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The Life of King Henry the Fifth
Act II. Scene II.
Southampton. A Council-chamber.
Enter EXETER, BEDFORD, and WESTMORELAND.
BEDFORD:
Fore God, his Grace is bold to trust these traitors.
EXETER:
They shall be apprehended by and by.
WESTMORELAND:
How smooth and even they do bear themselves!
As if allegiance in their bosoms sat,
Crowned with faith and constant loyalty.
BEDFORD:
The king hath note of all that they intend,
By interception which they dream not of.
EXETER:
Nay, but the man that was his bedfellow,
Whom he hath dull’d and cloy’d with gracious favours,
That he should, for a foreign purse, so sell
His sovereign’s life to death and treachery!
William Shakespeare (1564–1616).
The Oxford Shakespeare. 1914. |
INTRODUCTION:
We look behind the curtains of deception, of "spin," "advertising," "public relations" and politics (ranging across propaganda, misinformation, disinformation and lies) at the "dark side" of international relations. From our observations of networks of trust, secrecy and deception as practiced by state-level actors we gain insights into current world events and in the process even individual human interrelationships. By understanding the theories and practices of propaganda, "purposive action" and "psychological operations" (PSYOPS) which has recently been "sanitized" by renaming it "military information support operations" (MISO), we are better prepared to recognize it in our daily lives. Although we focus on American sources, we do so only because that material is easily accessible to us. Nowhere is this information so freely available than in the United States. We will look at some major players and their tradecraft. Large and smaller states are often equally matched in these skills. The technologically advanced countries like the UK, China, Russia, Israel and the US are masters at spycraft but Fidel Castro, from his small island in the Carribean, has recently been credited as history's most skilled spymaster despite, and probably because of, his low tech methods. We don't anticipate that there is any one single "theory" to guide us and so we will make use of a number of case studies. If there are "theories," they will likely arise from research on the emergence of networks of trust, secrecy and deception. Such networks have co-evolved through competition and cooperation towards maintaining inequalities of power and wealth. We will attempt to build some conceptual models of these processes which can guide us (in my Complex Systems class) in writing computer simulations.
I hope you will think about some of the points below as you approach each of your research projects and challenges:
“Espionage is the back door of diplomacy. It makes the world a safer place.”
Safety for whom? How? Why?
What are the pros and cons of revealing secret activities of the clandestine world?
Who wins? Who looses?
What insights does the intelligence community provide us for understanding how cultures work?
How do the ethnographies of anthropologists differe from the "actionable ethnographies" of the intelligence community? What do these disciplines share in common? In what ways are they in opposition?
Think about building some conceptual models of cultural processes that we could then turn into computer simulations.
How might we best describe, understand and explain cultural dynamics and evolution?
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Once the orchestra starts to play, all you can do is hum along...
Victor Ostrovsky's, THE OTHER SIDE OF DECEPTION
Harper, New York. 316 (1995). |
I used to think that the brain was the most wonderful organ in my body.
Then I realized who was telling me this.
Emo Phillips, Neuropsychology:
Clinical and Experimental Foundations |
Some truth there was, but dash'd and brew'd with lies;
To please the fools, and puzzle all the wise.
Absalom and Achitophel by John Dryden (1631–1700) |
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A scientific study of culture which enables us to describe, understand and explain it workings, will require us to build a model of the processes at work. We must determine who the most influential players are, the nature of their relationships to one another and their interelationships with their social, technological and physical environments. We must come to know these actors at the level of the individual, their perceptions, beliefs, goals, plans and actions. With such a model we can begin to explain why history followed the pathway that it did, as opposed to one of the many counterfactual pathways that were possible. Without such a model, history is a mere chronicle of events, devoid of any scientific merit. Let's see if we can first build such a model conceptually and then ground it in reality to such an extent that we can rebuild it as a computational model: a simualtion. |
Wednesday |
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Week
1
Intelligence |
August 28
A Little Propaganda: "La Bestia"
You Tube Lyrics (3m)
CBC Interview (8m) & article
You Tube Documentary in Spanish
Camouflage as Body Painting:
Liu Bolin
anon
beranda lukisan
carolyn roper
cecilia paredes
jean paul bourdier
jean paul bourdier
PERSONAL INTRODUCTIONS:
FOR NEXT WEEK (1/3): CRYPTOLOGY & STEGANOGRAPHY
Cryptanalytic challenge to turn in on paper.
