"“And I would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren’t for you meddling kids!” That’s the catchphrase that comes at the end of “Scooby-Doo” cartoons, always right at the moment when some monster turns out to just be a creepy old man in a mask. The zany adventures are over — until the next episode.
That’s the appropriate use of the word “meddling.” It is not, however, an appropriate word to use when referring to the ongoing Russian attacks on American democracy that gained prominence in the 2016 presidential election and will accelerate as we head into the November midterms. This isn’t “Scooby-Doo.” The stakes couldn’t be higher, and the monsters we face are real...
But
that phrase is woefully inadequate. These continuing attacks are
neither meddling nor “interference,” another euphemism. They’re a part
of gibridnaya voyna — Russian for “hybrid warfare.” The best term for what we’re talking about would be “information warfare.
One
of the jarring realizations of the 21st century is that democratic
governments are only as good as the quality of information that their
voters receive. Influence the information flow voters receive, and
you’ll eventually influence the government."
