Podcast Summary
Russia's interference in the 2016 U.S. election: Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. election, leading to widespread denial and division, but there was a lack of retaliation from the U.S. government. Understanding the implications is crucial for upcoming elections and ensuring fairness and security.
Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. election, as confirmed by intelligence agencies. This interference was not collusion but rather an attempt to undermine the democratic process. The interference was significant and led to widespread denial and division within the country. Despite this, there was a lack of retaliation from the U.S. government. It's essential to understand the implications of this interference, especially with an upcoming election. This issue transcends political affiliations and is about ensuring the fairness and security of elections. It's crucial that hostile foreign entities stay away from the U.S. election process. The Jordan Harbinger Show, in this episode, features an interview with David Schimer, a fellow at the Wilson Center at Yale and author of "Rigged." Schimer provides valuable insights into the 2016 election interference and its significance. To build a strong network and connect with influential people, visit jordanharbinger.com/course.
Covert electoral interference is a threat to democracy: Russia's interference in 2016 US election is an example of ongoing covert electoral interference by various countries, aiming to sabotage democratic processes and choose leaders, not help a specific party.
Covert electoral interference is a threat to democracy and should concern all Americans regardless of political affiliations. Russia's interference in the 2016 US election is just one example in a long history of such operations by various countries. The goal is not to help a specific candidate but to sabotage democratic processes and choose leaders for us. It's essential to acknowledge this ongoing threat and not use partisan lenses or whataboutism to deny its existence. We should come together as a nation to defend ourselves and our democracy against foreign interference. A former KGB general, Oleg Kalugan, revealed Soviet Union's interference in US elections against Nixon and Reagan, demonstrating that this is not a new phenomenon or about Republican or Democrat parties. Ignoring the issue only benefits our adversaries and undermines the interests of all citizens.
Nondemocratic regimes view open democratic elections as a target for manipulation: Historically, nondemocratic regimes have targeted open democratic elections with covert means like propaganda, ballot manipulation, and vote tally changes, influencing US-Russian relations and democracies worldwide.
From a non-democratic regime's perspective, open democratic elections are a tempting target for manipulation due to their penetrability and manipulability. This has been a long-standing tradition for nondemocratic regimes like the Soviet Union and Russia, from Vladimir Lenin to Vladimir Putin. Covert electoral interference refers to hidden foreign efforts to manipulate a democratic vote of succession through covert means such as spreading propaganda, seeking to affect actual ballots, or change vote tallies. These operations have significantly influenced US-Russian relations and democracies around the world for over a century. The interviewer, in the course of researching a book, spoke with a defector who provided insights into the KGB's perspective on America's diversity as an enormous vulnerability, ripe for subversion through propaganda and staged hate crimes. It is crucial to learn from history, including the Soviet era and the 2016 US elections, to defend ourselves comprehensively and escape the toxicity of the current moment. The first instance of electoral interference is not something to be blamed, but understanding its history is essential for effective defense against such threats.
Soviet Union's Interference in Elections: A Long-Term Strategy: The Soviet Union and Russia have used various methods to interfere in elections since 1919, targeting democracies to support authoritarian-minded leaders, with tactics ranging from physical propaganda to digital forms.
The interference in elections is not a new phenomenon, but rather a strategy that has been used by various countries, most notably the Soviet Union and now Russia, for decades. The Soviet Union started interfering in elections in 1919 by founding the Communist International to unite communist parties and gain power through elections. They used primitive forms of interference, such as spreading money and propaganda. After World War II, the Soviet Union's interference reached new heights, with covert operations to alter ballots, purge voter rolls, and spread propaganda. In response, the US authorized the CIA to interfere in the Italian election of 1948, marking the start of American electoral interference. The methods used by the Soviet Union and Russia are connected, with the Soviets using physical forms of propaganda and the Russians using digital forms. The interference is a global strategy to support authoritarian-minded and divisive leaders, and Russia has targeted elections in various countries, including Ukraine, Montenegro, the UK, France, and Germany. It's crucial for democracies to recognize this ongoing threat and work together to defend their democratic way of life.
