Description
In recent years, the term “foreign interference” has been established to describe various types of malign activities conducted by hostile states. However, there are varying opinions about what exactly “foreign interference” is. We argue that the lack of conceptual clarity is caused by the novelty of the term, which became popularised in relation to the US presidential elections of 2016 as “electoral interference”. Our presentation will map out various uses of the term in academic literature, highlight different approaches to its conceptualisation and identify bordering concepts. While in the early 2010s the term was used interchangeably with the term “intervention”, over time it established itself as a distinct concept. Originally, it has been used in relation to “interference” into intrusion into specific and limited systems such as cybernetic systems or electoral processes. Over time, the target of “interference” has been understood more generally in relation to state sovereignty or a democratic system. Therefore, it becomes possible for the term “interference” to serve as a catch phrase for various activities perceived as undesirable. Informed by this mapping, we aim to provide a definition that will be the most useful for further debates and research.
