I really do not think Russia is the major future threat to the US. The jihad of AQ was only an interlude, a threat of weak forces but which had to be met. Carter had created this threat by failing to support the Shah and then letting a minor country hold our embassy for 444 days. That let the world’s terrorists know it was safe to use the techniques of bombings and hijackings to promote their message.
By failing to response to the rabid dogs we encourage the perception that we are weak. Reagan changed that but the liberal left continued to snipe the whole time. For example, the anti nuclear protesters in Europe about the Pershing missiles. Funny, I remember how they said the same things about Reagan that they have about Bush. Dumb, Stupid, a Cowboy.
The problem is that the MSM had control of the message and they are concentrated with people of liberal tendencies. The anti US types that Buchanan used to rail about.
The Internet has allowed others to get their message out. The propaganda that Rathergate tried to push with forged documents was dismantled overnight. I remember seeing it in real time on Free Republic.
Now the numbers of media sources are huge and hard to manage. Experts in all walks of life can spot BS when it occurs. By the magic of the Internet the number of experts is multiplied by millions rather than the favorite few that can push their narrative.
The Russian attempt was noticed immediately. Severs in other countries stepped up to handle the traffic. The Estonia experience had trained many and enabled counter measures.
The attempt to set the message was clumsy, easily noticed and countered.
The Chinese are much better, they have hacked so many systems both government and private companies. Their intelligence is not just US secrets but all the think tanks, research labs and business companies.
If you travel to China,it is better to have not bring your sim card or hard drive but get them while there. The blackberry’s are hacked instantly in the airports.
Business travelers travel without a hard drive and just get a company one loaded with the data they need to prevent corporate data from being stolen. These are just the methods to prevent secure systems not to be hijacked and hacked.
Pallywood was the best in setting the message in Europe against Israel. It has taken a long time to correct the message of Jenin and even still most people thing the Palestinian version is correct. The problem was that governments just don’t think they can fight this disinformation and then don’t try. It took private efforts to expose the frauds. It will take these efforts by private individuals to not let the disinformation get told without refutation.
Just like Jawa that goes after jihadist websites using US servers or the housewife and mother that uncovers the jihadist plans from her home computer. These duties and obligations are not ones that Americans should leave to our government, we have to shoulder these tasks for ourselves because our freedoms depend on us, not our government.
