Answering authoritarian state asymmetric state challenges: tools for deterring hybrid threats and non-military coercion from China and Russia

Fisher, S.; Klein, G.R.E.; Codjo, J.; Pupcenoks, J. (2024)

Article / Letter to editor

For US leaders and policy makers attempting to deter or punish asymmetric challenges from China, Russia, and other authoritarian states, information has been an underutilized tool. Beijing and Moscow react more negatively to information tools, especially those that challenge regime controls over information, than they do to military, economic, and diplomatic tools. US policy makers should focus on criticizing censorship, advocating for freedom of information access, and using technical or cyber means to undermine information/communication controls in authoritarian states. Doing so offers an opportunity for the United States and its democratic allies to balance authoritarian state practices designed to manipulate the open information environments of democratic societies, with a tool that targets authoritarian regimes’ reliance on information control to maintain power.

• Deterrence
• China
• Russia
• Big data
• Hybrid threats
• DIME framework
• Coercion

• All authors: Fisher, S.; Klein, G.R.E.; Codjo, J.; Pupcenoks, J.
• Date: 2024-07-01
• Journal: Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs
• Issue: July-August
• Pages: 53 - 77
• Link: https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/JIPA/Display/Article/3821154/answering-...