Foreign Interference

Foreign interference describes actions by a foreign government — or actors working on its behalf — that attempt to shape political outcomes, policy debates, elections, diaspora communities, media, or critical institutions in another state through means that are covert, coercive, corrupt, or deceptive. It is typically distinguished from ordinary foreign influence, such as public diplomacy, lobbying disclosed under domestic law, or open advocacy, which are generally considered legitimate.

The conceptual baseline in international law is the principle of non-intervention, derived from sovereign equality in Article 2 of the UN Charter and elaborated in the International Court of Justice's Nicaragua v. United States judgment (1986), which held that a state may not intervene, directly or indirectly, in matters in which another state is entitled to decide freely. The UN General Assembly's 1970 Friendly Relations Declaration (Resolution 2625) similarly prohibits intervention in the internal or external affairs of any state.

Contemporary concerns extend well beyond traditional espionage or funding of political parties. Common vectors discussed by governments and researchers include:

• Election interference, such as hacking, leaking, and online disinformation operations.
• Cyber-enabled operations targeting government networks, campaigns, or critical infrastructure.
• Transnational repression, including surveillance, harassment, or coercion of diaspora and dissident communities.
• Elite capture, including undisclosed payments, sponsored travel, or co-opted former officials.
• Information manipulation, via state-aligned media, inauthentic social media accounts, or covert funding of outlets.
• Economic and academic coercion, including pressure on universities, think tanks, or companies.

States have responded with new legal tools. Australia passed the National Security Legislation Amendment (Espionage and Foreign Interference) Act in 2018; the United Kingdom enacted the National Security Act 2023, creating a Foreign Influence Registration Scheme; Canada established a Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in 2023. The United States relies in part on the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) of 1938. The European Union's 2022 Strategic Compass also identifies foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) as a distinct threat category tracked by the European External Action Service.