Putin's Target: Weakening Western Democracies: Russian leader Vladimir Putin is actively targeting democracies to promote authoritarian figures, divide societies, and weaken Western institutions to increase Russia's influence.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin is actively targeting democracies around the world to promote authoritarian figures and undermine societal cohesion, not just in the United States but also in smaller countries. Putin sees this as a way to maintain his power at home, divide and weaken Western democracies, and promote Russia's influence. This strategy, known as a zero-sum game, means that if one country is winning, another is losing. Putin's limited resources in military, economy, and diplomacy make it difficult for him to surpass the United States, but he can bring it down and come closer to surpassing it. By targeting democracies and promoting divisive figures, Putin aims to weaken the international institutions that underpin American power and create isolated nation-states that are easier to bully.
Identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities to divide democracies: Russia under Putin uses disinformation and propaganda to inflame existing divisions and create chaos in democracies, based on historical tactics
Russia under Putin's leadership seeks to divide and weaken democracies like the United States, rather than trying to surpass them. This is achieved through disinformation campaigns and propaganda designed to inflame existing divisions and create chaos. An example of this was the Soviet Union's forgery of a KKK letter in 1960, which created a scandal and projected America as a racist country to the world. Similarly, Russia has been using disinformation to create tribes and get citizens to fight with each other in recent years. This tradition of identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities is a long-standing Soviet and Russian tactic.
Russian Interference in Elections: Spreading Disinformation and Manipulating Voting Systems: Russia uses disinformation, cyber attacks, and funding of political parties to interfere in elections, aiming to create doubt in democracy and divide people. Democracies must work together to deter digital warfare and prevent further interference.
Russia engages in foreign operations to undermine democracies by spreading disinformation, manipulating voting systems, and sowing doubt in the legitimacy of elections. This was evident in the 2014 Ukrainian election, where Russian interference included both propaganda and cyber attacks on the voting system. The ultimate goal is to create doubt in the effectiveness of democracy and to create divisions among people. Officials from various democracies, including Norway, Spain, and the UK, have reported similar experiences. Before the 2016 US election, Russia's interference was not widely understood, but since then, the scope of their activities has become clearer. It's crucial for democracies to work together to deter digital warfare and prevent further Russian interference. The longer we wait, the more advantage Russia will have in dividing, degrading, and directing foreign democracies. Russia has also been funding right-wing politicians in places like France. It's essential for us to help our allies and defend ourselves through both domestic and foreign policy reforms.
Russia's election interference undermines democracies: Russia's interference in elections can lead to instability, embarrassment, and discrediting of democracies, highlighting the need to strengthen democratic institutions and address vulnerabilities.
Russia's interference in elections and democratic processes around the world serves their objectives of corrupting, embarrassing, and discrediting democracies. In some cases, getting caught can even benefit Russia by making them seem powerful and demonstrating the vulnerability of democracies. The consequences of election interference can be significant, particularly for neighboring countries like Mexico, where instability or a hostile government could impact drug crises, refugee influxes, and international cooperation. The ease with which Russia interferes underscores the importance of strengthening democratic institutions and addressing vulnerabilities to foreign interference.
Russia's interference in elections of democratic countries: The need for democratic nations to cooperate against digital warfare and election operations, as seen in Russia's alleged attempts to interfere in Mexico and Colombia's elections, is crucial to prevent the degradation of democracies from within and outside forces.
The interference of foreign powers, particularly Russia, in the elections of democratic countries is a global threat that should not be overlooked, especially for those sharing long borders and significant trade relationships with the United States. The example of Russia's alleged attempts to interfere in the elections of Mexico and Colombia in 2018 highlights the potential danger of divisive leaders taking power, regardless of their ideology. These incidents underscore the need for increased cooperation among democratic nations to counteract digital warfare and election operations specifically. The United States, as a global leader, should take a more proactive role in helping its allies defend against these threats, as seen in traditional land conflicts through NATO. Failure to address this issue could lead to the degradation of democracies both from within and from outside forces. The question remains, why weren't more countermeasures taken against Russian interference in the 2016 election, and what can be done now to mitigate the impact and prevent future interference?
Obama administration held back on Russia sanctions during 2016 election: The Obama administration missed an opportunity to impose costs on Russia for interfering in the 2016 US election due to fear of escalation, allowing Putin to perceive the US as weak and continue his interference.
