Russia's plan to infiltrate & influence right wing parties in Western democracies has turned out to be one of the greatest intelligence successes in modern history-a sweeping, shocking, enduring success. We need to view everything from the 2016 election to the Ukraine scandal...
as part of this one massive attack on our system. The Brexit vote and the current positioning of the UK Tory party is part of it. So too are political shifts in France, Italy, Austria, Germany, Hungary and Poland. Not viewing it in its totality is a huge mistake.
It minimizes the effort. Not recognizing the effort is underway and producing daily victories for the Russians is another big mistake. Because it leaves us vulnerable to Russian successes to come. Journalists need to frame this as what it is. Legislators and investigators...
do too. For what it is worth, there is also room for a big book on how it started, how it is a successor to decades old Russian efforts (see Fiona Hill's testimony),who was most vulnerable to it, why the right wing everywhere fell for it, embraced it, continues to be part of it.
This, after the climate crisis and the rise of China, is likely the biggest geopolitical story of our time w/consequences touching every corner of the world. And so far, most of the people discussing aspects of it, writing about it (save great journalists like @carolecadwalla...
are not approaching it properly. That's because it's big and sweeping and complicated and very powerful people are hiding elements of it and some aspects of it occur (by design) in legal grey areas where national security dangers and moral failures are protected...
...behind a thin wall of legal technicalities. Thus the current scandal of Boris Johnson hiding findings on Russian influence in UK politics is directly linked to the impeachment hearings. And Ukraine is not related to Russiagate, it is part of it.
Let's wise up, open our eyes, dig for the truth, right the stories...and empower those in our governments who are seeking to protect us from this campaign of Russian intelligence to succeed (as opposed to attacking them for doing what's right & essential as Bill Barr...
is seeking to do. Make no mistake, his "investigation" is a defense of the Russians at the expense of the United States and our allies. Just as was Trump's effort to shift the blame for the 2016 election hacks from Russia to Ukraine.) See the Kremlin's soldiers for who they are.
Demand not just the truth, but the whole truth.
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