Political Influence Operations

How Foreign Actors Seek to Shape U.S. Policy Making

Darren E. Tromblay

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Year: 2018
• eBook ISBN: 9781538103326
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Intelligence & Espionage
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Russian interference with the 2016 U.S. elections brought the problem of foreign influence on American politics into sharp relief. However, externally-sponsored subversion of U.S. decision making has been a shadowy threat to American policy for the better part of a century. Political Influence Operations provides an incisive examination of how external actors have infiltrated American society—from lobbyists, to academia, to the media—in order to further their own objectives.

Tromblay draws upon historical examples to demonstrate how U.S. adversaries – and sometimes its ostensible allies – have used the openness of American society against the country's best interests. By identifying vulnerabilities and exposing the underlying dynamics of foreign influence, the book provides a roadmap for U.S. governmental and private sector entities to navigate the currents of international engagement.

Table of contents

• Introduction
• 1 Undiplomatic Activities
• 2 Cashing In: How Foreign Powers Leverage Hired U.S. Proxies as Intelligence Intermediaries
• 3 In Search of a Good Cause for a Bad Reason
• 4 Assaulting the Ivory Tower
• 5 Skewing the Presses: Foreign Manipulation of Media
• 6 Corrupting Culture: Foreign Actors’ Exploitation of the U.S. Melting Pot Ethos
• 7 An Un-FARA-Fight
• Conclusion
• Index
• About the Author