Saturday, November 15, 2014

Geopolitical Risk Theater Links: Obama’s Commitment to Asia, ISIS’s gold standard, Syrian Hero Boy a Fake, and more…


1 A submarine intrusion on Swedish waters has been validated, claims the Swedish government. Mystery mini-sub vindicates Swedish navy Financial Times Blog, November 14, 2014. Yet could the sighting have been instead the Nessie (Loch Ness Monster) gone astray? (pun intended)

2 Possibly stunned by the unfortunate encounter in the Black Sea, the US parades modern hardware : US Navy deploys laser weapon to Persian Gulf for first-ever combat mission RT.com November 14, 2014.

​Washington's allies in the Asia Pacific can transform the region into a better place if threats like ISIS, Ebola, and "aggressive Russia" are contained – and this can be done with America's leadership, US President Barack Obama told Australian students.
How valid is the POTUS commitment, when the US government has been fighting multiple wars around the world simultaneously?

4 More of Russia’s military caper; NATO Jets Intercept Russia Military Plane Over Baltics Bloomberg.com November 14, 2014


6 It’s ok for the US and allies to intervene in Ukraine politics but the same does not hold true for Putin: G20: David Cameron warns Russia of more Ukraine sanctions BBC.com November 15, 2014

7 Why the absence of the downing of MH17 in western media? Has it been because evidence have been turning against previous claims? : Russia claims this satellite image shows moment flight MH17 was shot down by fighter jet Mirror.co.uk November 14, 2014

8 More Big stick strategy by the Chinese government? :China's New Submarine-Hunting Ship Shows How Beijing Is Countering The US Pivot To The Pacific Business Insider November 13, 2014


...or has this been part of the CIA plot?

10 conflicting reports. Has the ISIS been in control or have they been losing, which to believe? : US Airstrikes Not Slowing ISIS Campaign in Iraq: Jane’s Antiwar.com November 15, 2014 or Isis: the Kurds strike back - Iraqi army retakes control of oil refinery town as Kurds stand firm against overstretched Islamic State Independent.co.uk November 15, 2014

11 ISIS gains new ally: AP sources: IS, al-Qaida reach accord in Syria November 14, 2014

12 French government in a quandary; to deliver or not to deliver on military hardware to Russia? :  France hits back after Russia warns of Mistral compensation Reuters.com November 14, 2014 

13 Propaganda to justify interventions? : Syria ‘Hero Boy’ Video Revealed to be Government Propaganda Lewrockwell.com November 14, 2014

Writes Daniel Adams
One problem: the whole thing was a fake. The Norweigan Film Institute, funded by the government of NATO-member Norway, chipped in $30,000 for the film to be produced in Malta and released publicly without informing viewers that it was not authentic footage.

The filmmakers made it clear to the Norwegian government in their funding application that they would not reveal that the footage was fake and authorities raised no objection to the operation.

The BBC wrote about how so many people were fooled by the film:

"So once the film was made, how did it go viral? “It was posted to our YouTube account a few weeks ago but the algorithm told us it was not going to trend,” Klevberg said. “So we deleted that and re-posted it.” The filmmakers say they added the word “hero” to the new headline and tried to send it out to people on Twitter to start a conversation."

By the time its in authenticity had been established, millions were outraged at the Assad government. Propaganda depends on framing the issue first. No one reads corrections once a false story is printed.

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