Quote Originally Posted by Bill Moore View Post
Azor,

I agree that the impact on the election was minimal, the bottom line is Clinton simply didn't run a good campaign and inadequately responded to allegations about her character. Furthermore, it isn't unusual for Americans to want to switch between a Republican and Democratic President after one has been in power for 8 years.

The real issue is the perception that Russia's information campaign made a difference, and the divisions it is creating in our society. And as you posted, the larger concern is Russia's objective:
Bill,

What I find disturbing is that those who supported Hillary Clinton’s candidacy have used Russia’s intelligence operations to attempt to de-legitimize the 2016 presidential election. Yet, to be fair, had Hillary Clinton won, she would have been embattled just the same and the electorate would be at least as fractious as now.

Few are willing to admit that America’s best and brightest are apparently avoiding public office, and that the absence of an existential threat to the U.S. leaves the field to special interests vying for influence and resources.

Perception is reality, and in that regard the Russian campaign was a tremendous success. Russia is now more salient in the popular American discourse than at any time since the end of the Cold War, and this is in spite of Russia’s linear history of aggression since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, aggression which was restrained more by capabilities than intentions. Yet the Kremlin continues to misunderstand American policymaking and the short-sightedness caused by electoral turnover.

Indeed, Gerasimov’s alleged “doctrine” is actually a description of how Russians believe the U.S. has pursued foreign policy from Operation Allied Force in 1999 to Operation Odyssey Dawn in 2011. As Western analysts work on countermeasures to “hybrid” or “non-linear” warfare, they either fail to see that this is a counter to a counter, or they are reveling in the attention once gobbled up by CENTCOM’s area of responsibility. Either way, any state would prefer its rivals and adversaries to be kept busy with internal matters, and Russia is no exception. However, there is a danger in enforcing conformity internally to protect against external subversion…