SAME STORY: ALTERNATIVE VERSION?

Article by Ilayda Nijhar        

 A little over a year ago we bore witness to one of the most monumental elections of our generation with the election of President Donald Trump. Interestingly, however, the election had an unusual twist through its excessive claims of Russian intervention in the United States (US) election. According to US intelligence officials, Russian hackers were responsible for numerous attacks upon US institutions including the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Many of the accusations were grounded in the belief that the then Presidential hopeful Hilary Clinton had major issues with Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as wanting to avert attempts to strengthen relations between both nations which in turn led to this apparent intervention. Similar allegations were claimed by German officials who claimed Russian hackers were responsible or an attack on their parliament, specifically Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Party (CDU). Not surprisingly, President Putin has vehemently rejected said claims and strongly believes this is a deliberate move to further tarnish Russia’s image in the Western world.

With all the charges against Russia of hacking and interference in elections the same charges have now begun to emerge across the Atlantic and here at home in the United Kingdom. The allegations begun when Labour MP Ben Bradshaw stated Russia had provided “dark money” funds to aid the Vote Leave Campaign during the Brexit referendum. He further urged Parliament start an inquiry into the claims of Russian interference. Perhaps it would have been more productive to first establish the extent of influence exerted by the Neo-Nazis in the US upon the Brexit campaign before impulsively calling out on Russia. The British Parliament is now in contact with social media companies with the likes of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to see the extent to which Russia may have used them as platforms to exert influence on the Leave campaign. If any substantial evidence is found, it could seriously impair the outcome of the referendum while also raising concerns over the virtue of British domestic politics.

Nevertheless, these recent events are all too familiar and continue to raise the same questions. When President Putin was asked if Russia had the means to interfere in the domestic processes of sovereign nations, he answered simply by saying “hackers are free people like artists”. The Russian side was also quick to point out how the allegations of Russian hacking were sheer embarrassment on behalf of the US. Former CIA officers from the Obama administration all testified earlier this year before a Senate subcommittee admitting that there was no hard evidence to show Moscow was influencing any democratic process. It seems as though these allegations continue to resurface based merely on claims and accusations. The hostility towards Russia continues to prevail among Western nations as a result of these periodic episodes. The British Parliament via the Culture, Media and Sport Committee has already launched an official investigation with the help of Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg to probe the matter. The severity of these claims has even been voiced by British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson prior to his official visit to Moscow in attempts to amend relations between both countries, albeit after several cancelled trips.

In an era where most of the general public’s opinions are shaped by news-headlines and social media, one should be leery of statements that begin with ‘Russian hacking’ or ‘Russian interference’. As such, it would be unwise to cast aside the possibility that Russia will begin to take steps in retaliation towards the incongruous claims made towards them. Perhaps it is time we ask ourselves why we are so quick to point the finger at others and choose not to address why our own systems are not able to defend against such attacks.  With these events continuing to dominate headlines it urges us to beg the question: is this just the same story but merely an alternative version? And if so, how much longer can we continue to justify these occurrences as Russian doing?

Ilayda Nijhar

London, 15.11.2017