Weinstein Publishes Op-Ed on Threat of Disinformation in U.S.
Lt Gen Jack Weinstein, USAF (Ret), Professor of the Practice of International Security at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, published an op-ed in BU Today discussing the most pressing national-security threat to the United States.
In his article, titled “POV: America’s Greatest National Security Threat,” Weinstein argues that international and domestic disinformation campaigns targeting Americans are the most pressing threat to the country. He says that no amount of tanks, planes, or troops can reflect the real strength of the U.S. because it is a well-functioning democracy that is the country’s greatest weapon; however, the sanctity of that democracy has come under threat from within as the populace and elected officials debate basic facts. Weinstein concludes by stating that the U.S. must repair it’s democracy in order to strengthen itself in the face of foreign and domestic threats
An excerpt:
These campaigns have weakened our nation to the point that we can’t agree on basic scientific facts or on a fundamental democratic issue—who won the 2020 presidential election. If some of our citizens, along with members of the US House of Representatives and the US Senate, are still debating whether the 2020 election was stolen, then our problems run much deeper than worrying about the size of our adversaries’ nuclear forces. The greatest existential threat to the United States of America is the fracturing of our democracy and the intentional misleading of facts to support political agendas.
The full article can be read on BU Today‘s website.
Jack Weinstein, Lieutenant General, USAF (Ret), served in the U. S. Air Force from 1982 to 2018. Prior to arriving at the Pardee School of Global Studies, he was the Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, Headquarters United States Air Force, the Pentagon. In this position, he was responsible to the Secretary and Chief of Staff on all aspects of nuclear deterrence operations providing direction, guidance, integration and advocacy regarding the nuclear deterrence mission of the U.S. Air Force and engaged with joint, interagency and NATO for nuclear enterprise solutions. Read more about Weinstein on his faculty profile.