--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The unfortunate truth is that Russia was…" description: "\"The unfortunate truth is that Russia was the foreign power that systematically attacked our democratic institutions in 2016.\" — Fiona Hill" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae4/fiona-hill-10019_institutions_the-unfortunate-truth-is-that-russia-was_2935614.jpg" --- # The unfortunate truth is that Russia was the foreign power… ![“The unfortunate truth is that Russia was the foreign power that systematically attacked our democratic institutions in 2016.” quote by Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae4/fiona-hill-10019_institutions_the-unfortunate-truth-is-that-russia-was_2935614.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae4/fiona-hill-10019_institutions_the-unfortunate-truth-is-that-russia-was_2935614.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae4/fiona-hill-10019_institutions_the-unfortunate-truth-is-that-russia-was_2935614.jpg) > “The unfortunate truth is that Russia was the foreign power that systematically attacked our democratic institutions in 2016.” [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Russia systematically interfered with U.S. democracy in 2016, acting as a hostile foreign power. **In simple terms:** Russia meddled in U.S. elections. Key Takeaway Guard against foreign interference. Themes politics security foreign influence Mood serious urgent Type policy analytical When to use this quote - election security - policy making - public awareness - intelligence analysis Key Concepts democracy information warfare Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards can prevent future interference? - How do we balance security and civil liberties? A Different Perspective Attribution can be politically contested. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Russia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/russia/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [What we have done over the last 40 or 50 years is systematically attacked and weakened the parties, the political machines, the professionals, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-rauch/what-we-have-done-over-the-last-40-or-50-years-is-systematically/) [Jonathan Rauch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-rauch/) > [Here’s a secret intel bulletin for all y’all who’ve never left Yoknapatawpha County and imagine the United States is constantly on the precipice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-thompson/here-s-a-secret-intel-bulletin-for-all-y-all-who-ve-never-left/) [Chuck Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-thompson/) > [We will not stand idly by while any entity - be it a foreign power or corporation - seeks to criminally or unfairly undermine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-a-wray/we-will-not-stand-idly-by-while-any-entity-be-it-a-foreign-power-or/) [Christopher A. Wray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-a-wray/) > [Through knowledge and understanding we will drive from the temple of freedom all who seek to establish over us thought control - whether they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/through-knowledge-and-understanding-we-will-drive-from-the-temple-of/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [Sovereignty is not negotiated in exchange for anything; to maintain the achievements of the revolution does not depend on a foreign power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fidel-castro/sovereignty-is-not-negotiated-in-exchange-for-anything-to-maintain/) [Fidel Castro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fidel-castro/) > [It is illegal to ask a foreign power to interfere in a domestic election.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-espy/it-is-illegal-to-ask-a-foreign-power-to-interfere-in-a-domestic/) [Mike Espy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-espy/) > [I am against intervention by a foreign power against us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-sharett/i-am-against-intervention-by-a-foreign-power-against-us/) [Moshe Sharett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-sharett/) > [In the past, people didn't necessarily want their king to be kind. If a foreign power was threatening the country, they wanted him to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-worsley/in-the-past-people-didn-t-necessarily-want-their-king-to-be-kind-if-a/) [Lucy Worsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-worsley/) > [But if we are to be told by a foreign Power . . . what we shall do, and what we shall not do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/but-if-we-are-to-be-told-by-a-foreign-power-what-we-shall-do-and-what/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [Always there has been some terrible evil at home or some monstrous foreign power that was going to gobble us up if we did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/always-there-has-been-some-terrible-evil-at-home-or-some-monstrous/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [“... if one hasn't been through, as our people mercifully did not go through, the horrors of an occupation by a foreign power, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-eden/if-one-hasn-t-been-through-as-our-people-mercifully-did-not-go/) [Anthony Eden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-eden/) > [We should care that a foreign power can murder anyone on British soil with impunity. Allowing it to happen means that we cannot protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-batten/we-should-care-that-a-foreign-power-can-murder-anyone-on-british-soil/) [Gerard Batten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-batten/) > [I sincerely join you in abjuring all political connection with every foreign power; and tho I cordially wish well to the progress of liberty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-sincerely-join-you-in-abjuring-all-political-connection-with-every/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [FISA targets those who are 'agents of a foreign power.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-wilson/fisa-targets-those-who-are-agents-of-a-foreign-power/) [Rick Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-wilson/) > [The minimum that most minimalists want leaves in place just the institutions who protect their interests. That's libertarians for you - anarchists who want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/the-minimum-that-most-minimalists-want-leaves-in-place-just-the/) [Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/) ## More by Fiona Hill > [The Cold War was obviously driven by a very intense ideological struggle that was very clearly defined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/the-cold-war-was-obviously-driven-by-a-very-intense-ideological/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [Outside of the Moscow elite and a very small urban elite, Russia is one great big blue-collar country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/outside-of-the-moscow-elite-and-a-very-small-urban-elite-russia-is/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [People in Washington, D.C., may not be paying that much attention to what's happening in Chechnya, but people in Riyadh and Amman and elsewhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/people-in-washington-d-c-may-not-be-paying-that-much-attention-to/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [I have worked hard and emigrated to the U.S., and I think of myself as working class but I'm probably not any more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/i-have-worked-hard-and-emigrated-to-the-u-s-and-i-think-of-myself-as/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [We've got ourselves into a situation where government service is somehow seen to be a political act rather than an act of civic duty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/we-ve-got-ourselves-into-a-situation-where-government-service-is/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [For Putin, Syria is all too reminiscent of Chechnya. Both conflicts pitted the state against disparate and leaderless opposition forces, which over time came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/for-putin-syria-is-all-too-reminiscent-of-chechnya-both-conflicts/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [The