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# Covert Contact 75: Understanding and Developing Resilience To Information Warfare
- URL: https://johnwlittle.com/understanding-and-developing-resilience-to-information-warfare/
- Published: 2017-09-18T16:42:19.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-17T04:03:10.000Z
- Description: Dr. Clint Arizmendi joins John Little to discuss Russian influence efforts, social media, and practical ways to build resilience against information warfare in this September 2017 conversation.
- Author: John Little
- Tags: Covert Contact, Intelligence, Interviews, Clint Arizmendi, Information Warfare, AusDef Podcast Series, Australia, Misinformation

In this September 2017 conversation, [Dr. Clint Arizmendi](https://twitter.com/arizclint?ref=johnwlittle.com) joins me to discuss information warfare, Russian influence efforts, and the social divisions that propaganda campaigns exploit. At the time, Clint was an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow with the Australian Graduate School of Policing & Security’s [Terrorism Studies program](http://terrorismstudies.csu.edu.au/home?ref=johnwlittle.com) at Charles Sturt University.

We argue for public awareness without panic, cautioning against treating every dispute as foreign interference or assuming an adversary controls every outcome. Existing divisions give influence campaigns opportunities, and addressing those fractures is part of building a stronger defense.

We examine how social media gives propaganda scale, speed, and access to specific audiences. The conversation considers technology companies’ responsibilities, the limits of concentrating on a handful of major platforms, and the trade-off between removing extremist accounts and retaining visibility into potentially dangerous networks. Clint emphasizes assessing capability, intent, and will. We also warn that freelance efforts to impersonate or disrupt extremists can divert legitimate investigators.

Resilience is the central theme: informed individuals, more careful judgments about inflammatory claims, and earlier public awareness of significant campaigns. Clint argues that political leaders should use social media for genuine engagement with citizens. We close with cautious optimism that understanding how manipulation works can make audiences harder to exploit.

*This episode was originally released on September 18, 2017\. Roles, platforms, political references, and assessments reflect the discussion at that time.*