Newsweek: "US Special Forces School Publishes New Guide For Overthrowing Foreign Governments"

[Tom Kirkman + 8,860]

< *sigh* >

Don't mind me, I'll just be over here quietly banging my head against a brick wall.

Referenced document is attached below.

US Special Forces Command Issues New Guide For Overthrowing Foreign Governments

No kidding - this is not our headline, but Newsweek's: "US Special Forces School Publishes New Guide For Overthrowing Foreign Governments" - and as far as we can tell they are the only major mainstream outlet to have picked up on the fact that the US military is now essentially openly bragging on past and future capabilities to foster covert regime change operations. 

 

The 250-page study entitled “Support to Resistance: Strategic Purpose and Effectiveness” was put out by the Joint Special Operations University under US Special Operations Command, which is the Army's official unified command center which overseas all joint covert and clandestine missions out of MacDill AFB, Florida.

Via "Rare Historical Photos": The CIA sent 2,300 Stinger missiles to various mujahedin outfits throughout Afghanistan over the course of the Afghan-Soviet war.

"This work will serve as a benchmark reference on resistance movements for the benefit of the special operations community and its civilian leadership," the report introduces.

The study examines 47 instances of US special forces trying to intervene in various countries from 1941-2003, thus special attention is given to the Cold War, but it doesn't include coups which lacked "legitimate resistance movements" — such as the case of 'Operation AJAX' in 1953 which overthrew Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh.

Though infamous disasters such the abortive CIA-backed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba are highlighted, the US military report (perhaps predictably) finds that among those nearly fifty covert interventions surveyed, most interventions were "successful". 

"One thing common to all 47 cases reviewed in this study is the fact that the targeted state was ruled either by an unfriendly occupying force or by a repressive authoritarian regime," the author, Army Special Forces veteran Will Irwin wrote. The study focuses on historical regime change operations but in parts hints at the future, saying, "Russia and China have boldly demonstrated expansionist tendencies."

 

===================================

Here's that document:

JSOU19-2_Irwin_Resistance1_final.pdf

 

[Jan van Eck + 7,558]

Maybe they updated that Guide since the days of Ngo Dinh Diem.  As I recall, that particular overthrow did not exactly work out so great. 

[Douglas Buckland + 6,308]

So the Special Forces Command updates their textbook for overthrowing foreign governments.....and then makes it readily available to foreign governments!

Does anyone else find this just a little odd?

[CL Trader + 20]

Really odd... had an association with that community for 30 years.. never knew the public was informed of operational procedure.

 

[CL Trader + 20]

Probably printed in Espanol… Easier reading for the intended parties...via any accessible format.

[Tom Kirkman + 8,860]

12 minutes ago, Douglas Buckland said:

So the Special Forces Command updates their textbook for overthrowing foreign governments.....and then makes it readily available to foreign governments!

Does anyone else find this just a little odd?

 

3 minutes ago, CL Trader said:

Really odd... had an association with that community for 30 years.. never knew the public was informed of operational procedure.

For info, I do not view "Newsweek" as being a 'good guy' but instead, much like the 'Washington Post' as a troublemaker.

[CL Trader + 20]

I can only imagine someone in JSSOCOM....knew it would be released.  I don't think it just "happened"

[Douglas Buckland + 6,308]

Newsweek stopped being a serious source of news decades ago. 

[notsonice + 1,255]

 47 instances of US special forces trying to intervene in various countries from 1941-2003 ???.....does anyone know how many of these 47 turned out positive for the US?

[Douglas Buckland + 6,308]

As the US Special Forces did not exist until 19 June 1952, I tend to discredit the entire article.

Why include 1941 through 1951 if there was no US Special Forces available to intervene anywhere?

A little homework goes a long way....

[Douglas Buckland + 6,308]

The US 'military' was very busy 'intervening' in the years 1941 - 1945.

[MikeH + 8]

12 hours ago, Douglas Buckland said:

Newsweek stopped being a serious source of news decades ago. 

This is like saying "water is wet".   Nothing in the western mainstream can be considered a "serious source of news"   all cater to the mainstream establishment narrative.  The bar is so low that RT.news (Russia Television) gives more of a voice to both sides than the western media clown show.

Regardless - to demonize the source rather than attack the message is logical fallacy on steroids.  

[James Regan + 1,776]

9 hours ago, Douglas Buckland said:

As the US Special Forces did not exist until 19 June 1952, I tend to discredit the entire article.

Why include 1941 through 1951 if there was no US Special Forces available to intervene anywhere?

A little homework goes a long way....

The fore runners of the special forces were active in 1942 onwards OG and OSS for example perhaps they are included??

[shadowkin + 584]

Job security?

[Tomasz + 1,608]

5 hours ago, MikeH said:

This is like saying "water is wet".   Nothing in the western mainstream can be considered a "serious source of news"   all cater to the mainstream establishment narrative.  The bar is so low that RT.news (Russia Television) gives more of a voice to both sides than the western media clown show.

Regardless - to demonize the source rather than attack the message is logical fallacy on steroids.  

Most popular RT is in french version ( traditional rusophilic country which likes russian culture, remembers Napoleon defeat and polite Russians in Paris cafe bistro (bystro means fastly in russian) plus they rather dont like Anglosaxons countriesor doesnt like speaking in english ) german (very strong traditional links from the XVII century and longterm alliance, large part of Russian empire rulling class was from german origin especially Baltic Germans, defeat in WW2 plus well-known atrocities like Einsatzgruppen in USSR plus nowadays sizable russian speaking minority) plus Austria (they rembember what they did in WW2 and were treated very leniently after war plus they like russian money), spanish south american (yes they really dont like gringos) and especially arabic RT (Iraq, Iran, even KSA - they dont like US hegemon)

In these countries from russian perspective its rather simple because you really just dont have to lie a lot to get a sizable audience sympathetic to russian arguments.. 

France and Germany is evident  RT target in Europe just look on alexa internet traffic  and number of likes on facebook..

https://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/rt.com?ver=classic

Edited May 13, 2019 by Tomasz

[Douglas Buckland + 6,308]

8 hours ago, James Regan said:

The fore runners of the special forces were active in 1942 onwards OG and OSS for example perhaps they are included??

If this is what they were referring to, the perhaps they should have mentioned it in the article.

I have no idea who the OG were, but the OSS was the forerunner of the CIA, not the Special Forces.