Thread by @wiczipedia

I can't believe I need to say this, but... no.

(a thread.)

Every time someone makes an argument that the West should give Russia a taste of its own medicine, 100 government-paid trolls and thousands more individuals who are happy to amplify Kremlin rhetoric file that sentiment away in their "whataboutist" files. (/2)

This paragraph conflates the difference between strategic communications based in fact—ie truthful reporting on Russian missteps in foreign wars past and present—and the false and misleading narratives that have primarily been the terrain of authoritarians, not democrats.

One of the main points in HOW TO LOSE THE INFORMATION WAR is that we shouldn't stoop to Russia and other adversaries' levels in the information space. We've lost a lot of moral standing in the past several years. We shouldn't willingly cede what's left. (/4)

I admit the US *has* played this game in the past, and that's to the detriment of our credibility today. If we want to offer a glimpse at an alternative—a version of which dissidents around the world can strive for—we can't continue doing it now or in the future. (/5)

We've already seen these tactics employed among politicians and endorsed by political parties domestically. Right now it's the worst of what we have to offer, and exporting that won't win us any friends or supporters abroad. (/6)

Take, for instance, recent programs in which USG entities texted Russians and Iranians for info on influence ops. The effort was ridiculed by officials and ordinary citizens alike as being out of touch (not to mention dangerous)... (/7)(nytimes.com/2020/08/06/us/…)

...and that's a lot more innocuous than a *literal campaign of lies* that would be sure to be even more bumbling and embarassing than some of the worst of the Internet Research Agency's dank memes. Lest we forget, this came out of DOD not long ago 😬 military.com/daily-news/202… (/8)

As you can see, I've answered far too many whataboutist questions from Putin supporters over the years, and I'd really prefer not to give them further ammunition. Sadly, there are more pieces where this one came from that argue for the very same antidemocratic tactics.(/9)

They should never be on our menu of responses. (/end)