Putin's Troll Factories

[American Dream]

In terms of State Power and State Violence, for sure. Trump is most obviously connected to the far Right.

I believe in this scenario that Trump, May, the CIA and MI6 are also pointing at the moon.

Is that correct, American Dream?

[American Dream]

As information warfare rages, so much blind loyalty to "sides", too little thinking about social institutions more generally:

SYRIAN WAR IN YEAR 7: THE AGE OF CYBER WARFARE

During the past few years, we have witnessed a drastic decrease in trust in government and mainstream media. In fact, nearly 70% people worry about fake news being used as “a weapon.”. This runs especially true for the U.S which saw a 37 point drop in trust across all institutions according to the 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer . Richard Edelam, CEO of the Edelman company, attributes this ‘crisis of trust’ not to economic issues but ‘lack of objective facts and rational discourse.’

This was the main incentive behind Russian disinformation campaigns. That is to populate the online world with conflicting narratives so that the value of objective facts decreases. From what we can deduce from online opinion on the Syrian chemical attacks and the White Helmets , the formula works.



News channels like RT and Sputnik have repeatedly dismissed chemical attacks by the Syrian Regime as fake news. The news media proceeded to cultivate an understanding that the lies about chemical attacks are attempts by the U.S to enter Syria under an imperialist agenda. Videos shared on social media by pro-Assad outlets like Syrian News1 present the chemical attack as a fake scene acted out by children who are instructed by anti-government ‘terrorists.’ It’s not difficult to spot the differences between real videos of the chemical attack and the one published by Syrian News1. For one, the message delivery of the video shared by the pro-Assad regime isn’t exactly subtle. Huge pro-revolution flags are visible in the background and close-up shots of children fake twitching spoon feed the audience. Secondary, examining the real video shows infants of 3 months lying in a lifeless state for over a minute. That is impossible to fake unless that child was in reality dead, in this case, murdered. Unfortunately, many people are sharing the Syrian News1 video believing the chemical attacks are fake and indeed a ploy by Trump...

The Syria Campaign and The Guardian have both reported on how smear campaigns connected to pro-Kremlin troll accounts manufactured a divisive online climate regarding The Syrian Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmet. A tool called Hoaxy was developed to chart the spread of misinformation online. It found that tweets attacking the White Helmets by linking them to terrorist organizations have reached an estimated 56 million people. The report also exposes how ‘rumours, conspiracy theories and half-truths bubble to the top of YouTube, Google and Twitter search algorithms.’



This was the narrative dominating online media making it the main source of information being consumed by people. Combining falsehoods with a realized history of US-led imperialist intervention in the Middle East led many to support Bashar Al Assad. When compared with US imperialism and terrorist organizations, this narrative paints Bashar al Assad as the lesser of two evils and a combatant against imperialist agents.

More at: http://blackrosefed.org/syrian-war-in-y ... r-warfare/

[Elvis]

A tool called Hoaxy was developed to chart the spread of misinformation online. It found that tweets attacking the White Helmets by linking them to terrorist organizations have reached an estimated 56 million people.

That's great news! More people need to know about the true nature of the White Helmets, their origin, funding, sympathies, and especially their overlapping membership in ISIS terror groups.

White Helmets 1.jpg

The report also exposes how ‘rumours, conspiracy theories and half-truths bubble to the top of YouTube, Google and Twitter search algorithms.’

Is "The Black Rose Anarchist Federation" implying that the above photo collage of prominent White Helmets/ISIS fighters is a "half truth"? A rumor? It could be, but the same men in the same dual roles are seen in other photographs and videos. How can "BRAF" just overlook this and write it off as a "conspiracy theory"? Why do they publish a whole article trying to refute it? Why do they unquestionably regurgitate the press statements of the USUK governments and of course the White Helmets—the MSM's sole news source in these areas? Why do they blindly adopt the government narrative as reality, while ignoring the abundant evidence linking White Helmets with ISIS and exposing their phony news agency?

