United Front / Political Influence
What it is. Quietly aligning elites, institutions, and communities so decisions tilt your way before formal votes are cast. Tools include front organizations, cultural diplomacy, scholarships, business ties, and diaspora leverage. The aim is to make your preferences seem like the consensus path.
Cull the Courtyard
Domain: United Front / Political Influence (Transnational repression) · Stratagems: 10, 18, 26
Problem / betrayal. Diaspora leaders get “friendly” calls—show up, or family back home faces “paperwork.”
How it happened. DOJ charged operators of an undeclared PRC police station in NYC; later, a guilty plea. Operation Fox Hunt cases show stalking/intimidation. Department of Justice.
The men behind it. Consular “counselors,” association heads on stipends, hired PIs.
Consequences. Self-censorship; votes, research, and money bend.
Warning. Free men break chains, or chains break them.
Counter-Orders (now)
- Audit: hotline + privileged intake for foreign-agent pressure; log to DA/AG.
- Inoculate: campus/board disclosure rules; Section 117 foreign-gift checks. FSA Partner Connect.
- Isolate: prosecute FARA/§951; seize fronts; publish convictions. Department of Justice.
Operating model
- Actors: party liaisons, chambers, foundations, universities, diaspora groups.
- Levers: funding, prestige, access, appointments, community services.
- Mechanisms: identify nodes → cultivate → integrate → mobilize.
- Escalation ladder: networking → incentives → dependency → coercive expectations.
- Success metrics: policy endorsements, gatekeeper capture, dissent isolation.
Tactic clusters (curated, non-repetitive)
1) Gatekeeper Courting
Win the few who sway the many.
Stratagems: 18 Capture Their Leader, 30 Exchange Guest for Host
Application: Board seats and honorary roles convert influencers into message carriers.
Countermeasures: Conflict disclosures, term limits, independent nominations.
2) Charm with Purpose
Benefits mask binding expectations.
Stratagems: 10 Hide Your Dagger…, 31 Beautiful Women (enticement)
Application: Grants and trips create reciprocity; asks arrive later.
Countermeasures: Gift registries, funding caps, external ethics review.
3) Platform Piggyback
Use host institutions to transmit influence.
Stratagems: 24 Borrow the Road…, 14 Borrow a Corpse…
Application: Embed centers/programs within universities to shape discourse.
Countermeasures: Governance firewalls, academic freedom clauses, diversified donors.
4) Selective Solidarity
Ally with distant partners to pressure local rivals.
Stratagems: 23 Befriend a Distant Enemy…, 6 Clamor in the East…
Application: International endorsements isolate domestic critics.
Countermeasures: Counter-coalitions, transparent lobbying registries, media literacy.
5) Token Inclusion
Symbolic diversity; real control.
Stratagems: 11 Sacrifice the Plum…, 29 Tie Silk Blossoms…
Application: Showcase “independent voices” who echo the line.
Countermeasures: True plural selection, rotating chairs, minority reports.
6) Social Pressure Loops
Community-level reputation as enforcement.
Stratagems: 3 Borrowed Sword, 20 Trouble the Water…
Application: Whisper campaigns, selective shaming of outliers.
Countermeasures: Defamation remedies, ombuds networks, safe reporting channels.
Failure modes & risks
- Exposure: backlash and legal restrictions on influence operations.
- Overreach: elite capture triggers populist counter-mobilization.
- Credibility loss: partner institutions seen as compromised.
Related: Lawfare, Cultural & Ideological.