Propaganda is Daesh’s #1 weapon.

And Daesh #1 soft weapon of choice?  Social media.

How is the US countering?

Thought for the weekend: Propaganda a crucial factor

NATO recognizes that a concerted effort must be made to counter Russian information warfare.  The article makes it clear that it is not propaganda being used against propaganda. The Lviv video is one good effort but it is a drop in the bucket compared to what Russia does on a daily basis.

Sam Jones, Defense and Security Editor, FT

A casual consumer of Russian media might conclude the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, one of the strongholds of the country’s pro-EU uprising, has been overrun by violent fascists.

So a video recently uploaded to YouTube will prove disappointing. Called “Where are all the fascists in Lviv?”, it features a correspondent walking the city’s peaceful streets, interviewing slightly bemused — decidedly un-militant — shoppers.

The online video was produced and published by Nato. It is a modest new weapon the alliance is deploying as it seeks to fight back against a Kremlin information campaign that is posing a new worry for western policy makers alongside Russian bombs and espionage.

“Russia is weaponising information in this crisis,” says James Appathurai, the alliance’s deputy assistant secretary general for political affairs. “They are reaching deep into our own electorates to affect politics.”

National intelligence agencies in the alliance point to what they say is alarming anti-Nato and anti-European rhetoric in the Russian media. The Kremlin has been particularly masterful, they believe, at using a web of disinformation to generate doubt internationally over its huge military support for separatists in Ukraine.

The fear among Nato officials and western policy makers is that the Russian campaign could fatally fracture an already fragile European consensus to maintain tough economic sanctions against Moscow for its behaviour in Ukraine.

In Germany, for example, Chancellor Angela Merkel is contending with a sizeable faction sympathetic to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, whether for business or historical reasons. Other EU members also appear vulnerable to the Kremlin efforts to sow discord, particularly the impoverished former Soviet countries in southeast Europe.

“Information warfare is the spearhead of almost everything Russia is doing,” says Jonathan Eyal, international director at the Royal United Services Institute.

Nato planners accept that Mr Putin “is not mad”, says Mr Eyal, and therefore unlikely to rush headlong into an armed conflict by, for example, sending tanks into the Baltics. “We are talking about dealing with a long-term propaganda campaign instead.”

High-level delegations from across Europe have begun meeting at Nato’s headquarters in Brussels and in national capitals to discuss the challenge. The Lviv video — what Russian agitprop practitioners would call pokazukha, or a propagandistic publicity stunt — is one of the fruits of those meetings.

It has garnered 40,000 views so far. Most normal Nato video uploads manage fewer than 2,000. Nato insiders say more such material should be expected in the future.

There is even talk of reviving cold war ghosts, such as the UK Foreign Office’s Information Research Department, a secretive operation to feed news of Soviet misdeeds to sympathetic journalists. It was shut in 1977.

But even national governments once well-versed in Kremlinology are still somewhat bewildered by the threat.

The recent expansion into Britain of Moscow’s international news channel RT, or Russia Today, has prompted a series of national security discussions at some of the highest levels in the British government, say officials. Yet policy makers are at a loss when it comes of proposals to deal with the threat they perceive, particularly when no laws have been broken.

“Our response to propaganda can’t be more propaganda,” says Oana Lungescu, Nato’s official spokesperson. In the meantime, the alliance is seeking to try to redress a Russian effort that Ms Lungescu says is intended “to confuse, divert and divide”.

The alliance has also put together a new “web portal” called “setting the record straight”. It is available in Russian, Ukrainian, English and French and fleshed out with dozens of documents, statements, videos and images. One section lists 25 “myths” about the alliance coupled with “factual” rebuttals.

Another “timeline” of events compiles links to every single Nato pronouncement, press conference, speech or official Q&A relating to Ukraine and Russia since February.

Perhaps most significantly, the alliance has begun to co-ordinate “messaging” among its members, a senior official said. Shared lines are now being sent out to strategic communications teams working in the foreign ministries of members for use. Shortly before the Nato summit in Wales this September, the alliance also opened a new “centre of excellence” for strategic communications in Riga, Latvia, which is intended to serve as a clearinghouse for anti-propaganda ideas and research.

