Forums

I just came across the stunning new book by the top intelligence defector from the Soviet Union, Lt. Gen. Ion Mihai Pacepa, called Disinformation: Former Spy Chief Reveals Secret Strategies for Undermining Freedom, Attacking Religion, and Promoting Terrorism (amazon url, with summary and reviews below).
It seems like required reading for any citizen of Their America, since Pacepa claims, among other things, that (a) "During the Cold War, more people in the Soviet bloc worked for disinformation machinery than for the Soviet army and defense industry put together" (p. 38), and most importantly, (b) this unprecedented assault of systematic deception poisoned the consciousness of the young and impressionable global village in profound and still enduring ways, including the precipitous rise in Arab-American tensions.
Especially in regions like mine, where institutions like the media and social organizations, such as those identified by Pacepa, are still comparatively young and fragile, the minds and hearts of Their America seem unusually, even fatally vulnerable to such unseen and almost unimaginable forces. It's like AIDS of the mind.
Of course disinformation has existed as long as information itself, and has been employed in roughly the same manner for thousands of years; but the Soviets, it seems, raised it to a new level, both in sophistication and strategic importance, and were clearly far ahead of their time in realizing its potential impact.
What can be more powerful than disinformation in the Information Age ?
-------
http://www.amazon.com/Disinformation-Strategies-Undermining-Attacking-Promoting/dp/1936488604

A fascinating update on an emerging form of disinformation in the information age:
https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014/02/24/jtrig-manipulation/; by Glen Greenwald, of Edward Snowden fame.

Fascinating thread! Just to offer my two cents, I try to maintain a balanced outlook on foreign affairs, meaning I lend credence to both sides of a story as much as I can, irrespective of my beliefs. I fancy myself a citizen of the world, and I believe too strong an association with a nation's agenda can blur your vision of the whole picture. Moreover, while I find conspiracy theories fascinating, I try not to get too far down that rabbithole either, as you encounter the same agendas just with an opposing view, as well as those who think that anger and hatred are the solutions to corruption or injustice. While on the topic of corruption, the U.S. remains undoubtedly the most powerful nation in the world. How does it maintain this power? It appears to me that it does so by any means necessary, which, invariably, leads to it committing injustices when it encounters resistance. The U.S. is the world hegemony because of its economic and military influence, which revolves around the dollar's standing as global reserve currency. One can argue endlessly about semantics, however, the overarching policy remains: an ever-expanding economy on a planet with finite resources (and everyone is in competition for those same resources!). Who really knows the truth about the U.S. dealings overseas or even domestically, however, there are certainly a lot of loose ends with regards to the version of the events you hear. Is the ceaseless conflict in the Middle East truly because of the threat that region poses to our safety here in the West, or is war simply the most profitable mode of operation? Unfortunately, in the present day, vast amounts of the population can easily be programmed by what's disseminated via corporate media. This raises many questions which I think are healthy to ponder: are they showing real news? Are they rehashing specific events seemingly endlessly to gain support for policy which fits the government or corporate agenda? What is the true disparity between the Republican and Democrat parties? Are political events like elections merely mass distraction mechanisms while the government conducts the business of its choosing? Unfortunately, because of the very nature of politics and power, especially machines too big to fail like that of the American government, I belief disinformation to be pervasive and considered necessary to maintain the status quo.

I think to pigeonhole negative sentiment towards the US as smug anti-Americanism is reductive to say the least. I agree with Tyler that the US has been, at best, a clumsy parent that keeps stepping on its childrens' Lego creations with its size 14 Timberlands, then stepping on their childrens' feet in order to try and put it back together. While I wouldn't say world peace would certainly exist in a world without the United States' interference (a ridiculous claim for even the most fervent anti-American to make), the contributions that they have made to international affairs, particularly in the past decade, have been nothing but problematic, in that they consistently start more problems than they resolve. I'm not exactly savvy on domestic American politics, but thanks to the global village I've encountered many many Americans online, and the majority (as always, not all), their mindset seems to me to be an unapologetically nationalist one that can even erupt into xenophobic outbursts at the slightest criticism of their nation's wrongdoings overseas. How can one expect non-Americans not to foster negative images of the "land of the free", when both their foreign policy and many of their citizens throw themselves under international scrutiny with such recklessly close-minded characteristics? Of course, it is fair to defend your nation if your nation is under unfair or obviously biased attacks, but if the vast majority of the international community is telling you that your country is jingoing to the max, perhaps it's time for some self-examination. (I'm hoping jingoing is actually a word, since Dr. Hamilton is my professor.)

@emfoley13; In my opinion, the popular media outlets in the United States are most to blame for the spread of disinformation and consequent nationalism (and as you say, nationalistic sentiment allows for the snowballing of disinformation, the most vicious of circles in the modern age) - there is an incredible lack of coverage on international affairs that do not concern their own country's interests, in comparison to outlets such as the BBC (my main source) and Al-Jazeera. Possibly the most ironic thing about this, if this is true, the concept of capitalism, which drives America's commercialised media outlets, is responsible for the currently ongoing alienation of Americans from the rest of the global village. It is, in my eyes at least, the main force behind the misinformation. It's as if the fact that the news is saying it makes it gospel truth. I, and the other English/European kids that attended my fairly diverse high school in England, were sporadically reminded by our teachers and elders that the news, no matter how impartial it may seem, always has some agenda behind both what it presents, and how. Perhaps instilling some of this British skepticism into young Americans will help reverse the tides of misinformation.