Pentagon plants "surrogates" in US TV

Pentagon wages war on American public

Following the publication of an eleven-page New York Times exposé, the Pentagon has been revealed as having intimate ties with over 150 TV military analysts, shaping their opinions of sensitive military issues through confidential briefings and trips, and in many cases, using them strategically as government mouthpieces. After successfully suing the Department of Defense for over 8,000 pages of emails, transcripts and messages detailing Pentagon operations from Iraq to Guantánamo Bay, the Times has uncovered a vast media campaign aimed at promoting U.S. foreign policy through these high profile military analysts, or what the C.I.A. nicknamed ‘key influentials.' According to the Times: "Internal Pentagon documents repeatedly refer to the military analysts as "message force multipliers" or "surrogates" who could be counted on to deliver administration "themes and messages" to millions of Americans ‘in the form of their own opinions.'"

Since early 2001, the government has worked closely with a majority of analysts from every prominent TV news network, holding regular meetings with former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and using the analysts to advocate controversial military endeavors, in particular the war in Iraq. According to the report, the government spent hundreds of thousands of dollars closely monitoring the analysts' media activity in order to determine how well they towed the party line, and ‘brand' them accordingly. While all of the analysts are retired from the military, many are currently employed as military contractors, retaining close ties to the administration that most TV networks were previously unaware of. In light of the article, many of these networks have reevaluated their relationships with these analysts.

The toD verdict: As another disturbing example of the U.S. government's disregard for boundaries, this week's revelation casts greater doubt on remaining government credibility, exemplifying the Pentagon's willingness to approach even domestic issues with a military attitude. With the Times describing the campaign as a "media Trojan horse" the government has further contributed to the deteriorating autonomy of news organizations, continuing a trend that became apparent with the arrest of New York Times reporter Judith Miller last year. Hopefully, the magnitude of this story will reinvigorate the media's responsibility to act as a watchdog, and call attention to the necessity of doing so under the current administration.

Hundreds killed in clash with rebels in northern Sri Lanka

Hundreds have been left dead after recent clashes between Tamil separatists and government soldiers in northern Sri Lanka. The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have claimed responsibility for killing 100 government soldiers and wounding over 500, although the government has stated that it killed 100 Tigers and is reporting only 43 of its soldiers dead. Regardless, hospitals throughout the capital of Colombo are filled with wounded soldiers evacuated from Jaffna, a region the Tigers ran as a separate state until 1995.

Al-Qaida commander demands cease-fire in Pakistan

Following the beginning of peace talks with the new Pakistani government, Al-Qaida-affiliated militant Baitullah Mehsud has ordered his followers to cease attacks in Pakistan. Mehsud, who is widely suspected of orchestrating the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, distributed leaflets throughout the South Waziristan region of Pakistan this week telling militants to hold their fire, and threatening those who disobeyed him with being "strung up in public." The willingness to engage in talks comes after the new coalition government has begun to break with the policies of standing president Pervez Musharraf, who has been heavily criticised for his support of the U.S. ‘war on terror.'

Burundian rebels attack home of papal envoy

In the latest incidence of a wave of violence that has already claimed 33 lives this week, rebels in Burundi fired mortar bombs at the capital of Bujumbura, hitting the home of Vatican envoy Paul Richard Gallagher. Fighters from the Forces for National Liberation (FLN) claimed that the attack was an act of self-defence against the Burundian army, and have been responsible for several fatal attacks since peace talks dissolved last July. The rebel group is widely considered the remaining obstacle to national stability following a decade long ethnic civil war.

Video reveals North Korean involvement in Syrian nuclear plans

A video shot inside a secret Syrian plant has revealed North Korea's complicity in helping Syria construct a nuclear reactor - a move that strongly influenced Israel's decision to bomb the facility last September. Prior to the bombing, Israel showed the video to U.S. intelligence officials, and sources familiar with it claim that the design of Syria's reactor core was virtually identical to that of North Korea's, although it is not clear whether or not the site was operational. The CIA's decision to make the video public is expected to complicate the White House's efforts to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions. Keep up to date with the latest developments and sharpest perspectives in a world of strife and struggle.

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Libya equates situation in Gaza to Nazi concentration camps

The U.S., France and Britain walked out of a UN Security Council meeting Wednesday after Libya compared the situation of Palestinians in Gaza to Nazi concentration camps during the Second World War. The meeting was originally called to draw attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and to contribute to Israel-Palestine peace agreements, but talks quickly dissolved after Libyan UN ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi drew a comparison between the Israelis and Nazis. Since Hamas took control of Gaza last June, Israel has imposed a blockade on the region, regulating the entry of goods and refusing to negotiate with Hamas, which it considers a terrorist group. Dumisani Kumalo, South Africa's UN ambassador, ended the meeting shortly thereafter.


German police conduct raid against suspected Islamists

In a series of raids on Wednesday, 130 police raided 16 sites throughout Germany in an attempt to counter a network of Islamists charged with mobilising jihadi efforts and radicalising German citizens. According to the Munich public prosecutor's office, the men are charged with "forming a criminal network," inciting racial hatred, and promoting jihad abroad. They were based out of a Muslim cultural center in Neu-Ulm, and of those charged, nine are German citizens between the ages of 25 and 47, and the rest are immigrants.