While Nato has joined the information war, many in the alliance acknowledge its efforts are still in their infancy, particularly when set against a vast Russian campaign.

“[We have] come a long way in responding . . . but clearly it is not enough,” Mr Appathurai says. “There are 20 or so people in Nato’s public diplomacy team who are at work trying to counter an organised, multi-faceted, well-funded Russian operation that is going on across the world.”

Originally published at http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/ad8db1d4-7be6-11e4-a695-00144feabdc0…

Here is what Russia thinks of the relatively new Ukrainian plans for Information Warfare, right from the Kremlin itself.  I need to offer some background information for some of you to understand, as much of it is part of the ‘Russian big lie’.

The scourge of Russia are the British, more hated than even the Americans. According to Russia, the UK is actively acting against Russia, in this case, by doing “information provocation” against Russia.  Disinformation is a major contributor to this effort.  By the way, Russia blames the Brits for the 1905 Russian revolution.

According to Russia, George Soros and the Soros Foundation are the major power behind Western attempts to fight Russia.  Not counter, but fight. This major point has been hammered home repeatedly over the past decade.  True or not, this story is maintained by Russia as fact.

All this is disinformation to sow distrust in Ukraine against the Brits. From the Brits I know who are working with Ukraine, I have never seen a more dedicated and professional bunch, so the concept, to me, is almost insane.

The bottom line, according to Russia, all the events in Ukraine are being manipulated by the UK, for the UK, for the UK’s benefit.  Of course this idea is ludicrous but Russian maintains this alternate reality to create a common enemy, adjust the blame for the ills of Russia to the UK (and also to the US but not in this release), and to obscure reality.  Commonly seen in other missives, are alternate historical lessons.

(Translated from Russian by my Chrome browser)

London: information warfare against the peoples of Russia and Ukraine is created on the orders of London Department of information policy of Ukraine-a new link in the British system of rusofobskogo information space aimed at purging one of the Slavic people against another.

It’s [Ukraine] beginning to understand even some Slavs in the new convocation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The British plan a behind-the-scenes film is obvious-the desire to continue the deflation of the Slavs among themselves by creating disinformation Zombikartiny for the people of Ukraine, using information provocation.

1. The first information of the British chain next: London (headquarters of information operations)-member of the Soros Foundation, a Pashtun, m. Ammar (the work of the “brain-washing” in the Parliament, after he became a Deputy from STD)-a Canadian citizen Schuster (Derby broadcast London meanings on TV channels controlled by London)-Colonel Arthur Suzik (team leader Kibercentra NATO officers arrived in Kiev from Tallinn, March 9, 2014 onwards).

2. London now decided to create a second chain management Dezinformacionnym thread, through the establishment of the Ministry of information policy of Ukraine, all the main candidates for the positions that are defined by the Soros Foundation. Separate Kiev propagandists are surprised: “in our State with the head missing units related to the” information policy”. Task is not mint new by creating a bunch of posts (including the Minister). The challenge is to make an inventory, request detailed records, in the end, “clean”, reformat and bring together available, etc.)”. But these advocates do not understand that this Ministry is intended primarily to ensure British Control to keep “on a short leash” created by the new Government of Ukraine London and guide it to stir up conflict with the people of Russia.

I received a Google Alert about SodaHead.com article titled Military Engaged in Illegal Psychological Operations and Propaganda.

My first thought was “oh no, not another hit piece written by an author trying to replicate a few articles from a few years ago.” Which defense contractor is going to go down in flames now?

I clicked on the article and read it in its entirety.  I was aghast.  The report referenced studies, a Rolling Stone article, improper intelligence operations and so on.  Then everything started to become familiar.

The date on the article by SodaHead.com was December 7, 2014.  Then I clicked on the link at the bottom. https://www.aclu.org/blog/free-speech/military-may-be-engaged-illegal-psychological-operations-and-propaganda-against-us

The date on that article was 03/02/2011, or three and a half years ago.  General Petreaus was mentioned in the article and has since retired from the military, headed up the CIA, had his own scandal, left the CIA and has moved onto another career.  My time has flown.

