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Molly McKew Profile picture
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17 Jan, 7 tweets, 3 min read
Catch up today on the first sections of our serial on @RenewGreatPower evaluating our weakness at the seams and vulnerability to below-threshold and grey zone threats — and how they provide a template to renew American resilience

Introduction: /1

greatpower.us/p/autocracy-as…
Part 1: Trump became president at a critical juncture in a war we needed to fight. And he failed to do what was necessary.

We have failed to deter Russia — failed to confront the mindset that leaves us weak at home and abroad /2

greatpower.us/p/now-we-see-w…
Part 2: Evaluating the Kremlin’s actions in the world make it hard to deny what they aim to achieve.

From the Bronze Night riots to the SolarWinds hack, 15 years of unfettered Kremlin disruption has found a lot of success. /3

greatpower.us/p/from-the-bro…
Part 3: These disruptive tactics also target America & Americans — and make it clear that the Kremlin views all Americans as fair targets. But the goal remains to subvert our perceptions —of who we are, of the threats we face, if what our interests are /4

greatpower.us/p/subversion-d…
Part 4: The insurgents in the Capitol were a living manifestation of the intersection of ideologies that Trump and the Kremlin have both championed as a weapon against America.

But the maddening chaos of Trump has touched us all. /5

greatpower.us/p/the-mad-inte…
The final section — which describes a framework for renewed American resilience and defense — will be published later today!

Subscribe to the @RenewGreatPower substack to get updates: /6

greatpower.us/subscribe
Here’s Part 5: recommendations for the way ahead

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More from @MollyMcKew

Molly McKew Profile picture
19 Jan
How do we change our mindset to better deter grey zone threats at home and abroad?

1) The Kremlin relies on below-threshold conflict to achieve strategic objectives. We must enhance our capabilities in these domains, and also how we monitor and assess threats in grey spaces. /1
2) The way we engage the Kremlin allows Russia to evade consequences, which encourages them to take greater risks and accelerate disruptive activities in their near abroad and further afield. We must own our role in contributing to this state of affairs, and up-end this cycle. /2
3) Ignoring Russian behavior creates a system that also requires us to ignore things about ourselves. We must evaluate the weaknesses that we have failed to confront, renew our strength at the seams, reconceptualize what resilience & defense are in an era of grey threats.  /3
Read 5 tweets
Molly McKew Profile picture
17 Jan
I am 100% here for the rawness and quiet fury of @RepRaskin

“I am not going to lose my son at the end of 2020 and lose my country and my republic in 2021 — it’s not going to happen. The vast majority of the American people — republicans, Democrats, and independents — /2
— reject armed insurrection and violence as a new way of doing business in America... This was the most terrible crime EVER by a president of the United States against our country, and I want everybody to feel the gravity and solemnity of those events... /2
...At the same time, of course, all of us are deeply invested in President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris moving the country forward to repair all of the wreckage and damage of last year — on everything from COVID-19 to the economy... /3
Read 7 tweets
Molly McKew Profile picture
14 Jan
From the Bronze Night riots in Estonia in 2007 to the latest SolarWinds hack, the Kremlin’s disruptions have advanced unchallenged for 15 years.

We desperately need clarity on what this means.

On @RenewGreatPower, our Order from Chaos series continues

greatpower.us/p/from-the-bro…
Catch up on previous sections:

At home and abroad, we are challenged along the seams. Right now, the way we organize & mobilize diminishes rather than unleashes formal & informal American capabilities. Transforming our mindset is a necessary first step.

greatpower.us/p/autocracy-as…
Trump became president at a critical juncture in a war we needed to fight. And he so utterly failed to do what was necessary that he leaves us more fractured, more unmoored, more exposed as a nation.

Four years on, we see why Putin bet on Trump.

greatpower.us/p/now-we-see-w…
Read 4 tweets
Molly McKew Profile picture
12 Jan
Russia’s attack in 2016, the irregular Trump presidency, the pandemic — all exposed a lot weakness in America. A total breakdown of resilience.

If we can understand how this, we have a way ahead

Introducing ORDER FROM CHAOS, an @RenewGreatPower report /1
greatpower.us/p/autocracy-as…
The introduction lays out the failures in mindset that have allowed ascendant autocrats to exploit the cracks in our democracy

At home and abroad, our blindness in how we evaluate these weaknesses—in how we interpret threats against us—exposes this failed mindset /2
In recent years, we’ve basically been running a giant wargame against ourselves — and every adversary has had a front row to see the failures in mobilization, intelligence, decision-making, command and control, security — and above all, the failures in leadership. /3
Read 8 tweets
Molly McKew Profile picture
11 Jan
Many questions

“Dept leaders were scattered during the riots. The chief of police was with Pence in a secure location, & other high-ranking officials had been dispatched to scene of bombs found outside the RNC & DNC.”

Almost like they know how to do this
apnews.com/article/politi…
“‘They had apparently more bear spray and pepper spray and chemical munitions than we did,’ the ATF said.”

Many of us have been highlighting the use of bear spray by Trump convoys across country — especially the groups deliberately facing off with protestors in Portland/Seattle
“‘We just started moving crowds of people out of the Capitol Complex and then going through one by one, each room and rooms off of rooms, to identify friendlies from hostiles.’”

IN THE CAPITOL

Still not over this.
Read 4 tweets
Molly McKew Profile picture
8 Jan
As more comes out about the WH preventing preparation for & holding back response to the attack on the Capitol, the more I want to know about comments to reporters that White House staff were in touch with “protest leaders” and discussing their objectives. /1
Because right now it looks like Trump weaponized a mob, sent it into the fire, held back response — endangering lives of Congress, staff, police, reporters — and watched on TV hoping for — what?

What was the objective they had been hoping for? /2
I want to know about those comms. /3
Read 4 tweets

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