Leaked Diplomatic Document Exposes Western ‘Psychological Operations’ in Syria

Multiply hostility by any means, continue intense communication campaign against Syria and Russia, and sabotage Sochi peace talks — these are the three aims of the latest Western psychological operations (PSYOP) in Syria, according to a recently leaked diplomatic cable.

The report says that the confidential British diplomatic telegram (TD), dated 12 January 2018, reports the first meeting of the “Small American Group on Syria” (United States, Great Britain, France, Saudi Arabia and Jordan), held in Washington on January 11, 2018.

The document is signed by Benjamin Norman, who is the diplomat in charge of Middle East issues at the British Embassy in Washington. According to a report, the cable was widely circulated behind the scenes of the Wehrkunde , the last Munich Security Conference (16-18 February).

The leaked cable and the content assumes specific significance as the western PSYOP in Syria’s East Ghouta.

As reported by Newsclick earlier, a ‘visual blitz’ had been unleashed in the Western media and social media platforms against the Syrian offensive in East Ghouta. Many of the photos and videos being circulated of the attack on children and civilians in East Ghouta are, in reality, visuals from Israel’s bombing in Gaza, from the US-led anti-ISIS operation in Mosul or from the Saudi-led bombing in Yemen.

Riding on the generated political opinion via the ‘visual blitz’, the US, Britain and Saudi Arabia, among others, have been calling for “decisive actions to stop the killings” — the veiled meaning being foreign intervention and regime change.

The TD exposes this ‘Western strategy’ in Syria with the help of its proxies like the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) and the White Helmets (also known as Syrian Civil Defence that works only in armed opposition-held areas). Like in East Ghouta, a similar PSYOP was run during 2016, focusing on the Aleppo military operation by the Syrian government.

The US military doctrine for psychological operations defines PSYOP, as:

“planned operations to convey selected information and indicators to foreign audiences to influence the emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of foreign governments, organizations, groups, and individuals.”

In the background of increasing attempts by Russia to broker a peaceful settlement, the British TD described the two main political objectives: to sabotage the Sochi conference and to prepare the same massive propaganda campaign that accompanied the liberation of Aleppo in December 2016.

The ongoing Turkish operations in Syria’s Afrin began days after the US decision to raise a Kurdish border force in the region. The announcement came a few days before the Sochi summit, and with this ‘the Pentagon deliberately pressed the red button of a new Turkish military intervention.

According to Richard Labévière, a French journalist, “not only did Washington implicitly give Ankara its green light, but as a bonus, the American strategists created an undeniable feud between Kurdish factions to consolidate their FDS allies, whose presence they intend to impose in Geneva.”

The Turkish invasion and Israel’s targeting of military base inside Syria had again prolonged the Syrian war, which was witnessing a lull after destruction of the Islamic State group in the country.

The January 11 meeting in Washington was attended by Hugh Cleary (head of the Near and Middle East Department of the Foreign Office ), Jérôme Bonnafont (Director of ANMO/North Africa and Middle East at the Quai d'Orsay), David Satterfield (US Assistant Secretary of State for the Middle East), Jordan’s Nawaf Tell (Special Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs) and Jamal al-Aqeel from Saudi Arabia.

According to reports, the cable welcomes the US leadership for effective implementation and media coverage — as broad as possible — of this strategy. The 23 January meeting was held in Paris, and looked into the use of chemical weapons and the “instructions” sent by the “Small American Group” to UN envoy Staffan de Mistura.

In East Ghouta, just days after receiving a warning from Russia that the armed groups are staging a chemical attack incident, the SOHR and White Helmets reported a incident of chemical weapon attack.