Americans are unknowingly bombarded with media manipulated by China, Russia, and Iran, despite U.S. efforts to counter it, according to an analysis shared with Axios. The messaging fuels divisions within the U.S. and weakens support for key security interests.
A report from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), featuring insights from former military members and senior government advisers, explores how authoritarian regimes have influenced perceptions both domestically and internationally. China seeks to wear down Taiwan, which it views as a breakaway province, while deflecting criticism of its aggressive actions. Russia aims to shape global opinion in its favor and exploit domestic issues to placate its citizens. Iran threatens dissidents, boosts anti-American and anti-Israeli narratives, and backs regional proxies.
This creates a digital minefield requiring a stronger response from Washington, the report's authors argue. They recommend “going on the offensive” and penetrating foreign information bubbles, criticizing past efforts as “clumsy and pedestrian.”
Successive U.S. administrations “have resisted offensive information warfare efforts inside China, Russia, and Iran for fear of ‘provoking' them,” writes Bradley Bowman, senior director of FDD's Center on Military and Political Power. However, “Beijing, Moscow, and Tehran suffer from no such reluctance when aggressively waging information warfare inside the United States.” Without overt conflict, Americans can be lulled into a false sense of security.
U.S. Cyber Command has exposed troll farms, and elite hacking teams are uncovering network weaknesses and malware. These teams were deployed to Ukraine before Russia's invasion and to Albania after Iranian cyberattacks disrupted government services.
The report cautions that malicious information will surge ahead of the 2024 presidential election. The rise of generative AI—able to simulate conversations and produce realistic fake photos, videos, and audio—could worsen this issue.
Read the report here.
