Political Influence Operations: How Foreign Actors Seek to Shape U.S. Policy Making

270 Pages·2018·2.71 MB·English

by  Darren E. Tromblay

Political Influence
Operations

Political Influence
Operations
How Foreign Actors Seek to
Shape U.S. Policy Making
Darren E. Tromblay
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD
Lanham • Boulder • New York • London
Executive Editor: Traci Crowell
Assistant Editor: Mary Malley
Senior Marketing Manager: Amy Whitaker
Credits and acknowledgments for material borrowed from other sources, and reproduced
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Published by Rowman & Littlefield
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Copyright © 2018 by Darren E. Tromblay
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any
electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems,
without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote
passages in a review.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Tromblay, Darren E, author.
Title: Political influence operations : how foreign actors seek to
shape U.S. policy making / Darren E. Tromblay.
Description: Lanham, Maryland : Rowman & Littlefield, [2017] |
Includes bibliographical references.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017059803 (print) | LCCN 2018001871 (ebook) |
ISBN 9781538103326 (electronic) | ISBN 9781538103302 (cloth :
alk. paper) | ISBN 9781538103319 (pbk. : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Foreign agents—United States. | Political planning—
United States. | United States—Politics and government—Decision making.
Classification: LCC JZ1450 (ebook) | LCC JZ1450 .T76 2018 (print) |
DDC 320.60973—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017059803
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American
National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library
Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48–1992.
Printed in the United States of America
For the cast of characters who comprise and complement
the 11:30 choir at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in
Georgetown and for my mother who instilled a love of
knowledge that has served me well.
The views expressed in this book are solely those of the author and do
not represent the position of any U.S. government or other entity.
Contents
Introduction ix
The Significance of Influence ix
Aspects of Influence x
Nature of Influence Campaigns xiv
Terrorism xiv
Disrupting Foreign Influence xv
Scope of the Book xvi
1 Undiplomatic Activities 1
Congressional Vulnerabilities 2
The Executive Branch 12
Political Parties 19
Foreign Efforts to Influence State and Local Politics 24
Degradation of U.S. Leadership to Increase
Foreign Governments’ Relative Influence 32
Conclusion 37
2 Cashing In: How Foreign Powers Leverage Hired U.S. Proxies
as Intelligence Intermediaries 55
Perceptions of Value 56
Collection 57
Other Countries 57
Expertise 58
Other Countries 60
Access 61
Other Countries 61
Subnational Actors 62
Foreign Firms on U.S. Soil 70

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viii Contents
Exploitation of U.S. Companies by Foreign Actors 73
Trade Promotion 76
Conclusion 77
3 In Search of a Good Cause for a Bad Reason 87
“Peace” (as War by Other Means) 88
Co-Option of Environmentalism 92
Manipulation of U.S.-Based Philanthropic Organizations 96
Conclusion 101
4 Assaulting the Ivory Tower 107
Think Tanks 107
Significance of Think Tanks to the Policymaking Process
(and to Foreign Actors Seeking to Influence the Process) 108
Collection of Policy-Related Information from Think Tanks 109
Influence Operations 111
Institutions of Higher Education 120
5 Skewing the Presses: Foreign Manipulation of Media 135
State-Sponsored Media 135
Co-Optation of U.S. Media 143
Nontraditional Outlets 147
Coercion 150
Other Media Platforms 150
6 Corrupting Culture: Foreign Actors’ Exploitation of the U.S.
Melting Pot Ethos 163
Culture 163
Diversion of Divinity: Foreign Exploitation of Religion 173
Intercultural Exchanges 176
Countering Outspoken Emigres 178
Hostile Ideology 180
Conclusion 192
7 An Un-FARA-Fight 205
Foreign Agents Registration Act 205
Lobbying Disclosure Act 210
Campaign Finance Regulations 211
Legalistic Limitations 211
Intelligence Activities 212
The Foreign Threat 215
Nonprosecutorial Approaches 217
Conclusion 220
Conclusion 227

Index 233
About the Author 251
Introduction
Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. elections and its meddling in
the politics of various European countries have called attention to the
vulnerability of policymaking to covert foreign manipulation. Like
the attacks of 9/11, these developments do not represent a paradigm shift
but, instead, a brutal reminder of activity that has long progressed—largely
unheeded—in the shadows. Foreign influence activities—particularly of a
Soviet/Russian flavor—have been a consistent threat to U.S. politics since
before the Cold War but have only sporadically attracted U.S. public atten-
tion. These covert—and sometimes not-so-covert—influence activities are
as, if not even more, valuable than the ability to collect protected information
because if successful, they allow a foreign government to shape U.S. policies,
rather than simply cope with them.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF INFLUENCE
Foreign actors’ ability to influence U.S. policymaking is potentially more
damaging than the more widely recognized threat from intelligence collection
(i.e., espionage). The collection activities that foreign actors direct toward
the U.S. government, the private sector’s proprietary information, and other
aspects of U.S. society are a game of catch-up—an attempt to keep pace
with information and technologies that the United States already possesses.
However, when a foreign power influences—especially in a surreptitious
way—U.S. decision making, it sets an agenda, rather than simply contends
with what the United States has already accomplished.
Covert influence campaigns do not exist in a vacuum. Rather, they are part
of a broader range of noncoercive measures that are directed at developing

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