Now I'm really wondering who is this "The Black Rose Anarchist Federation" and who is behind it. I see "safe" anarchist ramblings along with heavy-handed pushing of selected imperialist, neocon agendas. Offhand, I'd say Bill Kristol could write most of that site with a pretty straight face.

Hmmm...also from BRAF: "Victory of Assad Regime in Ghouta is Major Defeat for Those Fighting Racism and Capitalist Authoritarianism Globally.“ Does that headline sound real?

Secondary, examining the real video shows infants of 3 months lying in a lifeless state for over a minute. That is impossible to fake unless that child was in reality dead, in this case, murdered.

In the first place, video of a corpse doesn't prove anything. Secondly, while infants may indeed have died from gas/chlorine, nothing connects that to Assad except the say-so of some paid PR goons wearing White Helmets.

Funny how these "gas attacks" always occur when and where the Syrian Army is winning—and the White Helmet/ISIS side is losing— and the attacks are always alleged and described by the same anti-Assad White Helmets, and no one else can ever get in to investigate.

When compared with US imperialism and terrorist organizations, this narrative paints Bashar al Assad as the lesser of two evils and a combatant against imperialist agents.

That's actually a pretty good description of the situation. Is BARF, I mean BRAF, saying imperialist agency plays no role in the Syrian conflict? Again, are they fucking serious?

Honestly: if I was a CIA agent promoting USUK imperialism on cutout anarchist websites, I'd write that article, and I'd write headlines like, "Victory of Assad Regime in Ghouta is Major Defeat for Those Fighting Racism and Capitalist Authoritarianism Globally.“

It's the simplest explanation. Or the writer is just seeing through hardline ideological blinders, which happens often enough.

[American Dream]

How Assad's War Crimes Bring Far Left and Right Together - Under Putin's Benevolent Gaze

The 'anti-imperialist' left is now shilling for tyrants in Damascus and Moscow. And conspiracy theories are the toxic glue binding them to their fellow Assad and Putin apologists on the alt-right

Alexander Reid Ross Apr 17, 2018


Putin has decided to preserve the Assad regime, no matter what: Syrian men carrying babies make their way through Aleppo's rubble following airstrikes, September 11, 2016.

In recent months, the crossover between leftists and the far-right in defense of Syria's tyrant and Russian geopolitics has become increasingly obvious. Its implications are potentially disastrous for the course of the international left and political society in general.


A poster of Syrian President Bashar Assad and Russian President Vladimir Putin on a van in Lebanon


Others, like Caitlin Johnstone, have called for the left "to be absolutely shameless about collaborating with people on either side of the ideological divide" on Syria.

Leftists have found in Rupert Murdoch’s media empire a sanctuary to support Russia’s narratives. Just in terms of the past month, Glenn Greenwald joined Tucker Carlson to agree against intervention on FOX News. The Nation’s Stephen F. Cohen denied evidence in the Skripal case on a Sky News Australia program founded by far-right figure Mark Latham...

Journalist Max Blumenthal went on the Rupert Murdoch-owned Australian network a week later to suggest that Syrian rebels are the most likely perpetrators of the Douma attacks.

In this situation of self-parody, it becomes difficult to tell satire apart from reality.

More at: https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/assad-s ... -1.6008713

[Sounder]

The bad-jacketing is getting humorous now.

https://www.rt.com/uk/424716-uk-governm ... ot-russia/

So British 'intelligence' in proving their meddle have identified ian and Partisangirl as Russian bots, trouble is, they are real people calling out the very simple lies of the British govt. One would be forgiven for thinking that if bots were a big deal, the 'intelligence' agencies could identify a bot that is a bot.

So peartreed, who generates noise and who generates signal and which do you prefer?

Yes AD, bla, bla, bla, it's all the fault of Conspiracy Theorists.

[Jerky]

If the bad-jacket fits...