In the title, alone, SodaHead.com did what I considered a major no-no.  They left out some key words, republishing a momentarily damning but questioning article and transformed it into a damning accusation .  Military May Be Engaged in Illegal Psychological Operations and Propaganda Against U.S. Citizens, in the original ACLU article had been changed to a flat-out statement by SodaHead of Military Engaged in Illegal Psychological Operations and Propaganda.

First, this is an outright false accusation of “Psychological Operations/MISO”.

Second. This article is way out of time synch and creates a headache for anyone in the field.  Whoever fields the telephone in any Psyop/MISO ‘office’ is sure to receive questions.  Of course the Public Affairs folks are going to have to field the questions for the command, so they’re going to need a heads up from Psyop people.

Third. IO and Psyop, as a field, has taken plenty of hits over the years, often over innocent misunderstandings.  In addition to OSD folks purposefully trying to poison the well for IO, there are hungry reporters at legitimate news sources trying to score yet another coup and make a name for themselves.  Here we have a questionable news source at SodaHead.com trying to drive up the hits on their website by publishing a totally flaky report that is dated.

Next, the military does not do propaganda.

Last, I don’t need that kind of a heart attack at this time of night. I’m stupidly staying up well past my bed time and then I read this report from SodaHead?  Now I have to write a blog, damning them to hell, hopefully. Yeah, I can only wish Cezar at SodaHead.com gets his ass fired, but that won’t happen.  I tried to write a damning comment on SodaHead.com but their comment section doesn’t work.  Hence, this blog.

Good honest reporters are great.  They research, they probe, they verify what they are saying is in line with what you said to them.  Cezar obviously didn’t do that.  Cezar is not anybody that I would consider a good honest reporter.  I say again, not a good reporter and a bad staffer.

Paul Roderick Gregory

Good article, however…

I find quite a bit of this article, at this point, good for archival purposes.  The author, Paul Roderick Gregory, has great historical analysis from February 2014 but little since. Many of the Russian paid trolls have shifted to new places. Reporters and sources have told me the St. Petersburg Internet Research Agency has moved buildings in St. Petersburg and made other significant changes.

In November 2014, Russia launched Sputnik as a new propaganda outlet.  Some trolls have shifted to Sputnik’s English language Facebook pages, attempting to ‘shout down’ or overwhelm dissenting opinions.  They seem to be a new bunch, their arguments are not strong, their logic slow and they are easily fooled and lulled into complacency.  Sputnik may be well-funded but they must dip into the same pool of limited skill for their paid trolls.

Putin’s New Weapon In The Ukraine Propaganda War: Internet Trolls

by Paul Roderick Gregory

12/09/2014 @ 8:14AM

The internet troll army’s selling of the Kremlin’s parallel universe to the Russian people and to a skeptical Western audience is a matter of life and death for the Putin regime. If the Russian people do not buy their story, Putin loses the high “ratings” on which his regime rests. If he cannot convince his Western audience, Europe and the United States will take actions that spoil his Novorossiya ventures and threaten his regime. Trolling is a high stakes business that Putin takes seriously and the West must not underestimate.

Germany’s Angela Merkel described Russian President Vladimir Putin, after a phone conversation, as “living in another world.” Like Merkel, we, who write on Russia’s War on Ukraine, have all had our rude introduction to Putin’s “other world.” In his parallel universe, the aggressor is the victim, strangers appoint themselves “premiers” of non-existent “republics,” hundreds of soldiers mysteriously perish in border exercises or “on vacation,” a certified nationally elected government is a “neo-Nazi junta,” and hundreds of tanks and heavy weapons crossing borders are optical illusions.

Putin’s trolls describe the Kremlin’s other world

Putin’s Alice-in-Wonderland can be wacky, mind boggling, irritating, disgusting, cynical, and incorrigible, but underlying it is a sinister narrative of an alternate reality, cleverly designed to promote Putin’s goals and head off effective Western actions.

Putin has used a troll army throughout his presidency that went largely unnoticed prior to the Crimean invasion. The Kremlin indeed requires an “army” to construct a new universe parallel to the “real universe” in which we live. Google GOOGL -0.66% counts 1.5 million media entries under “Putin attacks Ukraine.” The trolls must convince their audience that the Google entry should read instead “Ukraine attacks Russia.” Quite a job!

