Washington: President Joe Biden and Donald Trump will again face each other in a rematch for the US Presidential race. However, interference in the elections scares many as it could impact the results and question the free and fair process to elect a leader in a democratic setup.
Russia has huge stakes in this year’s polls. China seems to back a rather aggressive campaign and even countries like Iran could sow the seeds of division in this year’s presidential polls. As America looks forward to the 2024 vote the intelligence agencies in the country released a report on the 2022 mid-term elections -a document which gives everyone a hint about what might come in the upcoming elections.
US Spy Agencies After Investigation Say Russia Favoured Trump in 2016. Can It Happen Again in 2024?
Russia is keeping a close eye on the US elections as its war in Ukraine is about to enter its third year and the war might be impacted as to who sits in the White House from January 2025. Former President and Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump has expressed concerns about US funding to Ukraine. On the other hand, President Biden has said that assisting Ukraine is in America’s interest.
There remains bipartisan support for Ukraine amid the ongoing war and Russia might be looking to weaken the US so that it can’t provide more aid to Ukraine. In 2022 an intelligence report found Russia attempted to harm the image of democrats and Joe Biden by amplifying allegations of corruption by Mr. Biden’s family, in large measure due to the Biden administration’s support of Ukraine.
As per the report Moscow blames Biden for forging a unified Western Alliance and for Kyiv’s continued pro-Western trajectory. The New York Times in a report said that the officials in the US said Russia was busy with its war with Ukraine in 2022 but it also explains how the fighting was intertwined with its efforts to influence American politics. As per the report, Russia considered delaying its withdrawal from the Southern region of Kherson to avoid giving Ukraine supporters in the US a perceived win before the elections. Russia announced its retreat a day after the election.
With Republicans opposing increasing funding to Ukraine, officials believe that Moscow is likely to try and interfere more in the upcoming presidential polls.
Has China Learned From Russia and How Can It Interfere In The Upcoming Polls?
Russia has tried to influence American politics for a long time over many divisive issues. On the other hand, China has traditionally focused more narrowly on working against local politicians who take stands on Tibet, Taiwan or other issues US officials say may be about to change.
It’s unclear at this time what China will do or who it will support in the US elections. Nonetheless, the study implies that Chinese officials saw the election of 2022 as an opportunity to characterize the US model as disorganized. The ideological divide between the two nations has widened, and President Xi Jinping has strengthened his hold on both the political and economic spheres. As a result, Chinese officials are particularly drawn to influence programs that accentuate socioeconomic divides in the US—a longtime Russian operational priority.
One can never be sure how far the Chinese will go. However, it seems that US espionage services are aware of more than they are disclosing. One of those annoying redactions can be seen in the report. After declaring that Chinese leaders have “directed a new focus on,” the sentence’s subject is obscured.
How Artificial Intelligence Might Play A Role In the Impact of US Elections?
China has already started experimenting with artificial intelligence to affect political campaigns. Industry analysts have contended that new technology will facilitate other nations’ ability to imitate English speakers and provide messages that deepen differences more quickly. Government authorities, however, are more concerned that artificial intelligence technologies could be exploited to produce phoney, hyper-realistic videos that spread misinformation swiftly.
The good news is that nations are not attempting to breach computer systems used by local governments, according to the most recent intelligence. The strongest defence of the American electoral system is its extraordinary decentralization. Many nations think it is too difficult to compromise local government computer networks to significantly influence vote tallies. Consequently, some foreign powers have increased their efforts to sway the elections in other ways.
