It seems that we may be engaged in a war at this time that the public may never know about. But not one of bullets and bombs. No, this is a war that consists of the 1’s and 0’s that make up computer codes. And while it may not have the sheer terrifying effect of explosions and carnage, it is equally chilling in its own way.
Building may not fall but institutions may crumble.
People may not lose their lives but may lose their faith and hope.
We might not lose our surface sovereignty but may find unwittingly ourselves serving and aiding a foreign master.
These things seem a little cryptic and maybe a bit hyperbolic but they also seem like logical extensions when you take in all that has been occurring as of late in the way of the Russian hacking of our election. There was a great piece of journalism in yesterday’s New York Times, The Perfect Weapon: How Russian Cyberpower Invaded the U.S., that I urge you to read. It lays out the facts from this episode in a clear chronology. It may require some effort on your part but it is well worth the read.
The next weeks and months may be among the most remarkable we have ever encountered. And I don’t mean that in a particularly good way.
There well may be a response in the near future. As stated in the article: An American counterstrike, said Michael Morrell, the former deputy director of the CIA under Mr. Obama, has “got to be overt. It needs to be seen.”
I don’t think anyone knows how this plays out and I am a bit afraid to find out.
Oh, the title of this post refers to Kompromat, a Russian term for compromising materials about a politician or other public figure. Such materials can be used to create negative publicity, for blackmail, or for ensuring loyalty. It may be a word that we will find ourselves being all too familiar with in the near future given the fact that that Republican accounts were also hacked and our incoming administration seems to have a much more pro-Russian flavor.
Read into that what you will. But read the NY Times article first.
Redtree Times 