Before we confront more complex ciphers, try your hand at cryptanalyzing some simple monoalphabetic substitution ciphers. Go to our "Cryptology" webpage, scroll down and click on "Encrypted Postcards and Letters" or simply click here. You will find 10 postcards designated A through L. Decrypt those messages. You do not need letter frequency tables to do this. B, F, G, H, I and J should be the easiest to solve. A, C and D have invented their own substitution alphabets so they'll be a bit more challenging. E, K and L will be the most difficult since they are not in English. Unless you know the language you might not be able to decipher them. You can team up to work on E, K and L but try to solve the others by yourself. If you click on A you will see that I have rewritten the enciphered message much more clearly. In solving these challenges print the images and make notes on them. Please turn in your solutions complete with a brief description of your methods and all your notes and scribblings. Remember, the people who wrote these may not have finished school, may not have spoken "mid-Western English" and may not have been good spellers. Put yourself into the minds of the writers. Use cribs: Look at the addresses, postmarks and images on the post cards. Who are they addressed to? What do you suppose the message is about?
FOR NEXT WEEK (2/3): STEGANOGRAPHY
Things to bring to class.
A message that is clearly written in code or cipher invites the observer to cryptanalyze it. To slide under the radar, another approach to keeping information secret is to hide it.
BRING TO CLASS some of the following specific documents. We'll check them out for secret information:
a) Government identification documents like passports, green cards, visas, drivers' licenses.
b) Foreign currency (paper money) and credit cards.
c) Color laser printer copies with ample white-space (unprinted areas) with notes on the location, make, model and serial number of the machine and the time and date printed. (Look in the trash). |
11:00 SCREENING: Errol Morris: The Fog of War:
Eleven Lessons
from the Life of Robert S. McNamara (2003, 107m).
Wikipedia synopsis. Sony Pictures synopsis. Discussion with Errol Morris.
Take note of his:
Eleven lessons of war.
Ten additional lessons.
Eleven lessons from the Vietnam war.
FOR NEXT WEEK (3/3): THE FOG OF CURRENT CONFLICTS
Current events challenge to turn in on paper.
Apply some of McNamara's insights to a current international crisis or issue. How do his views compare or contrast with a social scientific or anthropological perspective? Below are some points you might consider:
1) Empathize with your enemy (consider differences in perceptions, beliefs and customs).
2) Rationality will not save us (the world is too complex to be understood in traditional ways).
3) Study situations in retrospect and entertain counterfactuals (meet with your adversaries as he did in Cuba and Vietnam after the conflicts).
4) "Never answer the question that was asked of you. Answer the question that you wish had been asked."
Other lessons may be more germane to your interests, so feel free to pursue those. Please turn in a typewritten report on paper (3-5 pages double spaced).
Extra Credit:
If you can suggest an answer to the following question, please let me know.
McNamara mentions that the US was on the brink of nuclear war on three occasions:
1) The Cuban Missle Crisis (a lucky guess).
2) The Vietnam War (faulty intelligence in the Gulf of Tonkin).
3) What was the third occasion? |
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Week
2
Intelligence |
September 3
STEGANOGRAPHY:
Examining your documents for secret information under ultraviolet light.
Hiding information in images (coming soon).
PLEASE TURN IN YOUR PAPERS ON THE FOG OF CURRENT CONFLICTS:
Brief discussion of the topics that you chose.
PLEASE TURN IN YOUR CRYPTANALYSES:
Simple monoalphabetic substitution ciphers.
How have the encipherers weakened the security of their messages?
FOR OUR NEXT MEETING:
Continue working on those monoalphabetic substitution ciphers that you could not solve.
