observed that lots of the tactics accessible to civilians were modified to become weaponized against competing nations. Boosting social media marketing reach on divisive posts and influencers gave fringe groups a false sense that they held popular yet controversial views.
Social websites provides extensive loopholes i often share to my internet marketer followings so they can have more bang for buck with clients. It’s remember this social media platforms’ #1 goal is always to help you stay for the platform as long as possible to enable them to make ad revenue. They do this by showing you content believe that will keep your self on a little bit longer. They all are literally designed at some level to get addictive to all of us.
I discuss during my marketing content various exploitation opportunties that trick these social platforms into thinking your posts is viral by fooling the algorithm they count on to distribute to users.
For instance, with under $100 I’m able to buy 10,000 twitter followers, automatically getting 1,000 retweets and favourites on 10 posts. For $100 of paid ads on twitter, you barely have any results. That’s because Twitter under-reports bot activity in order to convince its shareholders this web page engagement is growing. It’s not just Twitter – Facebook, Instagram, Youtube (Google), Snapchat as well as Linkedin have the ability to the identical fundamental vulnerability. It has become super easy to offer false social proof to almost anything.
Humans are hardwired with cognitive biases that are easily and regularly exploited by social websites platforms and search engines to create us think that situations are more (or fewer) popular than they truly are. Increasingly we seem to be getting stuck in our own social echo chambers and believe most people see things just like us.
There are legitimate grievances across the US economy like job losses from globalization and artificial intelligence leading to increased economic inequality. But Us residents were manipulated and sentiment hijacked by populist narratives to become the victim from the government, elites, experts, Democrats, Mexicans, Muslims, and foreign allies.
Tactic 3: Erode Trust & Global Alliances
What’s worse, not merely was the goal achieved to destabilize the usa by facilitating the turning of the nation on itself, but also have its internal damage bleed Anti-Americanism into US-global relations. The surprise betrayal in the American-Kurd alliance will have lasting consequences on American credibility, leaving American soldiers and civilians more prone than previously.
France, creation the oldest international ally of the United States, is now questioning how much it can depend upon america as soon as the abrupt pulling people forces from Northern Syria without consultations from NATO partners. As stated by the BBC,
“Russia, which sees Nato as being a threat towards the security, welcomes french president’s comments as “truthful words.””
It’s difficult to say just when this second Cold War started, but one thing is for sure: we’re woefully prepared to defend ourselves from disinformation and also have learned to prevent difficult political conversations.

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