We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Monday, May 9, 2016

Syria, ISIS, and the US-UK Propaganda War

Click here to access article by Eric Draitser from New Eastern Outlook.

Draitser points to a major reason why and how Empire agents keep their populations at least neutralized, and at most, in support of their never ending wars in their mad pursuit of world hegemony.
With the war in Syria raging in its fifth year, and the Islamic State wreaking havoc throughout the Middle East and North Africa, it’s clear that the entire region has been made into one large theater of conflict. But the battlefield must not be understood solely as a physical place located on a map; it is equally a social and cultural space where the forces of the US-UK-NATO Empire employ a variety of tactics to influence the course of events and create an outcome amenable to their agenda. And none to greater effect than propaganda.

Indeed, if the ongoing war in Syria, and the conflicts of the post-Arab Spring period generally, have taught us anything, it is the power of propaganda and public relations to shape narratives which in turn impact political events. Given the awesome power of information in the postmodern political landscape, it should come as no surprise that both the US and UK have become world leaders in government-sponsored propaganda masquerading as legitimate, grassroots political and social expression.
[my emphasis]
I will never stop hammering away at my top revolutionary strategy. Challenging Empire propaganda and indoctrination must be a top priority of a vital, world-wide revolutionary movement. If humans are to survive the coming ravages caused by the practice of capitalism and the latest aspiring world capitalist hegemon, the US-led Empire, they must first mount an effective campaign to create their own independent information agencies. Bloggers, anti-capitalist organizations, and other peace loving people must organize and support such an effort if we are to survive the threats of never-ending wars, a nuclear conflagration, and climate catastrophes. Time is rapidly running out--indeed, it may already be too late! If the latter is the case, let us not disappear from the Earth without a fight!