And it's not conspiracy theorists. It's liars and "useful" idiots.

J.

[peartreed]

I'm not sure why you are addressing me, Sounder, as I'm not involved in this thread so far.

I think your reference to British Intelligence proving their "meddle" meant "mettle", but they certainly do meddle too.

As to who generates noise, I would place my bets on someone self-described as a sounder, but the signal has missed transmission.

If AD's posts were much shorter I suspect you might be able to read them better without the, "bla, bla, bla" confused comprehension.

[Elvis]

Syria's tyrant

The "tyrant" who was re-elected with 78% of the vote in an election judged fair by international election monitors.

Imperialist sympathizers never tire of slapping labels like "brutal dictator" on leaders who don't toe the neoliberal line.

[American Dream]

I get the sense that Syrian people are only pawns in the endless shit show. Team trolling problems never seem to quit. I am now 99% of the way to adding Elvis to my blocked list.

There is definitely a better way.

Only We Can Bring Peace to Syria


by Ameenah Sawwan for Adopt a Revolution 20 December 2017



The demise of the Islamic State and the Syrian regime’s reconquering of many areas does not translate into peace for the country.

Ever since I was expelled from Syria and fled to Germany, whenever I attend conferences, meetings, or press events, I tell the same story, again and again, of how it all began: not with al-Qaeda, ISIS, or the CIA, but with peaceful protests against a brutal dictatorship.

After six-plus years of uprising in Syria, I have grown tired of having to keep trying to convince educated people in Germany that Syrian civilians are entitled to protection and that war criminals in Syria must also be brought to justice. It feels like a long time, and it feels as if we have been talking to a wall.

For several months now, more and more Germans have been arriving at the assumption that Assad has won the war. Some have even rejoiced that there is now peace. But what does it even mean to “win” this war, even from Assad’s perspective? Ruling over hundreds of ruined cities and towns as well as hundreds of thousands of dead bodies? Is this what we call victory? Yes, Assad has remained in power, just as he predicted the entire time. He has done so by way of bombing, starvation sieges, gas attacks, torture, mass executions, and expulsion.

As a politically minded person in Syria, life was barely possible

If we assess the situation from a political standpoint alone, Assad still cannot win: he has long since become a puppet of Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah. His allies not only control the military, but Assad has also had to give up control of the Syrian economy. Even his own security forces and intelligence agencies are beginning to elude his power.

Before the Syrian revolution, life was barely possible for politically minded Syrians. Now the climate of fear has become even greater: the areas controlled by Syria’s regime are a real life example of what George Orwell predicted in 1984. This applies in particular to the areas the regime has now supposedly “liberated.”

And I am repeatedly asked the same question in Germany: Why does Assad have supporters who are happy to live under his control? I prefer to respond with a question of my own: Why did Hitler have so many fans? No really, why?

Because, as history has been teaching us for thousands of years, there will always be people who celebrate even the cruelest of tyrants, be it out of ignorance, sadism, fear, or being advantaged by these rulers. But does that make a tyrant’s regime “legitimate”? Does that mean he is allowed to suppress, imprison, torture, starve, and bombard everyone else? I am puzzled by how Germans, of all people given their history, always equate stability with peace or even justice. Have they learned nothing from their past?

Crying on the phone

While writing this article, I received terrible news from back home. My husband’s cousin had been killed by Assad’s shelling in Eastern Ghouta. We hear his family crying on the phone, left feeling how useless we are thousands of miles away from home. Tons of memories are brought up about the long list of loved ones who have been killed since 2011. They all wanted nothing more than what I see here on the streets of Germany as a matter of fact: a life in peace and freedom. In Germany, a lot is being said about Assad’s “victory” in Syria—all the while thousands continue to die there.