You may find the Word pattern finder useful. For example, if you see the string of symbols "!@#$%%!^$@*$," use a new digit to represent each new letter you encounter and enter the pattern "123455164284" in the right-most box. Press "Find." The application will return any words that fit that pattern, in this instance only one: "intelligence". Other analytic tools:
English letter frequency
English digraph frequency
English trigraphs and other patterns
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FOR OUR NEXT MEETING:
Print one sheet from the Perkins (or Bostoc) color printer. Whatever you decide to print, make sure there is significant "white space" (where there is no printing). On that sheet, write your name, the date and time you made the print, the machine make, model and serial number (look on the underside of the glass cover). Borrow a camera and photograph a 3x5-inch portion of the white area in sunlight. We will manipulate that photo with PhotoShop in an attempt to decrypt the "Yellow Dot Code"
CRYPTOLOGY:
MONOALPHABETIC SUBSTITUTION CIPHERS:
Post Cards, participant presentations and discussions...
(Please don't forget to turn in hard-copy of your solutions.)
Some useful resources:
POLYALPHABETIC SUBSTITUTION CIPHERS:
From alternating among a small number of alphabets to using a different alphabet for each letter of the key text.
Unbreakable, if used with a new random key each time such as with a "One Time Pad" (OTP):
Demonstration of the lower-case ASCII Vigenère cipher on our simulations pages...
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Week
3
Intelligence |
September 10
INSTRUCTOR WILL BE OUT OF TOWN
Michael will host the class...
ESPIONAGE:
10:20 SCREENING:
Intelligence in the raw: "Spy School: Inside the CIA Training Program," a special feature accompanying THE RECRUIT (15m).
CHALLENGE:
FAREWELL, the book vs. the film.
How and why they differ. Propaganda, artistic license or spin? A team written and presented report due September 17.
FOREWORD & INTRODUCTION: for everyone to read.
No more than 3 participants for each chapter grouping.
Sign up now to make a presentation on September 17.
CHAPTERS 1-4:
CHAPTERS 5-8:
CHAPTERS 9-12:
CHAPTERS 13-16:
CHAPTERS 17-20:
CHAPTERS 21-24:
CHAPTERS 24-28:
CHAPTERS 29-32: (
CHAPTERS 33-35: |
vsSCREENING: FAREWELL (111 minutes) begins at 11:00.
READING: FAREWELL (a resource on Sakai)
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Week
4
Espionage
Propaganda
Cryptology |
September 17
CHALLENGE:
FAREWELL, the book vs. the film.
How do the stories differ?
Who is the audience?
Which should we believe?
Team presentations.
CHAPTERS 1-4:
CHAPTERS 5-8:
CHAPTERS 9-12:
CHAPTERS 13-16:
CHAPTERS 17-20:
CHAPTERS 21-24:
CHAPTERS 24-28:
CHAPTERS 29-32: (
CHAPTERS 33-35: |
Screening: TOP SECRET: NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY, with Johnny Depp (50 min). |
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AGENDA BELOW TO BE ARRANGED |
AGENDA BELOW TO BE ARRANGED |
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International Spy Museum
Currency detection / Yellow dot code.
Please turn in your critique of Rob Johnston's "Ethnography."
NUMBERS STATIONS:
The Conet Project
Spy Numbers Stations on Shortwave Radio
Enigma 2000
STRADDLING CHECKERBOARD CIPHER (SCC)
Double encryption using the SCC and non-carrying addition.
The coordinates are given in the order: row first, then column.
EAVESDROPPING ON CUBA:
We set up our AR5000 Communications Receiver in "the Plaza" off Union Drive to hear what Radio Havana, Cuba has to say...
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National Cryptologic Museum
FOR OUR NEXT MEETING:
1) Turn in one documented sample printout from the Perkins color printer.
2) On SAKAI, provide some feedback on your visit to the two museums.
3) *Complete the decryption of the Che Guevara "straddling checkerboard cipher."
4) *Complete the encryption using the "four cypher systems."Aspinwall - Straddling Checkerboard - Nicolas Bion (the simulation is now online) - Vigenère
5) On SAKAI, what can you discern about the "Aspinwall Cipher?"
* Handout
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Week
5
Propaganda |
September 24
DECEPTION and MISDIRECTION in the practice of PSYOPS:
PSYOPS (Psychological Operations) carries increasingly negative connotations, so the practice has now been rebranded as MISO (Military Information Support Operations).
In WHITE propaganda the author is correctly identified.
In GRAY propaganda the author is anonymous.