According to a Buzzfeed account, each troll is expected to post 50 news articles daily and maintain six Facebook and ten Twitter accounts, with 50 tweets per day. At these rates, a small army of one thousand trolls will post 100,000 news articles and tweets per day. The Kremlin does not spare the cash. In a time of austerity, the budget for “participation in the international information space” is scheduled to rise to some $250 million in the next couple of years.
But remember: In Putin’s parallel universe, there is no troll army. They are a fantasy of Western paranoia. It is, however, a fact that these “non-existent” trolls overwhelm “comments” sections of media to render meaningful dialogue impossible. The Guardian’s editor reported 40,000 comments a day by an “orchestrated pro-Kremlin campaign” of pro-Russia trolling on Ukraine stories. Harassed by the flood, some publications have decided to close their comments sections, as the Moscow Times informed its readers:

“Due to the increasing number of users engaging in personal attacks, spam, trolling and abusive comments, we are no longer able to host our forum as a site for constructive and intelligent debate. It is with regret, therefore, that we have found ourselves forced to suspend the commenting function on our articles.”

Continued at http://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderickgregory/2014/12/09/putins-new-weapon-in-the-ukraine-propaganda-war-internet-trolls/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbts31hRH-w

 2014/12/09 • OP-ED

Exposé of Russia Today by Nomistralsforputin.com

Submitted by admin on Sun, 12/07/2014 – 23:35

Russia Beyond the Headline reached 10,162 million readers around the world through its supplements in newspapers’ hard copies in 2013.

Everybody knows Russia Today is Kremlin’s voice while most people ignore they are reading russian propaganda in supplements in the most famous newspapers’ hard copies or that the newly created Sputnik news agency is to become the most influential propaganda machine.

Researching everyday about the Mistral deal, we have come to know better the Russian propaganda news machine as we have to read it everyday to get its disinformation to better fight it. Here are the few things we learned and that are not often covered by the media:

Russia Beyond The Headlines

The most famous newspapers around the world regularly publish a supplement, Russia Beyond the Headlines (RBTH) directly financed by the Kremlin and designed to spread the russian vision of the world: The Washington Post (United States), The New York Times (United States), The Wall Street Journal (United States), The Daily Telegraph (UK), Le Figaro (France), Le Soir (Belgium), The Economic Times (India), El Pais (Spain), etc.

By paying close attention to it, you might be able to spot written in very small letters that this supplement is in fact a paid advertisement but most people simply won’t see this disclaimer.

According to galima-hr.ru, Russia Beyond the Headline reached 10,162 million readers around the world through its supplements in 2013.

RBTH, created in 2007, is sponsored by the Rossiyskaya Gazeta, the Russian government’s official newspaper that receives direct financing from the Kremlin. RBTH pays newspapers to include its supplements, advertorial items disguised as news and part of a larger mediated public diplomacy strategy that complements Russia’s traditional soft power programs.

Back in 2008, the Guardian’s diarist, Hugh Muir, reported that the Russians had admitted to paying the Telegraph £40,000 (≃$60,000) each month to distribute Russia Beyond the Headlines.

During a six-month period from late 2012 to mid-2013, RBTH paid the New York Times more than 1.9 million USD to include its propaganda in the newspaper (declared as fees and expenses).

While the supplement printed and distributed with The New York Times in the US primarily deals with politics, society, economics and bilateral relations, the one for The Washington Post focuses more on culture, history, education and diplomacy. Meanwhile, the supplement distributed with The Wall Street Journal covers business, finance, economics, investments and a bit of lifestyle. The RBTH editors responsible for each of these supplements adjust the stories to a specific audience.

According to 2011 russian studies, some 42% of the readers of the foreign newspapers in which the supplements are published, look through RBTH paying particular attention to such sections as politics and economics.

RBTH presents a slightly different content from Russia Today, in a more tailored and subtle approach and is targeting educated people and intellectuals. Why? Because these are exactly the people who love talking about politics and spreading ideas. And they normally defend an idea brilliantly, as wrong as this one can be.

