4/21/2017

PBS:"Russian think tank planned to influence the U.S. election, new documents reveal" part one

PBS Newshour, The Russia File

The link above goes to a Newshour segment (with transcript) covering the report from Reuters yesterday about two documents presented to them by anonymous "intelligence officials". The conversation is between William Brangham of the Newshour, Ned Parker of Reuters and a former CIA officer with the interesting name, John Sipher.

Sifer also delivers his analysis and, you know -- engages the private sector in solutions-based conversation-- courtesy of The Cipher Brief:

The Cipher Brief is a digital, security-based conversation platform that connects the private sector with the world’s leading security experts. We deliver a relevant analysis of news and events that helps readers accurately anticipate and safely navigate the complex, unstable, global security environment. The Cipher Brief was founded by former CNN Intelligence Correspondent Suzanne Kelly on the belief that reporting on the latest security breaches or global security issues alone won’t always help find solutions to the bigger problems. Engaging the private sector in a solutions-based conversation is what moves the ball down the field.
(Sounds expensive!) Unless I missed something PBS did not mention Sifers' private sector security work.

In the initial article Reuters was circumspect about their US intelligence sources: three current and four former U.S. officials and used this headline:

Putin-linked think tank drew up plan to sway 2016 US election - documents

Reuters also provided some fragmentary background on the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies from their website , including a link.
On its website, the Russian institute describes itself as providing “expert appraisals,” “recommendations,” and “analytical materials” to the Russian president’s office, cabinet, National Security Council, ministries and parliament. [bit.ly/2pCBGpR]
On the site there's a more detailed description:

The Russian Institute for Strategic Studies (RISS) is a major scientific-research and analytical centre established by the President of the Russian Federation.
The main task of RISS is to provide information support to the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, the Federation Council, the State Duma and the Security Council as well as to Government offices, ministries and departments. RISS provides expert appraisals and recommendations and prepares analytical materials for those bodies.
RISS:

deals with issues of national security, studying the relationships between Russia and other countries;

analyses and predicts trends in political and socio-economic processes at global and regional levels;

examines ways of maintaining strategic stability in new geopolitical conditions and evaluates strategic risk factors;

considers ways to resolve crises that threaten global and regional stability, paying particular attention to the fight against terrorism;

resists the falsification of history in the post-Soviet space.
                                          ...

 I think that last bullet point is interesting, resists the falsification of history in the post-Soviet space.


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