29 - Russia, T-800s, Social Media and the War that never was

We look at some of the actions that were used in an attempt to influence the US democratic system through the use of social media.  Using the military to conduct regime change is extremely expensive in terms of blood and treasure - we look at some of the measures that can be used with non-kinetic means to create regime change.  We look at the use of Social media from the point of view of how marketers use social media, because Social Media Warfare is often about using marketing tools to sell an idea, rather than more conventional uses for Social Media. To win the 100 victories in 100 battles is not the acme of skill, but to subdue the enemy without fight is the acme of skill.  If this is the case, then the use of Social Media to achieve regime change would definitely qualify as the acme of skill. We compare kinetic strikes above the detection threshold with non-kinetic strike below the detection threshold.  We also look at an example of a pre-emptive strike to achieve regime change before a state has become an enemy of the state.  The pre-emptive strike starts the war before the enemy has a chance to prepare for war, which is important if you believe that if you find yourself in a fair fight, then you have done something wrong. Kinetic strikes are by their very nature above the detection threshold.  Non-kinetic means have a much lower signature, and therefore could be below the detection threshold.  We look at FDR's speech following the strike on Pearl Harbour.  What if there are now tools to allow regime change that does not require the use of military force? Check out the show notes for the podcast for images and more details for this and other podcast episodes. Join the conversation on Twitter or Facebook. If you've learnt something from today's podcast, please leave a review for the Podcast on your podcast player.