Russia Beyond the Headlines is one of the sneakiest and most efficient tools Russia has to spread its ideas.

Sputnik

We were very surprised to read not long ago in a new state-funded russian website called Sputnik that India did not link its own deal with France to the Mistral deal. This does not go towards the usual russian propaganda that is trying to scare French people while getting Russians used to the fact that they will most certainly not receive the war ships.

Sputnik started a month ago and is for now trying to get some respectability by spreading news that are only half twisted compared to other russian media. It will include a news information agency, radio stations in 34 countries around the world. Sputnik is state-owned by the agency, Rossiya segodnya and will gradually replace the RIA Novosti news agency and Voice of Russia that was the official russian propaganda machine since 1929.

The design of Sputnik’s website, very modern and different from the traditional russian news agencies, is representative of the change wanted: the look is different but the content is almost the same. It should help russian vision of the world to infiltrate minds.

Sputnik is more or less the equivalent of changing the paper around a candy, the bad taste is the same but it looks more attracting.

Russia Today

Continued at http://nomistralsforputin.com/drupal/?q=RussianPropaganda

Firemen struggle to extinguish the blaze at the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline near the eastern Turkish city of Erzincan on Aug. 7, 2008. The BTC pipeline was burning from an explosion on Aug. 6, and was not reopened until Aug. 25, 2008.

This report is a good synopsis of the vulnerabilities of our key infrastructures.  We have a long way to go.

By Jordan Robertson and Michael Riley Dec 10, 2014 5:00 AM ET

The pipeline was outfitted with sensors and cameras to monitor every step of its 1,099 miles from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean. The blast that blew it out of commission didn’t trigger a single distress signal.

That was bewildering, as was the cameras’ failure to capture the combustion in eastern Turkey. But investigators shared their findings within a tight circle. The Turkish government publicly blamed a malfunction, Kurdish separatists claimed credit and BP Plc (BP/) had the line running again in three weeks. The explosion that lit up the night sky over Refahiye, a town known for its honey farms, seemed to be forgotten.

It wasn’t. For western intelligence agencies, the blowout was a watershed event. Hackers had shut down alarms, cut off communications and super-pressurized the crude oil in the line, according to four people familiar with the incident who asked not to be identified because details of the investigation are confidential. The main weapon at valve station 30 on Aug. 5, 2008, was a keyboard.

The revelation “rewrites the history of cyberwar,” said Derek Reveron, a professor of national security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.

Countries have been laying the groundwork for cyberwar operations for years, and companies have been hit recently with digital broadsides bearing hallmarks of government sponsorship. Sony Corp.’s network was raided by hackers believed to be aligned with North Korea, and sources have said JPMorgan Chase & Co. blamed an August assault on Russian cyberspies. Security researchers just uncovered what they said was a campaign by Iranian hackers that targeted commercial airlines, looking for vulnerabilities that could be used in physical attacks.

Continued at http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-10/mysterious-08-turkey-pipeline-blast-opened-new-cyberwar.html

I was in a discussion today about information being used in social media as a possible weapon.  The people I was talking with have a tool which scrapes social media sites, gauges their sentiment and gives the user the opportunity to automatically generate a persuasive response. Their tool is called a “Social Networking Influence Engine”.  No, not related to the SMISC BAA from a few years ago. Better.

I was then asked if we need an export license from the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) folks at the US Department of State for us to sell it to another country.

My short answer is, I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.

Can this be categorized as a munition?  I looked through and it does not seem to apply.

The implications seem to be profound for the information environment.

First, if it is true we need ITAR approval to sell to another country, it is a validation of decades of work saying that information is a weapon. As a historical precedent, in 2001/2002 the US Army took approval for operational use of IO away from then LIWA and put it at the Army Staff, now G-3/5/7. LIWA belonged to INSCOM, the US Army’s Intelligence and Security Command.  Up until that point only intelligence organizations, or US Code Title 50, had oversight and approval authority over the use of Information Operations.  After that point the oversight and approval belonged to Title 10, or the operational part of the Army. The Army recognized information could be categorized as a weapon.

