Collusion

Behavior by any individual or entity which conspires, attempts or ultimately serves to coordinate, reinforce or achieve outcomes desired by a separate individual or entity. The term is most often understood relative to scenarios in which the natural outcome would have been different had the collusion not occurred. For example: When actors from a foreign, enemy nation generate false and derogatory narratives or stories designed to exploit social divisions, sway elections and undermine the political institutions of a second sovereign nation, and a third party actor then espouses and advances those false narratives or stories, the later party is guilty of acting in collusion with the former in advancement of their goals. Expanding on the above example, the obligation to avoid engaging in such collusion increases relative to the position of authority held by the offending party - as does the risk of such collusion constituting a criminal act. This is the case in part because of oaths those officials take to uphold the sanctity of public trust, but also because they are often uniquely privy to the very evidence which debunks the narratives, identifies their origin and indicates their nefarious intent. Perpetuating such false and derogatory narratives or stories in disregard of such evidence therefore renders the collusion "willful."