Russians didn't invent partisan divides. The Russians haven't invented racism in the United States. But the Russians understand a lot of those divisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/the-russians-didn-t-invent-partisan-divides-the-russians-haven-t/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [New ties between Russia and Japan would mark not only a breakthrough in their relations but also a significant shift in Northeast Asia's political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/new-ties-between-russia-and-japan-would-mark-not-only-a-breakthrough/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [In the instance of Iran for Russia, Iran is a very important counterweight to the Sunni Muslim powers in the Gulf, but Russia's always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/in-the-instance-of-iran-for-russia-iran-is-a-very-important/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [The idea is that Putin-Trump would be a win-win for the Kremlin, as they have mutual interests and alliances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/the-idea-is-that-putin-trump-would-be-a-win-win-for-the-kremlin-as/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [You could say that by standing up to Russia, the U.S. is finally getting some balls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/you-could-say-that-by-standing-up-to-russia-the-u-s-is-finally/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [So with President Obama, he's a very different style. Very thoughtful, posed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/so-with-president-obama-he-s-a-very-different-style-very-thoughtful/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [Because the more you engage with someone who is spreading untruths, the more validity you give to those untruths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/because-the-more-you-engage-with-someone-who-is-spreading-untruths/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [I grew up poor with a very distinctive working-class accent. In England in the 1980s and 1990s this would have impeded my professional advancement.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/i-grew-up-poor-with-a-very-distinctive-working-class-accent-in/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [I am very confident based on all of the analysis that has been done - and, again, I don't want to start getting into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/i-am-very-confident-based-on-all-of-the-analysis-that-has-been-done/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) [Explore all 68 Fiona Hill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) ## More Institutions quotes > [The minimum that most minimalists want leaves in place just the institutions who protect their interests. That's libertarians for you - anarchists who want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/the-minimum-that-most-minimalists-want-leaves-in-place-just-the/) [Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/) > [“Economists have a singular method of procedure. There are only two kinds of institutions for them, artificial and natural. The institutions of feudalism are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/economists-have-a-singular-method-of-procedure-there-are-only-two/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [I find the family the most mysterious and fascinating institution in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/i-find-the-family-the-most-mysterious-and-fascinating-institution-in/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [Every profession has an ideology and a drive for power that goes far beyond its achievements and it is the task of democracy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/every-profession-has-an-ideology-and-a-drive-for-power-that-goes-far/) [Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/) > [Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-josiah-brewer/our-laws-and-our-institutions-must-necessarily-be-based-upon-and/) [David Josiah Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-josiah-brewer/) > [In coming to that agreement, my party had a clear philosophy throughout. In Northern Ireland, we should have institutions that respected the differences of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hume/in-coming-to-that-agreement-my-party-had-a-clear-philosophy/) [John Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hume/) > [If you ask why I do what I do - I want to make a difference. I don't just want to maintain the status…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-broad/if-you-ask-why-i-do-what-i-do-i-want-to-make-a-difference-i-don-t/) [Eli Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-broad/) > [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [It is impossible to build enduring institutions without solid values. For us, the fundamental value is that associated with democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-henrique-cardoso/it-is-impossible-to-build-enduring-institutions-without-solid-values/) [Fernando Henrique Cardoso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-henrique-cardoso/) > [If he's - the inference is that somehow he thinks slavery is a - is a noble institution I would - I would strongly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/if-he-s-the-inference-is-that-somehow-he-thinks-slavery-is-a-is-a/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Every morning when I pick up the newspaper and read about an earthquake in Japan or problems in European financial institutions, the first question…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-schapiro/every-morning-when-i-pick-up-the-newspaper-and-read-about-an/) [Mary Schapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-schapiro/) > [The "family" has clearly emerged anew in the late 1970s as a central subject for discussion, debate, research and writing in bothscholarly and popular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/the-family-has-clearly-emerged-anew-in-the-late-1970s-as-a-central/) Sheila Kamerman > [Individually, museums are fine institutions, dedicated to the high values of preservation, education and truth; collectively, their growth in numbers points to the imaginative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hewison/individually-museums-are-fine-institutions-dedicated-to-the-high/) [Robert Hewison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hewison/) > [The more subsidized it is, the less free it is. 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So sometimes, you know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/it-may-be-changing-but-still-it-s-the-one-place-that-total-control-of/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) [Browse all 2,906 Institutions quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The unfortunate truth is that Russia was the foreign power that systematically attacked our democratic institutions in 2016.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Fiona Hill" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/the-unfortunate-truth-is-that-russia-was-the-foreign-power-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Institutions" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/the-unfortunate-truth-is-that-russia-was-the-foreign-power-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae4/fiona-hill-10019_institutions_the-unfortunate-truth-is-that-russia-was_2935614.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae4/fiona-hill-10019_institutions_the-unfortunate-truth-is-that-russia-was_2935614.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae4/fiona-hill-10019_institutions_the-unfortunate-truth-is-that-russia-was_2935614.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The unfortunate truth is that Russia was the foreign power that systematically attacked our democratic…” — Fiona Hill", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Fiona Hill", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The unfortunate truth is that Russia...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/the-unfortunate-truth-is-that-russia-was-the-foreign-power-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/the-unfortunate-truth-is-that-russia-was-the-foreign-power-that/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```