A small caveat, when most people referred to IO at that point, they were specifically thinking of cyber.  This was also one of the major sticking points of the US Cyber Command. Thus, almost every IO person was widely miscategorized as a cyber expert whereas IO was and is all about influence.  Yes, that includes cyber.  Cyber for cyber’s sake is a waste of electrons without an underlying purpose.

Second, if information is categorized as a weapon, this means that all facets of information activities should be integrated with all other parts of information activities.  Things like Public Relations and Public Affairs should be under operational control authorities.

Third, timing is critical, so press releases, press conferences and other information activities should be integrated with all other information activities so their impact is maximized.  No more typing it up and just hitting send, no sir. Perhaps if that information needs to be released as quickly as possible, yes.

The implications may have far-reaching impact beyond Department of Defense.  The people who own this tool are in the civilian world and don’t even remotely touch the defense sector, so getting approval from the US Department of State might not even occur to them.  If this does require ITAR approval, the corporate world that deals with information and influence will definitely be affected.

The worst thing about this is if State says ‘yes, you need ITAR approval’.  Then the company would have to go through excruciating pain and submit the packet of paperwork and wait for someone to ‘approve with the appropriate caveats’.

So…   my question is, who at the US Department of State must I coordinate with to get a ruling if this “Social Networking Influence Engine” must receive ITAR approval?

It’s been a very good year in the information environment.  I made Santa’s nice list and Russia is on his naughty list.

Counterpropaganda is becoming a new buzz word.  Who does it?  It’s easiest answered by saying Russia puts out propaganda and everyone else responds.  But the US, UK and Ukraine head up the list of those doing counterpropaganda.

Influence is rising at a meteoric rate because this is what our world does, we influence. You Public Affairs people who only inform are ignoring what happens when that stuff you are throwing hits the wall.  Or it hits a target.

Russia is on everyone’s naughty list, only they’re not getting coal from Santa, they already stole their fair share from Ukraine.  It’s interesting, whoever is doing information warfare in Russia must be assuming the world has the attention and memory span of a gnat.

The United States is on my naughty list, we have all these holes in our capabilities list, yet we choose to do nothing. The BBG was excoriated by a report, yet they chug along doing the same old, same old.  State is concentrating on Daesh and now and then gives lip service to much of the rest of the world, throwing their big bucks at the NCTC. Congress is inactive. Actually one committee at the House approved an International Communications Agency and…  that’s where it is stalled. The White House…  when I first typed that my finger slipped and it was “shite”, perhaps I should keep that spelling. Ben Rhodes is hiding under a rock when it comes to SC. Oh, yes, there is no counterpropaganda effort.

Ukraine is a bright shining star.  They approved a Minster of Information Policy. They received a National Information Strategy and are working on a counterpropaganda center.  Hopefully they are going to remove the paywall at KyivPost.com

This blog passed the 1,000 mark in late November 2014.

We are getting a ton of hits from around the world, even a bunch of Russia/RF.  I was used to getting a ton of hits from Russia and for a period of almost one week, nothing.  No hits from Russia – at all.  So I asked some friends in Russia, am I blocked?  The next day, tons of hits from Russia.  My conclusion?  Who knows, who cares.

Here is who visited “To Inform is to Influence” this year.  My biggest disappointment is Greenland is not on the list. Such a big landmass, no hits.

Update:  I just noticed I got a hit from “Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea”.  North Korea?  Wow, I am impressed. 

December 12, 2014

WASHINGTON – The United States Senate has confirmed two new members to serve on the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees all U.S. government-supported civilian international media.

The Senate tonight unanimously approved Michael Kempner and Dr. Leon Aron for membership on the bipartisan board. In the coming days, the new Governors will be appointed by the President and sworn in.

“We look forward to welcoming these talented and experienced professionals to the Board,” said Chairman Jeff Shell. “I am confident they will make meaningful contributions to our efforts to serve the critical mission of U.S. international media.”