One example can be seen in the UN offices in Damascus watching 400,000 civilians being starved and isolated in Eastern Ghouta. The UN has enabled the Assad regime to use a veto over aid deliveries to areas outside of Assad’s control. Over 400 patients need urgent medical assistance in Eastern Ghouta. If the regime continues to deny their evacuation from the besieged areas, they will be left to slowly die in front of their families. Hunger has been used as a weapon of war in Syria for years now, and nowhere has this been felt more than in the outlying areas around Damascus.

It is not over. Despite the “de-escalation zones,” civilians continue to die in the rubble of their bombed-out homes. Tens of thousands of people are still imprisoned by the regime for political reasons. The number of people executed and tortured to death continues to rise. Given all these well-documented crimes, we Syrians do not understand how the international community could be thinking about an end to the war without protecting civilians from these massive war crimes! Or how they can assume that peace is possible without bringing the war criminals to justice!

https://antidotezine.com/2017/12/22/onl ... -to-syria/

[Elvis]

Team trolling problems never seem to quit. I am now 99% of the way to adding Elvis to my blocked list.

AD, are you implying that I am on a "team" here, colluding and acting in concert with others to disrupt your posting? Please state your accusation against me plainly.

[Elvis]

And please explain how responding to posted articles constitutes "trolling."

[American Dream]

I'm not accusing you of any such thing and I don't consider your words much of a response at all, just the same tired talking points.

End of story.

[Jerky]

Syria's tyrant

The "tyrant" who was re-elected with 78% of the vote in an election judged fair by international election monitors.

Imperialist sympathizers never tire of slapping labels like "brutal dictator" on leaders who don't toe the neoliberal line.

To be fair, it was a little more complicated than that, though, wasn't it.

Wikipedia:

Because of the Syrian Civil War which began in March 2011, Syria has the largest refugee population in the world and voting for refugees in certain foreign countries began at Syrian embassies several days before voting in Syria.[1] Domestic and foreign-based Syrian opposition groups boycotted the election and the vote did not take place in large parts of Syria under rebel control.[1][2][3] The areas under Kurdish militia control also did not allow voting due to the refusal of the government to recognize their claim for regional autonomy, though some people traveled to government–controlled areas to vote.[4]

Some rebel groups vowed to disrupt the elections in any way possible, including bombing and shelling polling stations and government-controlled areas.[5][6][7][8] Another statement, issued by the Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union, the Sham Corps, the Army of Mujahedeen and the Islamic Front, said they would not attack voters but warned people to stay at home "in case the Syrian government did"; there were 50 reported deaths from the shelling by the rebels.[9]

Bashar al-Assad was sworn in for his third seven-year term on July 16, 2014 in the presidential palace in Damascus.[10] The Gulf Cooperation Council, the European Union and the United States dismissed the election as illegitimate.[11][12][13][14] Members of this coalition have been condemned by supporters of Assad for supposedly precipitating the civil war through what they claim is the invasion of Syria which is illegal under international law, the UN charter and for providing material and financial support for the terrorist groups.[15][16][17][18][19][20] Attempts to hold an election under the circumstances of a civil war were criticized by UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon and it was widely reported that the elections lacked independent election monitoring.[21][22] An international delegation from more than 30 countries, led by the head of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran's Committee on National Security, issued a statement claiming the election "happened in its constitutional time and date in a transparent democratic way", was "free and fair" and held in a "democratic environment, contrary to Western propaganda".[23][24]

[Elvis]

I'm not accusing you of any such thing

In this juxtaposition of sentences you're clearly suggesting I'm on a trolling team:

Team trolling problems never seem to quit. I am now 99% of the way to adding Elvis to my blocked list.

and I don't consider your words much of a response at all, just the same tired talking points.

But you've never addressed in any depth my responses, which include much more than just words. I've presented a ton of persuasive evidence that you choose to simply shrug off without any counterpoint. That's your right, just please don't call me a troll for responding to posted articles.

[seemslikeadream]

BS did the same thing to Jerky yesterday and not a word was said about it (well I did) except it wasn't exactly the same BS actually called him a troll

I think everyone should stop doing it