> > > > http://www.jordantimes.com/Mon/opinion/opinion4.htm > > > > Jordan Times > > December 4, 2000 > > > > > > War for Yugoslavia - domination through misinformation > > > > > > After serving at the consulting firm McKinsey and Co. > > and researching at Oxford University and Harvard > > University, Prof Dr Kai-Alexander Schlevogt, a German > > national, became the first permanent foreign professor > > in China's modern history (at Peking University), and > > a senior faculty member at the Australian Graduate > > School of Management in Sydney. Following is the third > > in a series of three articles analysing America's > > intervention in Yugoslavia, an intervention > > "representative of the US strategies elsewhere," > > according to the writer who contributed the articles > > to the Jordan Times. > > > > The war over Yugoslavia was fought not only inside the > > country, but also on a global front, through the > > international public opinion. Although any expert > > would tell you that wars on multiple fronts should be > > avoided at all cost, in this case, the strategy proved > > successful. > > > > During the whole string of events that led to the > > toppling of the legitimate president, America used its > > flagship propaganda mouthpiece, CNN, to broadcast > > manipulated information to a global audience. In > > addition, television stations around the world were > > fed with biased CNN footage and information, on which > > they relied almost exclusively. Together with American > > coercion, most governments and people therefore spoke > > with the same voice (and pictures). > > > > CNN's machination and impact demonstrate that the best > > way to achieve control is to monopolise or at least > > concentrate influence over the source of supply > > instead of the end product market, which, as in the > > media business, is fiercely competitive and thus > > deceives the customer, who believes in the apparent > > pluralism of opinion. > > > > In this case, crude censorship in a large number of > > countries - which is not only difficult to administer, > > but which people who strive for freedom will > > eventually defeat - is not necessary any more, since > > it is substituted by an approach with much higher > > leverage and impact. And since control over > > information is an instrument of power in its own > > right, an occupying force can gradually decree other > > more obvious and obtrusive modes of intervention. > > > > The conscious misinformation, which continued after > > the Kosovo war, confirmed the lesson that the map is > > not the territory. Any fact can be turned upside down > > to suit the needs of the perpetrator of subversive > > schemes. > > > > Following the first law of propaganda, that there > > should always be only one enemy, the media focused > > exclusively on the Yugoslav president. Modern > > technology can transform any person into a villain > > within hours, and the opposite is true as well. > > Without exception, the television networks used camera > > shots showing the president as a grim and seemingly > > ill-intentioned and egregious man. > > > > His picture was routinely framed or followed by > > footage of dead bodies. Why doesn't CNN associate the > > picture of the US president with the hundreds of > > thousands of children in Iraq whom he starved to death > > through his sanctions or with all the people he > > murdered through continuing air attacks on sovereign > > territory? Although this would constitute objective > > reporting, specialists in psychological warfare, which > > the US conducts so masterfully, know that this would > > anchor a negative image in peoples' minds and thus > > refrain from such emotive medleys. > > > > Forcing parallels to the fall of the Berlin wall and > > the "Peking Spring", the global media empire conveyed > > the impression that the whole people in Yugoslavia not > > only opposed the president, but deeply despised him. > > He seemed to stand completely alone in his own > > country. Yet on other occasions, the masses are > > educated about the virtue and inevitability of > > pluralism. How come this time all the people had the > > same opinion? Where was the Yugoslav government? Where > > was his party, the strongest political force in > > Yugoslavia? > > > > Instead of showing both sides with impartiality - a > > principle that the "free press" in the West always > > claims to espouse - CNN manufactured and told a > > one-sided propaganda tale. It probably gave a few > > dollars to some pedestrians and other youth, asking > > them to read their carefully crafted script about how > > glad they were to be liberated. > > > > After several days, the footage showed an increased > > number of celebrating people in the immediate > > aftermath of the uprising - why did the original live > > transmission not show them? > > > > It is also instructive to observe the deprecatory > > language that journalists used to denigrate their > > enemy on all occasions. Until now, the former Yugoslav > > president "continues to cast his shadow" and if he > > stays in the country, reporters fear that "democracy > > will be in danger." > > > > The analysis of American intervention in the Balkans > > showed that the US is the true enemy of democracy, > > denying weaker people their fundamental freedom of > > self-determination and disrespecting other basic human > > rights. > > > > It will be embarrassing for America if the new > > Yugoslav president refuses to be a perfect stooge. If > > he is not a complete villain and retains just a drop > > of national pride, he is unlikely to fully embrace the > > foreign country that ethnically cleansed his > > compatriots in an unprecedented genocide and occupied > > his country. Meddling in the internal affairs of other > > countries may prove to be very cumbersome and is > > therefore better avoided. > > > > It seems also fair to conclude that justice is not > > administered impartially. In disrespect of > > international law, Israel, for example, occupies > > foreign territory acquired by war and uses one of the > > best equipped armies in the world to massacre unarmed > > civilians, many of them children. Although it > > haughtily claims that it is above the law and thus > > systematically ignores UN resolutions, such as those > > calling for the withdrawal from the occupied > > territories, the biased US government neither > > intervenes in the region to enforce international law, > > nor does it unmask Israeli leaders as dangerous war > > criminals. > > > > If the way power is exercised is the true test of a > > man's character, the American president has failed > > badly. Yet lack of integrity - which through all his > > scandals he demonstrated to the whole world in an > > embarrassing fashion - is the only fault that cannot > > be repaired. If the International War Crimes Tribunal > > is truly impartial, it should indict the American > > president and his criminal henchmen in all fields of > > society and all countries for stirring up hate and > > bloodshed in Yugoslavia and elsewhere. If it chooses a > > punishment that fits the offence, America perhaps will > > stop trying to defeat others through illegal schemes > > and, instead, serve them with valiant compassion. > > > > > > > > > > STOP NOVOM SVETSKOM PORETKU > > ___________________________________________________________ > T O P I C A http://www.topica.com/t/17 > Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics > _______________________________________________ Crashlist resources: http://website.lineone.net/~resource_base To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.wwpublish.com/mailman/listinfo/crashlist
