Lies, Spin and Information Warfare
One important aspect of the GWOT that everyone acknowledges tacitly but not openly is the information war. He who controls the media, controls perception of the war. Perception is reality, reality be damned. Al-Qaeda knows they cannot defeat us militarily. Even their most ardent supporters acknowledge this privately if not publicly. Their only hope is following in the mold of the Viet Cong. Neither CENTCOM nor anyone in the Bush administration has spoken on this issue openly. To acknowledge it openly would cause the MSM to jump on them for lying and spin.
Cheney is often taken to task for his "last throes" comment. I think he was probably overstating things as a means of fighting the information war. He hoped to discourage jihadis while shoring up American public opinion. I think he erred badly in doing so but hindsight is 20/20.
I've cast a skeptical eye at missives intercepted by US forces. I believe many of them are PsyOps designed to keep the enemy off balance and stir the hornets nest. By introducing fake communiques as real, they cause the enemy to question most news reports about their communications and even operations generally. That, in turn, causes the rate of communication to increase which gives US forces a greater chance to intercept actual communications between terrorists.
This one appears genuine but it could be a forgery. I believe it could be real b/c it fits my perception of Al-Qaeda's general state as well as that of the GWOT. I'm simultaneously skeptical because it's too perfect and why isn't the administration crowing about this?
One important aspect of the GWOT that everyone acknowledges tacitly but not openly is the information war. He who controls the media, controls perception of the war. Perception is reality, reality be damned. Al-Qaeda knows they cannot defeat us militarily. Even their most ardent supporters acknowledge this privately if not publicly. Their only hope is following in the mold of the Viet Cong. Neither CENTCOM nor anyone in the Bush administration has spoken on this issue openly. To acknowledge it openly would cause the MSM to jump on them for lying and spin.
Cheney is often taken to task for his "last throes" comment. I think he was probably overstating things as a means of fighting the information war. He hoped to discourage jihadis while shoring up American public opinion. I think he erred badly in doing so but hindsight is 20/20.
I've cast a skeptical eye at missives intercepted by US forces. I believe many of them are PsyOps designed to keep the enemy off balance and stir the hornets nest. By introducing fake communiques as real, they cause the enemy to question most news reports about their communications and even operations generally. That, in turn, causes the rate of communication to increase which gives US forces a greater chance to intercept actual communications between terrorists.
This one appears genuine but it could be a forgery. I believe it could be real b/c it fits my perception of Al-Qaeda's general state as well as that of the GWOT. I'm simultaneously skeptical because it's too perfect and why isn't the administration crowing about this?
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