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America, welcome to the war.
[Politico] Russia doesn't want to just bring down Hillary Clinton but rather the United States itself.TALLINN -- The revelation that Russia’s intelligence services hacked the computer systems of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in what appears an attempt to weaken her in the U.S. election against Donald Trump may seem like the stuff of conspiracy. But the truth is far more alarming. Russia’s activities aren’t part of a conspiracy. They are elements of an openly stated doctrine -- a resurrection of Soviet style political warfare, in which intelligence agencies seek to amplify divisions among their enemies, weakening the Western front by sowing discord and dissent whenever the opportunity presents itself. The political warfare of the Cold War is back -- in updated form, with meaner, more modern tools, including a vast state media empire in Western languages, hackers, spies, agents, useful idiots, compatriot groups, and hordes of internet trolls. The target of the hacks wasn’t just Clinton. Nor is Moscow much interested in supporting Trump (willing useful idiot though he may be). What the Russians have in their sights is nothing less than the democratic fabric of American society and the integrity of the system of Western liberal values. Russia is effectively using our democracies and our systems of rule of law against us. The method works like a computer virus. They insert a lie, a false accusation, a fabrication, an illegally-obtained private conversation -- some form of kompromat -- into our media, competing for ratings and ad revenue, and then they let us tear ourselves apart. The hacking of Clinton’s computer systems (and the earlier leak of Democratic National Committee emails) is by no means unique. It is the latest -- and most public -- in a long line of subversive operations against democratic governments and U.S. allies, including aspiring NATO members and former Russian satellites. Posted by: Besoeker 2016-08-06 |
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