RUSSIA'S ASSAULT ON THE AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

…Putin is against any and all democratic nations.

 

The United States under Trump has done little to protect its major institutions.

 

The ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, Maryland Senator, Ben Cardin, made the following statement which should alarm our president, and his administration, but apparently they don’t believe it.

 

Per the Senator: “For the better part of 20 years, Russian President Vladimir Putin has engaged in a relentless assault against democratic institutions abroad, universal values and the rule of law. He has carried out these attacks with an asymmetric arsenal: cyberattacks; disinformation; support for fringe political groups; organized crime and corruption; and even military aggression.”

 

So, why is the leader of this major communist nation taking this approach against democratic nations and their elections.

 

The reality is that Russia is in serious trouble.  Putin has used these techniques because he is operating from a basic position of weakness.  Russia has a faltering economy, a sub-standard military and they have few nation followers on the world stage.  His attacks on democratic nations has increased in intensity and complexity over the past years, and he is driven by his desire to repress all democratic aspirations among his own citizens. While many of our European allies have taken steps to better defend themselves, the United States under Trump has done little to protect its major institutions.

 

Yes, there have been some positive actions by some in national security leadership, as well as some dedicated career public servants in the executive branch.  But there is one person that is preventing a strong, government-wide response that holds Russia accountable for its destabilizing activities.  That person is the president of the United States. Never before has the White House so clearly ignored such a major national security threat.

 

The point is that if we fail to respond with the urgency that this threat requires, those behind this in Moscow will be further emboldened to not just undermine European stability, but to build on its success in their interfering in our 2016 presidential election.  There is no doubt that they will double-down by attempting to undermine the 2018 midterm elections and of course, the 2020 presidential election.

 

Senator Cardin will be releasing a report that details these threats.  The research began months ago following the 2016 election.  It is critical that the American people better understand the scope and scale of the Russian government’s threat to our democratic institutions and to support the steps necessary to defend our government and our very society.

The report shows that Putin’s threat to our nation, and our allies, is continually growing, and the list of issues of Russia’s meddling in the democratic European nations is long and devastating.  Some prime examples include:

 

●A coup attempt in Montenegro to storm the nation’s parliament and capture or kill the prime minister ahead of that nation’s attempt to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

 

●Russian media propaganda, especially Internet trolls containing computer viruses, which were discovered ahead of recent major referendums such as “Brexit” in Britain and the Catalonia independence movement in Spain, as well as in the national elections in France and Germany. Indications are that Italy may well be the next target.

 

●The murder of a number of Russian political opposition figures to Putin and many Russian critics across Europe.

 

●The violation of international law by invading Russia’s neighbors, such as Georgia and the Ukraine.

 

Several countries in Europe have realized the danger that Putin and the Kremlin poses and have taken serious steps to combat Putin’s aggression. They have bolstered cyberdefenses, conducted media literacy efforts, gone after Russian organized crime, and started to diversify their energy supplies. 

 

Unfortunately, that cannot be said about the United States. However, beyond electoral interference, the report also found examples of Kremlin-backed efforts to affect the daily lives of Americans.  They found that the Russians had cheated Americans out of medals at the last Olympic Games with their illegal use of steroids.  They also found that they were supporting cybercriminals who attack American businesses and who were stealing financial information on millions of American consumers.

 

So, what should we do about it?

 

·       First, Trump should be providing the appropriate presidential leadership for our government and the American people, but with his attitude in support of Vladimir Putin, that probably ain’t going to happen.

 

·       Second, the United States must build more resilience here at home and in democratic institutions across Europe, that is the best defense against Russian interference.

 

·       Third, the United States and our allies should expose and freeze Kremlin-linked dirty money, placing Moscow under sanctions as a deterrent to future attacks on democratic institutions.

 

·       Fourth, the US should work with social-media companies and hold them accountable for their role in allowing the Kremlin’s disinformation campaigns to spread unchecked, while increasing political and societal divisions.

 

After World War II, the United States led the world in constructing the current liberal international order through democratic institutions and shared values.

 

The United States must therefore work closely with our European allies to counter the Kremlin’s ongoing, intensifying assault on democracies around the world.

 Copyright G.Ater  2018