Category: Netherlands

To Be Updated: USAID is sponsoring YouTube channels

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)1 Comment

How Democracy Can Win: The Right Way to Counter Autocracy

The most important step the United States can take to counter foreign influence campaigns and disinformation is to help our partners promote media and digital literacy, communicate credibly with their publics, and engage in “pre-bunking”—that is, seeking to inoculate their societies against disinformation before it can spread. In Indonesia, for example, USAID has worked with local partners to develop sophisticated online courses and games that help new social media users identify disinformation and reduce the likelihood that they will share misleading posts and articles.

The United States has also helped Ukraine in its fight against the Kremlin’s propaganda and disinformation. For decades, USAID has worked to enhance the media environment in the country, encouraging reforms that allow greater access to public information and supporting the emergence of strong local media organizations, including the public broadcaster Suspilne. After Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014, our work expanded to help the country’s local journalists produce Russian-language programming that could reach into Kremlin-occupied territories, such as Dialogues With Donbas, a YouTube channel that featured honest conversations with Ukrainians about life behind Russian lines. We also helped support the production of the online comedy show Newspalm, which regularly racks up tens of thousands of views as it skewers Putin’s lies. And even before Moscow’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022, we worked with the government of Ukraine to stand up the Center for Strategic Communications, which uses memes [memetic warfare], well-produced digital videos, and social media and Telegram posts to poke holes in Kremlin propaganda.

I still need to look into Newspalm. I’ll update if I find anything. As I don’t know Ukrainian, or Russian, I’m using Google translate for the following information. Note, this is all speculation!

Speculation:

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Canadians take to the streets to demand an end to Ukraine war and NATO

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Around the world, more people are taking the streets to demand peace and an end to the war that tragically continues to rage in Ukraine. The United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights announced that almost 7,000 civilians have been killed and 11,075 injured over this past year. Tens of thousands of soldiers are dead on both sides and millions of people displaced.

Canadians take to the streets to demand an end to Ukraine war and NATO

Seymour Hersh on US Bombing Nord Stream Pipelines — Radio War Nerd EP #366

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

We talk to legendary Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Seymour Hersh about his latest bombshell scoop: the United States, on President Biden’s orders, blew up the Nord Stream pipelines that were foundational to Germany’s export economy until last year.

Seymour Hersh on US Bombing Nord Stream Pipelines — Radio War Nerd EP #366 via Radio War Nerd

Previously:

US bombed Nord Stream gas pipelines, claims investigative journalist Seymour Hersh

‘Take your dirty hands off Turkey,’ Ankara rails against US envoy

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

‘Take your dirty hands off Turkey,’ Ankara rails against US envoy

On Thursday, Soylu condemned the closures as an attempt to meddle in campaigning for Turkey’s presidential and parliamentary elections, which are scheduled for 14 May. The Turkish interior minister and other officials also suggested that the Western states had issued the security warnings in order to pressure Turkey to tone down its criticism of the sacrilegious move and resolve the NATO dispute.

Video via ShanghaiEye魔都眼

Related:

Turkish minister tells US ambassador ‘Take your dirty hands off Turkey’ as sanctions sparks fly

Turkey’s parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled for May 14 are fast approaching—angry rhetoric from the Erdogan regime, designed to nationalistically rouse its core vote, is no surprise. Nor are angry interventions from US politicians who dislike the unreliability of Turkey as a Nato ally, but at the same time stop short of anything that could irretrievably wreck relations with a country crucially located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

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Brian Nelson, the US Treasury Department’s top sanctions official, visited Turkish government and private sector officials on February 2 to urge more cooperation in disrupting the flow of goods that Russia can put to use in persisting with its war on the Ukrainians.

In a speech to bankers, reported by Reuters, Nelson said a pronounced year-long rise in exports to Russia left Turkish entities ‘particularly vulnerable to reputational and sanctions risks‘, or lost access to G7 markets.

Ukraine expects to receive 24 modern fighter jets, says Air Force Command + More

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Ukraine expects to receive 24 modern fighter jets, says Air Force Command

But even once negotiations for the delivery of these jets will be completed, Ukraine will not be able to use them on the battlefield for months, as training of pilots and technicians will take at least half a year, Ihnat warned.

Related:

Ukraine Situation Report: Kyiv Improving Airfields Anticipating Western Fighters

There is currently one Ukrainian student in the U.S. Air Force Aviation Leadership Program, which provides pilot training in the T-6A, not geared ultimately for any one specific combat aircraft, Air Force Capt. Rachel Salpietra, an Air Force Secretary spokesperson told The War Zone Friday afternoon.

“Ukraine has been participating in the program with us for the last 12 years,” she added. “Ukrainian maintainers and engineers have not participated in any training with the U.S. Air Force for the past several years.”

UK might donate fighter jets to Ukraine for air policing – The Telegraph

Commenting on the matter, one of the newspaper’s sources said “never say never,” while another one stressed that “it’s not the priority now,” regarding fighter jet transfers.

Why Does Humanity Still Tolerate the Tragedy of Wars in the 21st Century? The Big Picture

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Since the end of the Second World War (1939-1945), there have been many civil wars and several important regional military conflicts between two or more countries, but none has evolved into a general world war involving all the most heavily armed countries. The most serious regional wars were the Korean War (1950-1953), the Vietnam War (1955-1975), the Iraq War (2003-2011), the Syria War (2011- ), and the Ukraine War (2022- ).

Why Does Humanity Still Tolerate the Tragedy of Wars in the 21st Century? The Big Picture

H/T: Der Friedensstifter