In BLACK propaganda the author is falsified.he
WHITE PROPAGANDA:
Screening: TRUIMPH OF THE WILL (120m) with commentary begins at 10:45.
from the back cover:
"Leni Riefenstahl's classic piece of historical filmmaking, filmed during the 1934 Nazi Party Rally in Nurenberg, Germany, is considered by many to be one of the most important and controversial films ever made... Money was unlimited, so Riefenstahl was eating and sleeping in the editing room with hundreds of thousands of feet of film for almost a full year. All the shots... are carefully constructed... Sets were specially built to accommodate cameras... so Riefenstahl could edit together a film that would manipulate imagery and seduce the mind... Until her death in 2003, Reifenstahl was under fire for her personal relationship with Adolph Hitler, spending her life in the shadow of collaborating with the Nazi Party."
WHITE COUNTER PROPAGANDA:
Frank Capra, who was daunted yet also impressed and challenged by Leni Riefenstahl's propaganda film Triumph of the Will, worked in direct response to it to create many films of the series "Why We Fight." Seven documentaries were commissioned by the United States government during World War II. Their purpose was to boost the morale of American soldiers by providing them with reasons for U.S. involvement in the war. Later, the films were shown to the American public to persuade them to support our involvement in the war.This was a tough challenge: how to convince a non-interventionist nation to enter a foreign war and ally itself with the Soviet communists. In many of the films, Capra and other directors spliced in Axis propaganda footage and recontextualized it in order to promote the cause of the Allies. (adapted from Wikipedia) |
FOR NEXT WEEK: Propaganda and Counter Propaganda:
Anthony Santoro provides an excellent voice over analysis of TRIUMPH OF THE WILL.
We have many PSYOPS manuals on our SAKAI / Resources page, including: PSYOPS: de Grazia TARGET ANALYSIS AND MEDIA IN PROPAGANDA TO AUDIENCES ABROAD (1953). Use Santoro and de Grazia as guides...
PART ONE (THEN - WORLD WAR TWO):
At the bottom of the Wikipedia page, under "External Links," you will find some films for download from the Internet Archive. Find three or four (3-4) scenes from the series that closely mimic or are inspired by those of Leni Riefenstahl. Provide a 3-5 page written analysis and include images and video as needed. Images don't count as written pages. Document the relevant scenes in the films (noting at which times the scenes start and stop). Your written analysis sould compare and contrast the psychological methods used. As an example, watch the following three minutes up to "only a dream:"
Comment on this segment as well as 3-4 other scenes, images and narrations from any of the seven (7) films.
PART TWO (NOW - WAR AGAINST THE ISLAMIC STATE):
Do a similar analysis of propaganda and counter propaganda in the current war against Al Queda and/or the Islamic State. Again, select 3-4 scenes or images of the propaganda produced by their propaganda units and compare and contrast them with counter propaganda produced by the United States. As before, provide a 3-5 page written analysis, plus images, with your souces cited by URL and start and stop times for images and videos.
Who are the "target populations?" What "purposive action" is sought?
You will be embarking on original research as there are yet no books on the topic and only sporadic news media coverage. Use your Internet and investigative skills to find the relavent meterials. Your are the analyst. How would you propose to counter these messages in the most effective way? You
ISLAMIC STATE (a.k.a. IS, ISIS, ISAL) has released several propaganda videos which include two beheadings (which I do not require you to watch) and at least one in which they explain their aspirations. They all appear to be purposed towards recruitment. ) HA
The third ISIS video is reminiscent of TRIUMPH OF THE WILL in several respects while vastly different in others. You need to adopt the role of a CIA or State Department analyst and assess its strengths and weaknesses. How would you respond to it with counterpropaganda? How IS the US responding to it? The video is 54 minutes long. You may not wish to watch the last 10 minutes or the last 5 minutes in which "the American" executes some captives. The video bounces around the Internet, first being uploaded then being taken down. As of this writing, these links work:
Bing
LiveLeak
The ISIS glossy Internet magazine DABIQ: You might begin with CNN
The Al Queda glossy Internet magazine INSPIRE: You might begin with CNN
Make comparisons with:
U.S. counter propaganda aimed directly at the targets of IS and Al Queda propaganda.
