The duping of America

When US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines recently spoke of “foreign efforts to influence our democratic processes,” specifically pointing to Iran, she expressed publicly what many have known now for years. The war against the West led by Iran and its proxies around the world is not only a war in the conventional sense, but also a war where psychological ploys are used to target what Haines described as Americans who “may not be aware” they are being exploited and used to further Iranian interests.

Nowhere are these efforts more felt than in the “ongoing protests regarding the war in Gaza” (again the words of Haines). The “playbook” is one that has created a somewhat absurd link between the interests of radical Islam and the ideology of progressive human rights. By transforming Gaza from a terror entity bent on the ethnic cleansing of Jews into a victim of colonialism and genocide by the Jewish state, the interests of Iran converge with so-called “enlightened” members of the progressive Western elite. 

While the progressives believe they are supporting social justice, they are, in reality, being manipulated and exploited by the most extreme illiberal elements in society who would not tolerate their presence in their own societies. So, we see “Queers for Palestine” supporting Gaza, a place where queers cannot exist, and women’s organizations criticizing Israeli “apartheid,” while gender apartheid continues unabated in Arab society.

This is all part of a planned program of psychological warfare that has linked the wants of progressive leftists with the needs of radical Islamists. For more than two decades, the principle of “intersectionality” has been used to classically condition the goals of any “liberation” movement with those of all liberation movements. A “prix fixe” menu of preselected slogans accompanies any ideology seen to fit, and that fit is a “one size fits all” that has blunted critical independent thinking.

As with many psychological traps, independent thinking can become captive to rigid ideology. One example is an ideology that holds that “all people” are the same and that “all people” value and want freedom. While this may be true in the West, it is woefully out of touch with the Middle East, where tribal loyalties and religious thinking carry far more weight. 

The consequences of this form of psychological manipulation are seen not only in the demonstrations noted by Haines, but also in mantras that reflect public policy. These mantras may appear to be fair, balanced, and reasonable, but when they are used to further Iranian interests, people need to pay attention. One glaring example is the mantra of solving the Israel-Palestine conflict by establishing an “independent Palestinian state.” Sounds fair, balanced and reasonable. But if we consider that this policy is supported not only by many in the West, but also by Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis, perhaps we can also begin to realize that people are being duped.

As the saying goes, “If you see something, say something.” Today, that not only applies to suspicious packages left unattended, but also to less suspicious illiberal ideas that cloak themselves in progressive clothing.