Michael W. Kempner is the Founder, President, and CEO of MWW, a public relations firm he founded in 1986. He is board member of Goodwill Industries International and a Founding Board Member of ConnectOne Bancorp.  He served on the White House Council for Community Solutions from 2010 to 2012.  In 2013, he was named Agency Leader of the Year by PR News, Executive of the Year by American Business Awards, and Agency Professional of the Year and Communications Professional of the Year by Bulldog Stars of PR.  Mr. Kempner received a B.S. from American University.

Dr. Leon Aron is Resident Scholar and Director of Russian Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a position he has held since 1993.  He was a weekly Contributor at the Voice of America’s Russian language radio and television show Gliadya iz Ameriki (Looking from America) from 1990 to 2004.  Dr. Aron was previously an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University from 1994 to 1996 and a Senior Policy Analyst at the Heritage Foundation from 1987 to 1992.  He was awarded the Peace Fellowship from the U.S. Institute of Peace from 1992 to 1993.  Dr. Aron received a B.A. from Moscow State Pedagogical Institute and an M.A. and a Ph.D. from Columbia University.

The Broadcasting Board of Governors is an independent federal agency, supervising all U.S. government-supported, civilian international media, whose mission is to inform, engage and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy. BBG networks include the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (Alhurra TV and Radio Sawa), Radio Free Asia, and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (Radio and TV Marti).

Source: http://www.bbg.gov/blog/2014/12/12/senate-confirms-two-new-members-for-the-bbg-board-2/

Three Rtut-BM radio electronic warfare systems have crossed today into Donbas at the Izvarine checkpoint, Prava sprava NGO head Dmytro Snehiriov writes in Facebook Dec. 13.

Rtut is a modern weapon protecting troops and equipment on the 50-hectare area.

Its other functions are to jam communication and radars.

Earlier, Ukraine army reported the presence near the border with Ukraine of Krasnukha – 4 radio electronic warfare systems able of invalidating satellites, land radars and AWAKS planes.

Krasnukha generates powerful interference to radars and other radio signal emitting systems.

The deployment of such weapons indicates Russia’s growing capacity and preparedness to escalate the war in Donbas, the activist writes.

Source: http://zik.ua/en/news/2014/12/13/russia_deploys_three_electronic_warfare_systems_to_donbas_548935

RFE/RL
December 12, 2014

[Video and comments here http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-ukraine-lies-stopfake-kremlin-propaganda/26739439.html%5D

The folks at StopFake.org [http://www.stopfake.org/en/news] are committed to uncovering untrue or misleading information being disseminated by Russian media about the crisis in Ukraine.

And now StopFake has published a video (below) that runs down the Top 75 lies and untruths of 2014.

“Obviously, when you see these, you’ll see there’s a purpose behind all of these deliberate attempts from the Kremlin to spread disinformation about the war in Ukraine,” says the video’s host, Sam King. “It’s part of their war effort. It’s their first line of offense against other countries. It’s more than propaganda.”

StopFake says most of the cases cited find Kremlin-back media companies using old or mislabeled photographs to create false reports.

We’d like to hear your favorite Kremlin untruths about the Ukraine crisis. They can be examples cited in the video or perhaps ones that have not received a lot of attention

The Interview (2014)

On Friday I did a blog giving a synopsis of the past year – 2014. I listed all the countries which visited this site during the past year.

I noted that nobody from Greenland visited my blog.  You can see it in the map, below.  Greenland, no. North Korea, yes.

After I published the blog I scrolled up from the bottom and something caught my eye.  Towards the very bottom was “Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea”.

Wow.

Just between us girls, that is a significant step, a giant leap forward.

North Korea has extremely limited bandwidth, few computers and I am relatively certain they don’t cruise a lot of sites not on the master approved list.

Probably I mentioned North Korea in a blog and they wondered why.

I’ve often cruised their propaganda YouTube page, uriminzokkiri and NORTH KOREA TODAY (DPRK NEWS CHANNEL) – rodrigorojo1.

Regardless, visitors from North Korea, from the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, you are always more than welcome.

But please, let me watch the movie in peace?  It looks like a fun movie!

This map shows someone from North Korea visited this blog, but not someone from Greenland! I mean, like what did I ever do to tick off Greenland?

Tymchuk: Russia delivers mercenaries along with ‘humanitarian convoy’

15.12.2014 | 13:19