U.S. Military recruitment films shown in movie theatres do not directly confront the Middle East.
U.S. Military recruitment "first person shooter games" have been modified and repurposed by Hamas and Hezbollah. Are IS and Al Queda making similar use of games?
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Given what we've learned about the games people, groups and nations play, what problem might reasonably we attack in class?
An International consortium has been formed to study the financial crisis: CRISIS – Complexity Research Initiative for Systemic InstabilitieS. The economic models they are using are quite complex. We might, however, begin by looking at the slip-sliding definition of the "dollar" from Colonial times to the present day: Specie (gold and silver), funding the American revolution with the Continental dollar, the paper promises of private banks,
funding the Civil War with U.S. Banknotes, from demand notes payable in silver and gold or secured by bonds to legal tender ("fiat money") and the issuance of new forms of currency in our money supply.
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Week
6
Intelligence |
October 1
ISIS:
CNN: Recruiting on Teen Social Networks
ISIL:
Aljazeera: By hyping ISIL threat, US is falling into group’s trap (c.f. "Battle of Algeirs")
TRIUMPH OF THE WILL, WHY WE FIGHT, FLAMES OF WAR
Project Presentations:
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OTHER WW2 PROPAGANDA LINKS:ec
Screening:
BATTLE OF ALGIERS, "A Case Studty" (24 minutes). A training film for both sides: insurgents and security forces. |
Week 7
PSYOPS |
October 8
CNN's Arwa Damon interviews of ISIS defectors:
From school teacher to ISIS member
Ex ISIS hostage, "they are right..."
Screening:
BATTLE OF ALGIERS, (121 minutes). A training film for both sides: insurgents and security forces. The star of the film, Saadi Yacef was one of the leaders of Algria's National Liberation Front during his country's war of independence. He is currently a Senator in Algeria's Council of the Nation." (source Wikipedia),
FOR NEXT WEEK: LESSONS FROM THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS.
What lessons can you draw from this film about the strategies and tactics of the current struggles in the Middle East (Israel/Palestine and ISIS/ISAL)? Please be specific and give examples. 3-4 written pages, double-spaced, hard copy. |
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Week
8
PSYOPS |
October 15
Screening:
FAIR GAME (108 minutes):
IN PREPARATION please read FAIR GAME (the book)ion SAKAI:
Valerie Plame is author of Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House.
Joe Wilson is author of "The Politics of Truth: Inside the Lies that Led to War and Betrayed My Wife's CIA Identity: A Diplomat's Memoir."
In the movie they are portrayed by Naomi Watts and Sean Penn, respectively.
Valeria Plame's writing was heavily redacted by the CIA. To counter that, the publisher hired Laura Rozen to fill in the blacked-out portions. Team up to examine the content in Valerie's writing in order to compare it with Laura's parallel account. I would like you to compare Valerie's account, with Laura's, with that of the film makers:
Why were certain portions of the text redacted? Compare and contrast these three accounts of the same situations, how do they differ and why? Who is the audience?
Your team breakdown of the chapters must include:
a) The movie
b) The main text by Valierie Plame
c) the chapter by chapter afterword by Laura Rozen.
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FAIR GAME (the movie)
Valeria Plame and Joe Wilson provide a voice-over commentary as a
bonus
feature on the DVD. Discussion on Wikipedia
FOLLOWING THE FILM WE WILL HAVE A HANDS-ON EXERCISE IN CRYPTOLOGY:
The M-94.
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Week
9
PSYOPS |
October 22
Valerie Plame & Sarah Lovett, BLOWBACK.
"Blowback," a definition.
Class Presentations: Plame, Rosen and the film.
| Analyst |
Chapters |
| Juliana |
1: Joining the CIA: (Rozen 1: Path to the CIA.) |
| Tyler |
2: ##### Tour: (Rozen 2: Athens Tour.) |
| Hannah |
3: #############: (Rozen 3: Becomming a NOC.) |
| Rashi |
4: Love... Misfit Toys: (Rozen 4: Working in the Island of Misfit Toys.) |
| Ava |
5, 6: Motherhood...: (Rozen 5: Road to Iraq.) |
| Addison |
7,8: Niger, Shock & Awe: (Rozen 5: Road to Iraq.) |
| Thomas |
9: Exposed: (Rozen 6: Exposed.) |
| Ana |
10-13: Scandal, Indictment: |
| Charles |
14-16: Life, Alice, Farewell: |
In preparation for BREACH (next week's film) we'll watch the short news documentary on the event.