During the summer and fall of 2016, the Obama administration chose not to impose costs on Russia for interfering in the US election due to the fear of escalating the situation and potentially sabotaging the actual voting process. The administration focused on securing the systems and warning Putin instead. The countermeasures discussed included exposing Putin's personal corruption and hypocrisy, which could have served as a deterrent. However, the opportunity to impose costs was missed in August as argued by Russia experts in the White House and State Department. Putin, known for pushing boundaries until he encounters resistance, may have perceived the US as weak and continued his interference.
Russia's Interference in U.S. Elections: History and Consequences: Russia interfered in the 2016 election, reaching over 100 million Americans, and continues to do so in 2020, highlighting the need for the U.S. to protect the integrity of the 2020 election and impose costs on Russia for their interference.
Russia interfered in the 2016 election with significant consequences, and history suggests they are doing so again in 2020. The U.S. has not imposed meaningful costs on Russia for this interference, allowing it to continue. Russia's tactics include manipulating voters and seeking to sabotage the voting process. In 2016, they reached over 100 million Americans across social media and stole and released emails. Russia's history and tradition of interfering in democracies make them a significant threat. China and Iran are also capable of interfering but do not have the same history or tradition as Russia. The U.S. must use the lessons of the past to prepare and protect the integrity of the 2020 election, particularly in areas of vulnerability like mail-in voting and doubts about its reliability. Russia has already been revealed to be actively interfering, and their efforts could escalate towards undermining the legitimacy of the election itself.
Historical approaches to electoral interference differ: Russia's election interference is driven by a global strategy to support divisive candidates and weaken democracies, while the US and China's approaches have varied based on their historical records and foreign policy objectives.
While Iran and China could potentially engage in election interference similar to Russia's 2016 operation, it may not align with their historical approaches or foreign policy objectives. Russia, on the other hand, has a global strategy to interfere in elections to support divisive candidates and weaken democracies. The United States has a history of covertly interfering in foreign elections, but the justifications and outcomes have varied. While both the CIA and Russian intelligence have sought to influence elections, the key differences lie in the historical record and the objectives of the interference. The United States has generally supported centrist candidates to preserve democracies, while the Soviet Union and Russia have sought to support communists or undermine democratic systems. However, America's electoral interference practices have largely faded in the post-Cold War period. It's important to acknowledge the complexities and nuances of these historical records, as well as the differences and similarities between the motivations and outcomes of electoral interference by different countries.
Cease covert electoral interference in other countries: The US should promote free and fair elections through legitimate means instead of manipulating them covertly to protect democracies and maintain distinction from Russia's tactics.
The US should cease covert electoral interference in other countries' elections as Russia has intensified its use of this tactic to undermine democracies. America's values and interests are better served by promoting free and fair elections through legitimate means rather than manipulating them covertly. The distinction between US democracy promotion and Russian covert action is crucial, and the US should avoid getting involved in the mud of election manipulation to focus on renewing and strengthening democracies instead. Additionally, the Internet has leveled the playing field, making all democracies vulnerable to these operations. Therefore, if we want to protect ourselves and our allies, we should not engage in covert electoral interference. Instead, education and transparency should be our focus in promoting free and fair elections.
Defending democracies from foreign interference: Secure infrastructure, regulate social media, prioritize education, strengthen local media, establish norms, and punish offenders to make democracies more resilient to foreign threats.
Defending democracies from foreign interference requires renewed investment at home and abroad. This includes securing infrastructure, regulating social media companies, and prioritizing education and local media to reduce polarization. Internationally, democracies must work together to establish norms against such behavior and punish offenders. While elections may be inherently penetrable, collective efforts to strengthen democracies can make them more resilient to foreign threats. It's crucial for democracies to recognize the threat and take action, rather than focusing on internal conflicts. David Shimer's book "Rigged" discusses these issues in more depth.
Staying informed and engaged in global affairs: Understanding election interference and political intrigue's impact on society is crucial. Share valuable info and apply it to your life.
The importance of staying informed and engaged in global affairs, particularly in the context of election interference and political intrigue. Chelsea Handler shared her experiences and insights from her book "Rigged," which delves into these topics. It's crucial to understand the potential impact of such events on our society and to stay informed about them. Additionally, Jordan Harbinger emphasized the importance of sharing valuable information with others and applying what we learn to our own lives. The show is designed to help listeners connect with great people and manage relationships effectively. Remember, we rise by lifting others, so be sure to share this episode with those who might find it interesting or useful. Stay informed, stay engaged, and make a difference.