Latest update May 1st, 2024 1:04 AM
Jan 17, 2017 Letters
Dear Editor,
Most Americans are confused as to what Trump will do once in office, however, if one can be guided by his campaign promises then the Kremlin will have reason for optimism. He has praised the Russian bombing attack in Syria, supported the destabilization of Russian’s European rivals brought about by Brexit, mused about weakening America’s commitment to NATO, and has personally praised Vladimir Putin.
Hilary Clinton’s history of aggressive criticism of Russia’s foreign policy, her proposal for a no-fly zone in Syria, were all seen as strong evidence that America would be more confrontational towards Russia if she won the presidency. According to Fyodor Lukyanov, the chair of Russia’s Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, and also an influential voice in Russia’s security establishment, “there is a widespread view that she personally hates Putin”.
There is a considerable amount of parsing and analysis to be done regarding the hacking or the allegation thereof. What were the Russians thinking, if they were at all? Do they need to be told or at best reminded that dabbling with American politics is an extremely dangerous game? Nations have been hacking into each other’s computer networks for a long time. When the U.S military’s precursor to the Internet –ARPAnet – was about to spring into action in 1967, several warnings came from a few computer scientists, that putting information on a network that can be accessed online from various unsecured locations creates inherent vulnerabilities. They further cautioned that from now on keeping of secrets would be extremely difficult.
Of ironic mention is the fact that in 1984, the first presidential directive on computer security was signed by Ronald Reagan, warning of electronic interference by foreign intelligence agencies, terrorist groups, and criminals. Most of the staffers in the Pentagon and the National Security Agency, who wrote the document, were aware of the danger, because they knew the United States was already hacking into foreign networks, and they inferred as a consequence that what America could do to a country, could be someday done in return.
In 2008, during the presidential election, China hacked into the websites of both parties’ candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain. It was called espionage and treated as no big deal. The Russians during the Cold War referred to this manner of spying as “active measures”, and America was also engaged in it. Both sides were involved in rigging elections in smaller countries around the world, either to protect governments serving their interests or to overthrow those that were not doing so. Several means were employed, and the techniques were many, such as funneling money, spreading propaganda, assassination etc.
Crazy or paranoid as the world may view him, in Putin’s opinion these hacks may well be regarded as acts of revenge, especially since he blames the United States for plotting the implosion of the Soviet Union, a truly geopolitical catastrophe. To further compound his dislike of the U.S, he also blames Hilary Clinton specifically, when she was Secretary of State—for prodding democratic activists in Ukraine to move away from Russia and toward the European Union. Trump has expressed admiration for Putin, has never criticized him, and some of Trump associates have business interests in Russia. So it is obvious that if Vladimir Putin had the power to tilt the election who would be at the receiving end.
America has been playing the same game as Russia is playing, except that this time Russia has revealed her level of cyber supremacy. According to Forbes magazine in 1983, when Senator Ted Kennedy wanted to run for president, he sent a friend John Tunney to Moscow where Tunney told the head of the Soviet Union that he wanted a deal. The deal was simple – Kennedy would assist Andropov in dealing with Reagan, and in return the Soviet leader would assist the Democratic Party in challenging Reagan in the 1984 presidential election. Now the U.S cannot face the fact or bear the shame that one of the world’s worst dictators hacked the Democratic National Committee in an attempt to influence an election. While there is no real way of knowing the true impact of the hack, nevertheless citizens the world over should be on their guard for there may soon be a hack coming to an election near you. All countries must protect both their electoral integrity, and the democratic rights of its citizens.
Yvonne Sam
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