For next Week: TRADECRAFT, COUNTERESPIONAGE AND COUNTEROPERATIONS.
(A written analysis, with references, 3-4 typewritten pages of text, plus imagery.)
Two clandestine events captured the headlines over the last few years:
Investigate each of these events in terms of the tradecraft involved in the operations and investigations, their political and cultural significance. I will place some introductory links on this page.
The Spy Anna Chapman
The Dubai Assassin Gail.
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ANNA CHAPMAN AND RUSSIAN SLEEPER AGENTS
CBS news introduction: News Report on FBI Surveillance.
Take some time to peruse these FBI files: "Operation Ghost Stories."
YOU TUBE search for "Anna Chapman"
BEFORE THE ARREST: jUNE 27, 2010
February 2010 Interview in English
2010? UK Mirror "Property Finder"
AFTER THE ARREST: JUNE 27, 2010
* The original complaint filed 27 June 2010 *
November 2010 Femme Fatale Photo Spread for MAXIM
October 2013 "Snowden, will you marry me?"
NBC News, TODAY SHOW, on Snowden, September 30, 2013.
The TELEGRAPH, "Mysteries of the World" trailer.
3 April 2012: Anna Chapman close to snaring President Obama Cabinet member in a honey trap
Read moreAnna-Chapman-came-close-catching-Obama-official-honey-trap-U-S-spy-catcher-claims.html#ixzz3HBGF83C0
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
The "femme fatale" angle was exploited by PLAYBOY and MAXIM (see our SAKAI resources). Check out the tabloid, NEW YORK POST.. Also
THE DUBAI ASSASSINATION OF A SENIOR HAMAS MILITARY COMMANDER
Anatomy of a killing: You might make comparisons to Victor Ostrovsky's books (see our SAKAI resources) and the screening of MUNICH which we will watch in the weeks ahead.
The "Kidon" are MOSSAD death squads.
IN THE NEWS:
WIRED Video of the Dubai Assassination
Gulf News
GULF NEWS TV: Dubai Police Surveillance videos part 1, part 2 and part 3.
FOLLOWING THE SHORT FILM WE WILL HAVE A HANDS-ON EXERCISE IN CRYPTOLOGY:
The Swiss NEMa (Neu Machine)
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Week
10
PSYOPS |
October 29
SCREENING: BREACH
 
ANALYTICAL CULTURE is among our SAKAI Resources.
FOR OUR NEXT MEETING, discuss the ways in which the instituional "culture" of the CIA effects its ability to collect, analyze and deliver intelligence estimates up the chain of command. How is information "filtered" from its source to a finished product ready to be handed to our decision makers. What "biases" does Dr. Johnston present and how might they be lessened without introducing additional "biases" of a different nature? How might they be related to what we have covered so far in the course? This is the same problem we encounter as scientists in general and as social scientists in particular: How can we discover the truth without introducing our own biases and preconceptions. Please reference your citations, 3-4 pages, double-spaced, plus illustrations if they are relevant. |
PSYOPS IN THE NEWS: OPPOSITION RESEARCH:
Stirring up brushfires and digging up political dirt.
A look at the Russian FIALKA:
Paul Reuvers & Marc Simons CRYPTOMUSEUM
Click on "Crypto" and then "Fialka."
Click on "Crypto," then "USA" and then "KL-7."
Roughly contemporaneous, how do the two machines differ?
About 2-3 pages, double spaced, plus illustrations if relevant.
an
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Week
11
Propaganda |
November 5
SCREENING: MUNICH.
Please arrive at Classroom #6 on time with coffee and snacks.
It's a long film. (15 minutes short of 3 hours!)
FOR NEXT WEEK: MUNICH and Victor Ostrovsky's story.
In what ways do the sentiments, details and tradecraft expressed in MUNICH coincide or contrast with those expressed by Victor Ostrovsky in his two books? Cite examples from both sources for comparison. (Check the indices for "Munich," "assassination," "kidon," etc.) 2-3 pages, double-spaced.
