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The collection of information about an enemy and the spread of propaganda to gain an edge over them are known as information operations and warfare, or influence operations.
Famous military thinkers like Sun Tzu, Niccolo Machiavelli and Carl von Clausewitz all stressed the importance of using information and misinformation to outsmart an enemy. Machiavelli advised his readers in the sixteenth century to use those “men who are discontented and desirous of change . . . to open the way to you for the invasion of their country and to render its conquest easy.”
Influence operations can take many different forms and methods. They may involve using influential people or spreading false news through social media platforms to achieve their goals.
One of the objectives of foreign influence operations in related countries is to increase the support for operating country interests among state and local leaders and to use these ties to pressure related capitals for more favorable policies to operating country. Operating parties may try to use them as representatives to push for national policies they want, such as better economic cooperation, and less criticism.
Leaders may be tricked into supporting the hidden motives of influence operators. Influence operations can be dishonest and forceful, with seemingly harmless business deals or cultural exchanges sometimes hiding political motives. Financial rewards may be used to lure leaders who are concerned about local economic issues. Sometimes, influence operator or its proxies may urge state and local leaders to do things that suit their local needs, but also serve operating party’s interests, sometimes against national interests. These actions can damage the societies they target.
They can also endanger the quality of the policy-making process and interfere with how relevant party’s social, economic, and political life works.
TOOLKIT
IO uses various methods and strategies to disseminate content that is advantageous to them and achieve their goals. Some influence activities can be transparent, such as public diplomacy where the role of the influence operator is clear and obvious, but some other activities can be secret, where the its role is concealed, or even forceful or illegal. The following are some examples of tools used by IO:
Data Collection: Systematically gather and examine information, including personal information to identify potential openings and targets for influence on state and local leaders and their associates.
Cultivating talents: Focusing on state and local leaders early in their career and try to use them to support their interests by developing talent early to make sure politicians at all levels of government will be willing to answer and advocate for the IO’s agenda.
Exploiting partnerships: Partnerships between cities, often called “sister cities” can involve
business, technical, cultural, and educational exchanges between the communities of the target state and the influence operator. While these partnerships are not necessarily malicious, and can benefit both communities, the influence operator may use these agreements to push its agendas.
Creating dependencies: IO may also see a state’s or localities’ economic or other problems as a key chance to create a dependency, and thus gain influence. IO or its proxies may use financial incentives and penalties, such as offering or removing access to markets, to attract and influence business and government leaders at the state and local level. Investments in communities or business deals that offer “win-win” or “mutually beneficial” development can be used as ways of incentives. Moreover, paid trips for state and local leaders or delegation visits may also act as inducements.
Punishments: Punishments for leaders whose opinions or actions are not liked by the influence operator may be in the form of withdrawn investments or other measures. These punishments may also include the use of violence by proxies.
Use of business community: IO may consider the business community of the target as a very important way to influence local, state, and national leaders, since companies are important supporters of and often donors to politicians at all levels. IO may use market access, investments, or economic dependency as leverage, and openly pressure local business leaders, especially those with commercial interests in influence operator’s country, to lobby for policies the operator prefers.
MITIGATION & RECOMMENDATIONS
Many state and local communities may need or want to engage with counterparts in IO’s country. To take advantage of these opportunities and avoid being manipulated, communities should make sure these engagements follow the principles of transparency, honesty, reciprocity, and accountability, and do not clash with national strategic interests.
The first step to reduce risks is to understand how the influence operator actively guides and often abuses its subnational relationships overseas. This geopolitical situation has put state and local officials in the front lines of national security. The following are some basic steps to help state and local leaders manage these engagements.
Vigilance: Be vigilant when engaging with foreign entities. Know that there is no such thing as a “free lunch.” Partnerships or engagements with foreign nations can bring economic, academic, and cultural benefits to state and local communities, but they may have hidden costs. Watch out for those who would ask you to support a position or lobby for another nation or group. Do not sign agreements that go against or weaken national policies. Know that what may look good for your city, county, state, or business in the short-term could harm strategic national interests in the long-term.
Knowledge: Know your partners and who you are doing business with. As with any venture with a foreign entity, do your homework to find out who the partner is, where their money comes from, which foreign government entity may have power over them, and assess their motives. Take time to understand the foreign country’s political system, laws, and approaches to foreign relations. Subnational engagements may involve a variety of entities, from government institutions to companies to cultural groups. Consult your official bodies, or national associations that have dealt with these issues before.
Transparency: Demand transparency in all agreements. The terms of memoranda of agreement, memoranda of understanding, contracts, and partnership agreements with foreign entities should be transparent, public, and open to public debate as they would with any other nation. Be wary of proposals that seem to go against democratic values or clash with national interests. Do not let any foreign country stop your interactions with other countries, entities, or individuals. Set limits in the relationship and do not make exceptions just to please foreign customs.
Best practices: Share experiences with others to develop best practices. Many cities and states may face similar challenges when it comes to engagements and requests from foreign entities. Work with them or with national associations to share experiences and develop best practices for interacting with foreign nations in ways that do not harm national interests.
Uninterrupted connection with authorities: Keep a lasting connection with government authorities. Communicate regularly with related offices for the latest threat information. Contact them when questions or doubts come up about a proposal for cooperation or partnership with a foreign entity. Use their insights to educate yourself on the goals and methods of foreign influence operations and help educate state and local partners. Develop a way to identify risks related to subnational engagements and factor those risks into future decision-making.
THREAT to NATIONAL SECURITY
IO always look for ways to exploit the weakness of the proxies they use. Falling prey to IO can lead to the infiltration and corruption of state institutions, the erosion of governance, rule of law and democratic values. IO can also endanger the economy, competitiveness, and strategic markets. Therefore, all the leaders should be very cautious for themselves and the people around them and constatly evaluate if they are being targeted by IO or not.
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