- Biden admin’s disinformation tactics
- Historical use in conflicts
- Powell’s Iraq deception example
During our first child’s conception, my wife presented me with a book about prenatal development. It has been discovered that the lungs are among the last organs to develop in premature neonates, which explains why so many of them require intubation.
Upon witnessing the unfolding of Israeli terror at al-Shifa Hospital eight weeks ago, this fact resurfaced within me. There, I developed a preoccupation with the 39 premature infants that had been evacuated from the neonatal intensive care unit and placed in two foil-encased cots. I perceived them in a state of gradual death, gasping for air.
Subsequently, information surfaced that five neonates without identities were found decomposing in the abandoned Al Nassr Paediatric Hospital, where the medical staff and patients had been compelled to evacuate by the Israeli army. I imagined them dying in solitude, in the cold, and in dread.
It is beyond reasonable doubt that senior Biden administration officials have viewed the images and videos. I have no doubt that a significant number of them are appalled by what they have witnessed. Additionally, I am convinced that their knowledge of the atrocity and their consciousness regarding their direct involvement in its creation are factors that contribute to their propensity to falsify intelligence assessments and tell complete falsehoods.
Disinformation in Conflict: Historical Perspectives
Conversely, the Biden administration’s endeavour to propagate false Israeli news conceals another factor: disinformation has historically proven to be an effective instrument during times of conflict and in the perpetration of genocide. Furthermore, it has been widely employed, albeit potentially to a lesser extent in the era of modern media.
The credibility of the United States government in matters of intelligence is minimal. It is worth noting the lacklustre performance by Secretary of State Colin Powell during his 2003 United Nations address, wherein he falsely accused Iraq of possessing weapons of mass destruction and offered a fabricated vial filled with a white substance as substantiation.
However, in the context of warfare, a mediocre presentation and a lackadaisical performance can occasionally suffice. Although nobody was fooled by Powell’s theatrics, his presentation was sufficient to divert attention away from the impending catastrophe.
We eventually realised what we had always known: Iraq contained no weapons of mass destruction. Saddam Hussein was not involved in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Furthermore, the sole discernible uranium yellowcake was concocted by espionage personnel from the United States and Great Britain.
Yet, fabrications concerning Iraq were not novel; Powell’s endeavour stood as a prominent instance among a sequence of disinformation strategies orchestrated by the United States government in an effort to mould public opinion.
Presidential Deception and Public Influence
An event that is arguably the most notorious took place in 1964, offshore the coast of Vietnam, in the Gulf of Tonkin. During that period, the United States invented an account of a skirmish with North Vietnamese forces. The objective was to encourage a domestic escalation of that conflict. It was successful, and millions of Vietnamese civilians perished in an aimless conflict.
President Joe Biden and his advisers are undoubtedly deceiving the public today. They asserted that independent intelligence suggested that a Hamas military installation was located beneath al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. “The first war crime is being committed by Hamas by situating their military headquarters beneath a hospital,” Biden told reporters. Indeed, that is a truth. “Such has transpired.” Naturally, however, it did not.
The fact that numerous individuals did not believe the president is, once more, inconsequential. Misinformation functions a beneficial function in the eyes of those who disseminate it.
The influence of propaganda clouds perceptions of current events. Government officials who report breaking news as they occur are regarded as speaking authoritatively, and the media is obligated to do the same. There is a profound reverence for the presidency as an institution, and the president’s statements are newsworthy by definition.
Due to this deference and the president’s prominence as a news source, presidential falsehoods that are widely disseminated are not directly confronted. Subsequent to the untruths being disputed, the challenges themselves are not regarded as newsworthy.
Disinformation Erodes Democratic Accountability
The president confuses and misinforms voters, making it harder for them to understand and resist violence. By employing disinformation in this manner, policymaking is severed from the standard democratic accountability mechanisms.
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Nonetheless, preliminary indications suggest that disinformation is no longer functioning as it once did. Current news cycles are so fast that the first misconception is debunked before the next can be said. While Israeli leaders endeavoured to establish the conditions for additional heinous acts in Khan Younis and Rafah, located in the southern Gaza Strip, thoughts of Al-Shifa remained within us. At present, the destruction of an almost complete set of 36 hospitals in Gaza persists, with Al-Shifa and Al Nassr Paediatric Hospitals remaining in our thoughts.
Presently, while global attention is directed towards South Africa’s legitimate accusation of genocide against Israel, the White House has opted to divulge additional “intelligence” that reinforces their initial fallacious statement regarding al-Shifa. It is unclear for what reason, but the timing indicates that the worn-out playbook is still in effect.
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