"I was elated when I was chosen and granted the privilege to join what I considered to be the elite team of the Mossad.
But it was the twisted ideaals and self-centered pragmatism that I encountered inside the Mossad, coupled with this so-called team's greed, lust, and total lack of respect for human life, that motivated me to tell this story.
It is out of love of Israel as a free and just country that I am laying my life on the line by so doing, facing up to those who took it upon themselves to turn the Zionist dream into the present-day nightmare." Ostrovsky, BY WAY OF DECEPTION, back jacket, 1990.
ALSO FOR NEXT WEEK: COURSE PROJECT PROPOSAL.
Turn in a brief note, outline or synopsis for a course project. Be sure to include your rationale for the choice and a list of proposed resources for your research. Maximum 1-page. |
 vs
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Week
12
Deceptions &
other Intelligence Practices |
November 12
COURSE PROJECT: This should take the form of a paper (with references) and a presentation. Assume that you will be making a presentation at a conference. Typically, you have written a a paper that encompasses more than you can talk about to your audience. Typically you have 10-15 minutes before your audience. Your presentation is a summary, a teaser, for the research that is further detailed in your paper. We will follow the same format. Please be sure to upload both your paper and your presentation on SAKAI before the last meeting of our class. Also, I want those of you in the audience to ask questions. Your grade will be based on your engagement both as a presenter and as an audience member.
DISCUSSION: Course project proposals. Some ideas:
- Military Information Support Operations (MISO)
- Smart-Dust, RFID
- Escape & Evasion Maps
- Secret Tactical Maps
- Escape & Evasion Paraphernalia
- Operation Cornflakes
- Black Propaganda
- Counterfeiting
- Propaganda leaflets: Japan vs. Allies
- Propaganda leaflets: Germany vs. Allies
- Propaganda leaflets: North Vietnam vs. U.S.
- Camouflage, Decoys, Deception
- Sandboxes and Sandtables (fly to 38°15'58.40"N, 105°57'01.33"E)
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Books on our SAKAI RESOURCES:
 vs
Additional Films:
 vs
Additional Resources:
 vs
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THE GATEKEEPERS, director Dror Moreh's interviews with six former heads of the Shin Bet,
Israel's Secret Service in charge of terrorism. Inspired in part by Errol Morris' interview with Robert McNamara in THE FOG OF WAR.
101 minutes
 x x
 x x
FOR NEXT WEEK: "Culture," what is it? How do we describe, understand and explain it? How can we build predictive (or exploratory) models of culture? If you have had an Anthropology course, how was culture defined? Failing that, look at Wikipedia's definition. Most definitions restrict culture to shared ideas and symbols, the keywords being "shared" and "ideas." Are those definitions adequate for describing, understanding and explaining the way we humans behave? They leave out the likelihood of an "varied ecology" of ideas, a "varied ecology" of behaviors and a "varied ecology" of material "social" and "technological" environments. They leave out the possibility that people adopt different "personas" ("legends" or "covers") depending on their surroundings.
This course is an introduction to CULTURAL COMPLEXITY and should provide you with a critical skeopticism of what passes for "theory" in the so-called "sciences" of "culture." What is wrong with normative definitions of "culture?" How might "culture" be described more comprehensively in a discussion, computer game or serious computer simulation?
Read "Undivided and eternal unappiness" in our SAKAI RESOURCES under CULTURAL COMPLEXITY. With that in mind and having viewed THE GATEKEEPERS, how might you model each of the six individuals interviewed? Re
Reading segments from "Generous Enemies" (see SAKAI RESOURCES under CULTURAL COMPLEXITY), how might you model each if the individal "classes" discussed?
Please give this topic some serious thought and post your analysis to SAKAI. There is no page limit. |
Week
13
Actionable Anthropology
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November 19
Course evaluations...
Can ISAL issue its own coins?
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(Short day: Finish by 11:45!)
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November 26
Thanksgiving break.
A SUGGESTED HOLIDAY FILM:
BLETCHLEY PARK, ALAN TURING, ENIGMA & THE "BOMBE":
Trailer: Alan Turing THE IMITATION GAME
(Opens November 28, but possible not in Durham).
