President Obama has found himself in a rather sticky situation in light of the recent discovery of Russia’s involvement with the hacking of the Democratic Party’s information. Security experts are almost certain that Moscow played a role in hacking the DNC. The problem is that if America comes out and formally accuses the Kremlin of tampering with a democratic election, they will be forced to show sold proof of Russia’s involvement. The potential outcome could potently have more negative effects than positive ones.
If Washington chooses to remain silent about the issue it could be looked at as a sign of weakness. On the other hand if the U.S. chooses to retaliate there is the risk that Russia’s cyber warriors could aim their sights at American power grids, financial systems or other important infrastructure. It is important to keep in mind that the U.S. likely has spies who also commit cyber espionage outside of the country, but the difference with this case would be that information stolen from the DNC was released to the public in an attempt to alter the election. At the end of the day, it comes down to the question – is America being too lenient with foreign powers, or are we perhaps being provocative in the first place?