Gordon M. Hahn, PhD, MA

The problem of sending money to a very corrupt government: - The fortifications in Kharkov were never built as the money disappeared into fake companies - Pointing out the obvious has been condemned as undermining the war effort - a great sin in the West pravda.com.ua/rus/columns/20…

When human beings are fearful, they abandon reason and conform to the in-group for security. The more absurd the lie they accept and repeat, the greater the display of loyalty: - The UK cut itself off Russian energy and bragged it would collapse the Russian economy. The narrative had to be altered when the sanctions failed and European economies suffered instead. So we are now told it was Russia who cut energy supply. We are compelled to pretend the new narrative is based on reality - Orwell wrote: "The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command" - Objective reality must have some value of its own, and not be traded away for convenient narratives supporting the war enthusiasm

The media has yet again dumbed down the legal battle in Georgia over a new law on NGOs. Instead of a rational discussion about the role of NGOs in public diplomacy, we are served mindless propaganda about a struggle of good vs evil, freedom versus authoritarianism, Europe vs Russia etc. - Public diplomacy are government-sponsored initiatives to communicate directly with a foreign public. Should we assume there are always altruistic intentions, and not an effort to subvert foreign societies as part of great power rivalry? - The main NGOs (non-governmental organisations) such as NED and Freedom House are almost completely funded by the US government and commonly staffed by people with close ties to the intelligence community. Indeed, these "NGOs" have been proven to have been established for the explicit purpose of working with the intelligence community to manipulate civil society in other states. Case in point, the head of Freedom House during the 2004 regime change in Ukraine was former CIA Director James Woosley. Why does the media uncritically use the term "NGO" without any context and not question if they advance or undermine democracy? - There is plenty of academic and journalistic reporting on how the US government used NGOs for regime change in Georgia and Ukraine (among other countries). Will the media simply throw this down the memory hole? theguardian.com/world/2004/n… - This is propagandised as a "Russian law", but the US also has laws managing the extent to which foreign powers are allowed to organise and possibly highjack its civil society. Can the media ditch the dishonest and manipulative language? - Be for or against this law in Georgia (the country) that restricts the extent to which foreign governments can mobilise Georgia's civil society, but it should not be too much to ask for an honest and rational discussion instead of this sad propaganda by the media.

How is it possible that none of our journalists can report on CIA Director Burns warning in 2008?: - The threat of NATO expansion could trigger a Civil War in Ukraine & Russia would have to decide if it will intervene - "a decision Russia does not want to have to face" - This report is evidently of public interest, yet it disrupts the war narrative that NATO expansionism is not the cause of the war - Our propagandists believe they are supporting "our side" and "helping Ukraine" by conforming to the war narrative and purging dissent, yet they are undermining any diplomatic path to peace as catastrophe approaches wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/0…