CBS Sunday Morning.
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Week
14 |
December 3
Last day of class...
Course Evaluations:
Please take time to fill out these forms and add suggestions of your own at the bottom.
Final Project Presentations
coffee_by_Tagirov.jpg |
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Please turn in a carefully thought out project with:
Your word.doc, PowerPoint.ppt and other media files burned into a disk, and that disk in a paper sleeve.
Your word.doc should also be printed out on paper.
Embellish your cover sheet with an illustrative image and an executive summary (everything you have done and have to say in a nut-shell).
Tuck all of these materials into a plastic sheet-protector (see picture above) and turn it in on presentation day.
Please prepare a much shorter presentation to give in class.
You want to "hook" your audience with a "teaser" (like Hollywood does), so use some of what you've learned about propaganda. Think of movie-trailers for inspiration.
You could probably talk for an hour on the research you have done, but in order to present your material to the class quickly, I would suggest that you make a second, shorter, presentation and rehearse the timing.
There are many of us, and I'd like each of us to see the breadth of your research. |
No
Final |
!!! No Final / Happy Holidays !!! |
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10:55 Screening:
For next week:
Compare and contrast the evolution of the experiences, assumptions, views, contentments and regrets held by two of these men, up to their present-day "lessons learned." Your job is not to damn or praise them, but to "channel them" and get inside their heads. 2-3 pages, double-spaced, hard copy.
Save a digital copy of this assignment for later. |
TENTATIVE:
another post card
target populations abroad
hiding messages in images
sleeper agents
Operation Ghost Stories (Anna Chapman) YouTube
More on cryptology and hiding messages
in images and other computer files.
Caroline's Micky Mouse scanned at 600 dpi.
How to develop the dots in Photshop:
Open the image.
Select: Window / Channels.
Make only the Blue Channel visible.
Blow up the image of the dots until you see several clear repeats.
Do an Image / Adjust / Levels to increase the contrast.
Do an Alt / Print Scrn to capture what you see.
(Create a new image; you will no longer need the previous one.)
Do a File / New and then an Edit / Paste to create a black-and-white copy.
Use the pencil tool to create one clear image of the pattern.
Using the Horizontal Type Tool enter your name and the pertinent data.
Crop the image as necessary.
Do a File / Save and upload it to your SAKAI dropbox.
Color copier and color printer yellow dot codes. |
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Screening:
"The Mole" as originally aired on Dateline 03/05/01:
A short documentary on the career and arrest of Robert Hansen, which inspired the theatrical movie BREACH.
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Screening: MUNICH and the tradecraft of assassination.
Compare it to the Dubai Assassination in recent news.
We will later make a comparison to Victor Ostrovsky's book.
The Kidon, MOSSAD death squads.
Steven Spielberg and Victor Ostrovsky.
Recent operations in the news...
Dubai Assassination
Gulf News
Full video part 1, part 2 and part 3. |
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FOR NEXT WEEK: The once restricted monograph, TARGET ANALYSIS AND MEDIA IN PROPAGANDA TO AUDIENCES ABROAD, includes a chapter (11) on "Psychological Warfare in the Total Frame of Purposive Action." It's among our SAKAI Resources. The military looks at culture from the perspective of "actionable ethnography" in order to impose "purposive action." In contrast, many anthropologists insist on producing "non-actionable" ethnography in order to protect their subjects. A science of culture would necessarily have to negotiate those two goals. Compare and contrast the perspectives on culture process as detailed in TARGET ANALYSIS and anthropological perspectives on culture in light of competing goals. If you cannot find a science of culture perspective, look Marvin Harris' CULTURAL MATERIALISM (an excerpt is also on SAKAI). 2-3 pages, double-spaced.
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Eisenhower warned against the "military, industrial, congressional complex."
Do some empirical research online towards mapping each state's current "stake" in this complex. How can that "stake"or investment be measured? Perhaps in $$$, jobs or votes? How is that "stake" protected by politicians, community action and "public relations" (advertising and propaganda). Please provide specific contemporary evidence.
2-3 pages hard copy plus whatever references and visual graphics (e.g. maps and charts) are relevant.
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