CONTENT APPLICATION 5
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University of Texas *
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Political Science
Date
Jan 9, 2024
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Uploaded by JudgeHornetMaster1007
CONTENT APPLICATION 5
My last Content Application will focus on Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential
election. I have chosen this topic because I believe that it can cover many of the subject areas
that we have been discussing in the recent weeks.
The Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election refers to a coordinated effort by
the Russian government to sabotage the electoral process and bring the presidential campaign of
Hillary Clinton down, while boosting Trump´s. The interference involved a two-pronged
strategy
1
trough social media manipulation, hacking, and the dissemination of disinformation.
This situation led to the increase of awareness about foreign interferences and safeguarding the
electoral process.
However, before delving into foreign policy issues, I would like to focus on a topic that we have
also discussed in class and which I consider to be very pertinent: public participation and the idea
of self-determination, “i.e., the idea that peoples have a right to select their own political destiny,
a process that in democratic societies is actualized through the electoral process”
2
. The very
possibility and ease of hacking into government-run database promotes distrust among citizens
of governments’ and traditional political parties’ ability to protect them
3
. As we have discussed in
1
Ahmad, L. & Casey, A., “How Can We Know if Russia is a Threat to Western Democracy? Understanding the
Impact of Russia’s Second
Wave of Election Interference”,
Stanford University
, March 1-2, 2019, p.5: “First, there
was an extensive effort to mobilize rightwing support for Trump by posing as U.S. persons and posting pro-Trump
messages on social media. Second, there was significant attempt to demoralize Clinton supporters and reduce
support for Clinton. This involved a large social media campaign to discourage African American turnout and
encourage leftwing support for Third Party candidates. This effort also included the theft and distribution of hacked
emails from the DNC and Clinton campaign”.
2
Ohlin, J.D., “Election Interference: A Unique Harm Requiring Unique Solutions”,
Cornell Legal Studies
Research Paper No. 18-50
, 2018, p. 3.
3 Mohan, V., & Wall, A. (2019). Foreign Electoral Interference: Past, Present, and Future.
Georgetown Journal of
International Affairs
,
20
, 110–119, p.114.
the lectures, motivation (both intrinsic and extrinsic) is a very important factor regarding the
engagement of citizens and which in this case has been breached. I want to underline that the real
damage has more to do with the “method used to accomplish these goals: the impersonation of
American citizens during participation in the political process”
4
.
Not only does it affect citizens'
motivation to vote, but it raises questions about the viability and security of election security,
foreign interference, and the need for countermeasures to protect the integrity of future elections.
We cover in this topic also the discussion of week 12: Many conspiracy theories proliferated,
especially about the Donald Trump-Vladimir Putin relationship and the involvement in the
interference by each one. In fact, the FBI, led by prosecutor Robert S. Mueller, opened an
investigation immediately afterwards to determine the responsibility of those possibly involved,
which led to numerous indictments and legal actions.
On the other hand, party alignment played a significant role. Republicans and Democrats often
interpreted the interference differently, with Republicans sometimes downplaying its impact, and
Democrats expressing deeper concerns.
Finally, and most importantly, I want to apply the concepts and tools learned in class about
foreign policy to address this situation: I would promote ntelligence gathering, which as we have
learned, in this case, could be translated into strengthening intelligence capabilities to monitor
and detect foreign interference in real time and developing cyber-security measures to protect
electoral systems from future interference. The importance of multilateral diplomacy in the sense
4
Mohan, V., & Wall, A. (2019). Foreign Electoral Interference: Past, Present, and Future.
Georgetown Journal of
International Affairs
,
20
, 110–119.
of advocating for global norms and standards regarding cyber activities and election integrity or
exploring joint responses to form a united front against election interference should also be
stressed. Lastly, I believe it is important to adopt a cooperative internationalism approach, given
that election interference is a transnational issue and it is crucial that a global commitment is
established.
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