We Are Already at War with Russia
Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace—but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!
Patrick Henry uttered these words on the eve of the American Revolution, but he might as well be uttering them today. Russia, within an alliance of autocracies, is actively seeking to undermine and oppose the United States and other liberal democracies. We cannot have peace with a country that already is actively declaring war on us, and we cannot negotiate with an enemy who wants us destroyed.
What do we mean by war? One need not be an idealist to see the intentions of the Russian Empire; even in a realist realpolitik lens, all the evidence of Russian imperialism and a global network of autocracy is laid bare across the world. Russia is actively launching cyber attacks against American infrastructure, such as our water and agricultural systems. This is not the action of an ally but of an adversarial state. European countries are facing similar attacks, as well as coordinated narratives and bots on social media that are trying to weaken the transatlantic alliance.
In addition, Russia’s Internet Research Agency created millions of bot accounts pretending to be Americans to manipulate our political debates. They come from both the left and right, with no ideological preference, and aim to ruin the public discourse space in the United States. Countries such as Venezuela (Autocracy, Inc., Anne Applebaum) mastered the psychological operations space to the point where citizens no longer believe in propaganda at all; they believe in nothing and hate anybody who holds democratic convictions. Venezuelan government officials routinely meet with Russia and China to share strategies. Moreover, many of the most polarizing posts on social media are the result of Russian and Chinese influence operations. All of this is the behavior of a nation already at war.
Even farmland and real estate is often bought by our opponents Russia and China. China has been strategically buying up American farmland. Russian oligarchs invest heavily in American real estate, especially luxury markets, which contributes to price inflation. Russia and China cannot be separated; they are two powers with the same goal rooted in the regime’s stated conviction that the United States is a threat.
Moreover, evidence suggests that Latin American autocratic regimes—most notably Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua—are participating in coordinated psychological warfare efforts, exchanging strategies and narratives with key actors such as Russia, China, and Iran. Several recent works describe a strong network of autocratic influence where these mighty powers are interlinked not only through diplomacy but also military, technological, and financial support: Michael McFaul’s Autocrats vs. Democrats; Anne Applebaum’s Autocracy, Inc.; Leopoldo Lopez’s Challenging Autocracy from the Frontlines; and Casey Michel’s Foreign Agents. It is thus not naïve to say we are already at war with Russia and the entire alliance of autocracy.
With the proliferation of AI technology, there are also more options for countries like Russia and China to manipulate truth and American audiences. While some may believe it is possible to appease Russia, this is neither realistic nor productive. Russia is a nation set on war against the United States and the entire western world. Voices such as Garry Kasparov, a Russian dissident, have repeatedly warned in books like Winter Is Coming that Russia’s ultimate goal is imperialism and conquest. Kasparov writes that Russia seeks to destroy the democratic world especially from within by amplifying polarization and flooding the public forum with so much propaganda and noise that people do not know what the truth is. This is a strategy for which Venezuela is infamous; their disinformation apparatus works not to make people believe the regime, but to make them hate everybody and see hope as a danger. Venezuela’s psychological operations have been exposed as these countries collaborate closely. The direct involvement of Russia, Iran, and China in the Western Hemisphere’s autocracies show their intent to intimidate and challenge the United States.
Let us make no mistake: we are not in another Cold War, we are in an Age of Absolutism. During the Cold War, there were two ideologies, communism and capitalism, which were competing globally. In our present day we look more like the Age of Absolutism of the early eighteenth century. Autocractic leaders are in power not because of “divine right” but because of the claimed right of being in power. Everything in the autocrat is linked to power, expansion, expanding into neighboring countries (such as Russia with Ukraine or China’s threats against Taiwan), and immense concentrations of wealth. While many scholars try to find links to the Cold War, we must look further back to the Age of Absolutism to understand the unique geopolitical tensions we are dealing with. The Absolutist rulers of the past included countries such as France, Spain, Austria, and Russia. Louis XIV the Sun King and Catherine the Great of Russia stand out as two autocratic leaders whose style resembles autocrats of the present. Today we have theocrats from Iran, nationalists from Russia, and communists from China all unified in the goal of amassing power. When the original alliance of autocracies was threatened by the French and American Revolutions, the members worked together to crush all liberal protests and movements. The June Rebellion of 1832 (on which Les Miserables was based is a famous example of a rebellion against the alliance of autocracy. Now, we have Russia and China in an alliance again to “crush liberal revolutions.”
Shortly before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China and Russia released a joint declaration on war against “Color Revolutions,” which are pro-democracy movements that sought to overthrow Russian-aligned leaders that Russia often blamed on the United States. This declaration was not symbolic rhetoric but a statement of shared strategic intent. The global Alliance of Autocracy includes Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea, Belarus, and other autocratic countries working together as a single unit almost as a modern empire. The United States can turn away, but this does not eliminate the threat.
Many people believe it is possible to negotiate an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but it is a much larger conflict than a war of conquest—it is a part of a global effort to undermine liberal democracy and is not guided by a consistent ideology. The network of autocracies we see today bears little resemblance to the ideologically motivated conflicts of the twentieth century. Instead, it has more in common with Age of Absolutism, where power is the end goal.
We need to address this real threat by no longer seeing Russia and China as “separate” or as mere “spheres of influence” but to take the regimes seriously when they say they are at war with the United States. We must prioritize the following solutions:
More transparency in technological companies aimed at producing real content, Including more monitoring for manipulated trends.
Protection for exiled dissidents who are speaking out and enhancing FBI investigations into transnational repression.
Targeted sanctions on key officials and seizing assets they hold in western countries, including more Magnitsky style sanctions.
Open and transparent internet that can reach the citizens of Russia and China.
A US government commission to examine and address the global Alliance of Autocracy.
Advocacy for the freedom of political prisoners, and bringing the investigations conducted by such prisoners to the highest levels of the US government.
For this new era of history, we need to refine and expand our soft power and we also need to understand the nature of the threat we are facing. This is not a mere disagreement between two nations, nor is it an ideological struggle between communism and capitalism. We are living in an age where unrestrained and absolute power is taking center stage. In democracies, we have to recognize this threat and call in our national security institutions to address it. We need to persist in our fight for democracy. As Ronald Reagan said, “Freedom is a fragile thing and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction.”
