Interstate Influence Operations and International Security Studies

• In Event: (Mis)Information in Great Power Competition and Democratic Governance

Abstract

In the aftermath of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election, influence operations have become a central focus among policymakers, foreign policy pundits, and publics alike. Yet, influence operations remain under-explored and under-theorized in the international security studies literature. Existing studies diverge over how to define influence operations, and few studies in top journals of political science, international relations, or security studies focus on the topic. I engage in concept building by constructing a definition in component parts and showing how influence operations differ from related forms of statecraft. I then argue that security studies scholars should pay greater attention to influence operations for two reasons. First, influence operations are policy-relevant and will likely remain so for three reasons: they are cost effective, foreign propagandists are prone to inflate their impact, and they are difficult to deter. Second, studying influence operations can contribute to the academic discipline of security studies by helping to expand restrictive notions of state power and challenge dominant models of foreign policy decision-making by problematizing the domestic/foreign divide. I conclude by addressing likely counterarguments and charting possible avenues for a security studies research agenda on influence operations.

Author

• Joshua A. Goldstein, University of Oxford