The Russian Gambit and the US Intelligence Community: Russia's Use of Kompromat and Implausible Deniability to Optimize its 2016 Information Campaign against the US Presidential Election

IF 0.3 4区管理学 Q4 INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE

Library Trends Pub Date : 2020-10-21 DOI:10.1353/LIB.2020.0017

Allon J. Uhlmann, S. McCombie

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引用次数: 1

Abstract

Abstract:In the leadup to the 2016 US presidential election, Russia engaged in covert political action to disrupt the American political system and undermine candidate Clinton. Following Trump's shock victory, Moscow swiftly pivoted to leverage its pre-election intervention in order to degrade the coherence of the US strategic decision-making. Specifically, through seemingly feckless denial, the Kremlin sought to assert the depth and success of its meddling in the election, thereby driving a wedge between the White House on the one hand, and US intelligence community and political mainstream on the other, and keeping both sides at loggerheads. The fact that the main axis of Moscow's pre-election information campaign unfolded online helped it exploit anxieties over the unfettered circulation of information and enhance the effect of its postelection messaging.After describing the contours of this Russian gambit, we elaborate on three specific issues. We analyze the stratagem of implausible deniability—Russia's assertion of its role through seemingly feckless denial. We then ascribe the Russian intelligence community's agility to its chaotic structure and function. Finally, we account for the strategic oversight that allowed the US intelligence community to become an unwitting useful tool of Russian manipulation.

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俄罗斯Gambit和美国情报界：俄罗斯利用Kompromat和不可否认性优化其2016年反对美国总统大选的信息活动

摘要:在2016年美国总统大选前夕，俄罗斯采取了秘密的政治行动，破坏了美国的政治制度，并破坏了候选人克林顿。在特朗普出人意料地获胜后，莫斯科迅速转向利用其选前干预来削弱美国战略决策的一致性。具体来说，通过看似无能的否认，克里姆林宫试图断言其干预选举的深度和成功，从而在白宫与美国情报界和政治主流之间制造隔阂，并使双方争执不休。莫斯科选举前信息宣传活动的主轴在网上展开，这有助于它利用人们对信息自由流通的担忧，增强其选举后信息传递的效果。在描述了俄罗斯这一策略的轮廓之后，我们将详细阐述三个具体问题。我们分析了令人难以置信的否认策略——俄罗斯通过看似不负责任的否认来维护自己的角色。然后，我们将俄罗斯情报界的敏捷性归因于其混乱的结构和功能。最后，我们要考虑到战略疏忽，这种疏忽使美国情报界在不知情的情况下成为俄罗斯操纵的有用工具。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Library Trends INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE-

CiteScore

1.20

自引率

12.50%

发文量

期刊介绍： Library Trends, issued quarterly and edited by F. W. Lancaster, explores critical trends in professional librarianship, including practical applications, thorough analyses, and literature reviews. Both practicing librarians and educators use Library Trends as an essential tool in their professional development and continuing education. Each issue is devoted to a single aspect of professional activity or interest. In-depth, thoughtful articles explore important facets of the issue topic. Every year, Library Trends provides breadth, covering a wide variety of themes, from special libraries to emerging technologies. An invaluable resource to practicing librarians and educators, the journal is an important tool that is utilized for professional development and continuing education.