There has been considerable hyperventilating in the US media and political circles about Russia supposedly trying to influence the outcome of the US election, though the government is careful to avoid going on the record with the allegations. This news report is full of such speculations based on anonymous sources.

But that lack of certainty has got lost in the coverage. It is now taken as a given that the release of hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee was done by the Russian government to embarrass Hillary Clinton and swing the election in favor of Donald Trump, although no evidence has been provided that this is the case. But that has not stopped Clinton from talking as if it were a proven fact.

The accusations shift between the hacking being done by intelligence agencies of the Russian government to independent Russia-based hackers who are acting on its behalf, although it is still not clear if there is any Russian connection at all. WikiLeaks, that released the hacked emails and is the go-to outlet for anyone wishing to release anything anonymously, is accused of being used by the Russians as a conduit and Julian Assange is portrayed as pretty much a Russian agent. Assange has said that there will be more releases to come.

It can be taken as a given that it is wrong for countries to try to influence the outcome of elections in other countries by covert means. But I find it amusing that the US, of all nations, is complaining about this practice. Is there any nation on Earth that has a worse record than the US when it comes to interference in other countries in choosing their leaders? Apart from secretly funding individuals, private groups, and political parties in other countries, fomenting unrest and orchestrating so-called ‘spontaneous’ demonstrations, placing articles in their media, and so on, the US does not stop there and even sponsors coups, the murders of foreign leaders, and outright invasions if all those fail to achieve the goal of installing governments that will do the US’s bidding.

US elites think that they have the right to meddle in the internal affairs of other countries but are outraged when others do it to them.