EP 461 Spy Vs. Spy: The U.S. Fight Against Soviet, Now Russian, Aggression

It’s the same old song as the Russian spy machine keeps rolling along.  Who would know better than Jack Devine who formerly served as acting director and associate director at the CIA  and was in charge of the CIA’s largest and most successful covert action operation, which drove the Russians out of Afghanistan? In his new book, ‘Spymaster’s Prism’, he describes how Russian interference in the 2016 election actually was a step up in boldness as the Russians had a carefully planned assault on our internal politics.  In the lexicon of what he calls ‘Moscow Rules’, this effort represents a step beyond what has commonly been practiced by both  the U.S. and Russia. Tampering with the conduct of our democratic process could be viewed as a hostile act testing the limits of what each country can tolerate in an espionage racket which has retained certain norms.  He provides a series of guideposts in evaluating what Vladimir Putin has done to  achieve his objective of restoring Russian to its domination in its sphere of influence.  Devine sees Putin as a high stakes gambler and a formidable opponent.  You will be fascinated by his insights.

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