Propaganda as a secret weapon

President Donald Trump has now been in the oval office for the past seven months; however the serious allegations regarding the suspicious influence of Russia in his victory still dawdle around making headline news. Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump equally deny such allegations however when connecting the dots the hints prove otherwise.

What are the allegations?

A US intelligence agency assessment articulated ‘high confidence’ of Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential elections. The report also stated that the Russian government favoured Donald Trump over Hilary Clinton as she was considered less friendly than Donald Trump, thus the process was carried out to ensure his victory. There exists no official evidence to prove such allegations and both the Presidents of Russia and the United States of America deny such claims. In addition, the shift in very far end of the presidential elections in France indicates the influence through cyber mean by the Russian front.

The motive behind this cyber strategy

These sudden changes at the far end of election campaigns of countries might suggest that the emergence of such activities originated from a single source. The question really here is what could be the motive to influence these elections.  The increasing nature of these strategies could highlight the growing influence or narrative the country is attempting on the western world.

Though there is a lack of hard evidence of involvement from Russia’s end, its game strategy of denying to any charges is painting itself a suspicious picture. Going back to 2014, the government was is the same situation where Russia denied its role in the annexure of Crimea and the instances in Eastern Ukraine. Is the government trying to spread its wings to every possible opportunity?

Assessment

As stated by George Orwell, “The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history”. The powerful role propaganda plays in influencing people’s minds not only in wars is part of history.  Influential leaders such as Chairman Mao, Napoleon, Joseph Stalin and even Adolf Hitler were clear examples of the persuasive nature of propaganda. The influence of Russia in present scenarios of cyber-attacks in presidential elections is no different from the Cold War situation. Communication is key and it is the means to transfer information to the end i.e., propaganda. Therefore, in the present world cyber is only used as a platform to spread propaganda through information warfare.