Psychological warfare?

[TheRedOnion]

Ok, here's a conspiracy scenario for you (no, I haven't been watching too much X-Files!)

Some western power, not getting it's way in the middle east decides that it needs to do something to bring people back over to it's way of thinking, to show that it really is a good guy. I know, says some senior spook, let's get into a bit of psychological warfare like in the good ol' days. Let's perform the ultimate outrage by insulting our enemy's most revered symbol. Let's stir them up a bit by getting someone to parody their god in a way that's bound to cause a bit of anger. Let's quietly persuede a country that no-one would ever think of doing such a thing to publish some cartoons that poke fun of our enemy's religion (if we ourselves did it then it would be game over as far as our repution as a superpower went). We won't upset that many of our fellow countrymen as most of them believe in another, more superior deity as worshipped by our great leader. Then we just sit back and let our enemy show himself up to be the bad guy that he is, therefore getting support back for our cause.

Could it ever happen?

[MilnerR]

Both the US and Britain governments could do with another 9/11 style attack to reignite a bit of inane jingoism and ease the political pressure they are facing. Whether they would actively invite such an attack is another matter....

[timmy30]

I did post yesterday about the FACT that the CIA has openly admitted spending some millions of dollars on insterting pro US stories into the Arab media regarding the invasion of Iraq, and that it is not entirely unprobable that the story about these cartoons was inserted in order to show the Muslims, especially the Iranians as a bunch of rabid extremists, just at the point when the US is petitioning the UN security council about preventing Iran from developing a bomb at all costs.

.....still as anoth PHer succinctly suggested my argument that the US would ever do such as thing is apparently "bollox"

>> Edited by timmy30 on Wednesday 8th February 11:15

[TheRedOnion]

timmy30 said:

.....still as anoth PHer succinctly suggested my argument that the US would ever do such as thing is apparently "bollox" >> Edited by timmy30 on Wednesday 8th February 11:15

PsyOps have been going on in one form or another ever since wars began, it's just another part of a nation's armoury. Even during battles of old there were caricatures of generals being lampooned as either drunks or whatever was considered to be taboo at that time. Nothing's changed, it's just got more technical as the centuries go by. If you can get control of the media then you can spin whatever line you want. I don't think people realise the amount of that sort of thing actually goes on in this world.

WMD any one? We were all taken in by that one!

[r988]

They have whole separate departments for PsyOps

lots more info here, especially the history of psyops.

www.specialoperations.com/Army/PSYOP/default.html

[scorp]

TheRedOnion said:

WMD any one? We were all taken in by that one!

I wasn't.

[ohopkins]

Well, I don't think that theory really stands up to the facts. This issue was kicked off by a bunch of newspaper editors, in particular a french editor, NOT the CIA or whoever.

Sugguesting that a french newspaper editor is part of a CIA black psyops program is laughable. I can't think of anyone less likey to go along with such a scheme !

[eccles]

there's definately a lot of spin going on by the powers that be.
you get all positive stories mysteriously appearing in the press, next thing you know, a few weeks later, the government announce a new initiative on that very subject.
i think this goes for foreign policy as well, lots of bad stories appear in the press about a country, next thing you know, we're having some sort of trouble with that country.
its quite easy to see all the spin once you get used to it.

[r988]

ohopkins said:

Well, I don't think that theory really stands up to the facts. This issue was kicked off by a bunch of newspaper editors, in particular a french editor, NOT the CIA or whoever. Sugguesting that a french newspaper editor is part of a CIA black psyops program is laughable. I can't think of anyone less likey to go along with such a scheme !

ah but thats the genius of it