NEWSWATCH: “Putin’s Meddling in the U.S. Elections. How It Helps Him Back Home.” – Foreign Affairs/Gregory Feifer
Every four years, whenever there is a U.S. presidential election, a melancholy settles over Russia. When global fascination mounts over the selection of the free world’s next leader, Russians feel ignored. … * * * … On top of its usual peddling of influence, disinformation campaigns, and, in some cases, war, Moscow tried discreetly hacking Ukraine’s elections in 2014. Ukrainian experts found malware on servers used to tally the vote count …. That degree of secrecy is less useful for meddling in the U.S. election. … the overriding aim guiding Putin’s shenanigans has more to do with simply being seen as challenging the United States. … boosting the popularity crucial to maintaining his personalized system of rule …. mainly for show.
… Moscow is seeking an advantage by testing the structural weaknesses of the U.S. electoral system … raising new questions about the security of voting machines and software in a country where voters have rarely questioned the integrity of the process. * * * … Putin’s attacks against Western democracies are only weakening and isolating Russia in the long term-but that’s not his concern. He just wants Americans to talk about him this election season. As long as that lifts moods in Moscow this fall, Putin will continue challenging our democratic traditions.