Lighting Up the Gray Zone: The Philippines-Taiwan Counter-Coercion Toolkit

Perry World House’s Thomas Shattuck and Robin Garcia are out with an important new white paper which recommends the public release of visual information to counter China’s coercive activities, using the Philippines and Taiwan as examples. As the champions of “assertive transparency”, SeaLight enthusiastically welcomes this timely new scholarship!

Lighting Up the Gray Zone: The Philippines-Taiwan Counter-Coercion Toolkit

Perry World House is at the University of Pennsylvania, another university funded by the US government. I’ve updated my Project Myoushu document, to reflect the following:

The origin of Stanford University’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation. It’s sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, an organization within the Department of Navy. I saw it over at the Asian Century Journal, yesterday.

From a previous post.

Related:

Documents

Japan, U.S. and Philippines to discuss stronger military ties & US, Philippines to expand strategic port

Japan, U.S. and Philippines to discuss stronger military ties & US, Philippines to expand strategic port

Japan, U.S. and Philippines to discuss stronger military ties

The three foreign ministers will discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in the wake of increasing collisions in the South China Sea between ships from the Philippines and China.

They agreed to work toward signing a Reciprocal Access Agreement that would make it easier for members of the Self-Defense Forces and the Philippine military to engage in joint training exercises by simplifying procedures to obtain visas and bring weapons and ammunition into each other’s countries.

Japan will also provide funds for the Philippines to acquire a coastal surveillance radar system.

Related:

US, Philippines to expand strategic port

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Former Venezuelan Coup Plotter, Greedo, Hired By Florida College to Speak on ‘Defending Democracy’ + More

Juan Guaido was hired by Florida International University (FIU) to give a series of talks and mentor students. Guaido launched a coup attempt in Venezuela in 2019 but failed to gain any significant support within the country.

Former Venezuelan Coup Plotter Hired By Florida College to Speak on ‘Defending Democracy’

Related:

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó is teaching at FIU. But it’s only for a while

In April 2023, Guaidó said Colombian authorities threatened to turn him over to Maduro after entering the country for a forum about the Venezuelan crisis. The Biden administration helped Guaidó leave Colombia and come to Miami.

Two former Latin American presidents, a U.S. business leader and diplomat, and a European foreign minister named Senior Leadership Fellows at the FIU Adam Smith Center

Jamil Mahuad** [Fulbright Program, Harvard Kennedy School], president of Ecuador from 1998 to 2000.

Robin S. Bernstein*** [American University School of International Service, George Washington University School of Business]

Miomir Žužul [Harvard Kennedy School]

Read More »

On The E-Girl Army Psyop Phenomenon

Video: On The E-Girl Army Psyop Phenomenon via Justin Taylor

Related:

Weaponizing e-girls: How the US military uses YouTube and TikTok to improve its image

How E-girl influencers are trying to get Gen Z into the military

But Haylujan isn’t the only E-girl using Sanrio sex appeal to lure the internet’s SIMPs into the armed forces. There’s Bailey Crespo and Kayla Salinas, not to mention countless #miltok gunfluencers cropping up online. While she didn’t document her military career, influencer Bella Poarch also served in the US Navy for four years before going viral on TikTok in 2020, and is arguably the blueprint for this kind of kawaii commodified fetishism in the military. An adjacent figure, Natalia Fadeev, also known as Gun Waifu, is an Israeli influencer and IDF soldier who uses waifu aesthetics and catgirl cosplay to pedal pro-Israel propaganda to her 756k followers. She poses to camera, ahegao-style, with freshly manicured nails wrapped neatly around a glock, the uWu-ification of military functioning as a cutesy distraction from the shadowy colonial context: “when they try and destroy your nation,” she writes in one caption.

US Attempts To Make China An Enemy Require A Lot Of Fantasy

By Moon of Alabama, Jul 22 2022

The US weapon industry needs US enemies. Without those it is hard to justify an ever-growing war budget. The most lucrative enemy, besides Russia, is of course China.

But there is a problem. China has no interest in being a US enemy and certainly not in being THE enemy. In its view that only takes away resources that are better used elsewhere.

That is the reason why China avoids talks with the US about military and strategic issues.

US Attempts To Make China An Enemy Require A Lot Of Fantasy