New Books Network Inside Jobs: How Great Powers Meddle in Other Countries’ Elections
Dec 14, 2025
Dov Levin, an Associate Professor of International Relations at the University of Hong Kong, dives into the fascinating world of foreign electoral meddling. He reveals that great powers often engage in what he calls 'inside jobs,' collaborating with local elites to sway outcomes. Levin discusses the historical context of these interventions, contrasting overt tactics with covert operations. The risks of digital voting and the potential for manipulation are examined, alongside a look at cases like Argentina and Honduras, highlighting the dire consequences of such meddling.
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Overt Promises Are Common And Potent
- Overt threats or promises before elections are common and powerful tools for great powers to influence outcomes.
- Dov Levin notes Trump's Argentina intervention was unusual mainly for its scale and the ideological alignment with the aided candidate.
Overt Interventions Outperform Covert Ones
- Overt interventions increase interveners' vote share more than covert actions by about 3 percentage points on average.
- Levin explains overt help can deliver larger, direct resources and speak above politicians' heads to sway voters.
Kenya vs. Russia: Two Intervention Styles
- Dov Levin contrasts U.S. threats in Kenya (overt) with Russian covert hacks and leaks in 2016.
- He uses these cases to show two archetypal intervention styles and their mechanisms.
