Part 1 of this series argues that elites aggressively seek to acquire and control resources and power—primarily for their own personal enrichment. Part 2 outlines how the Western elites enact this agenda against nations that are targeted for resource pillage and inclusion within the broader sphere of Western influence for ongoing power projection and exploitation. Part 3 deals with narrative as a tool of war. This part provides an overview of the common propaganda narratives used against key targets of the empire.

“So I came back to see him a few weeks later, and by that time we were bombing in Afghanistan. I said, “Are we still going to war with Iraq?” And he said, “Oh, it’s worse than that.” He reached over on his desk. He picked up a piece of paper. And he said, “I just got this down from upstairs” — meaning the Secretary of Defense’s office — “today.” And he said, “This is a memo that describes how we’re going to take out seven countries in five years, starting with Iraq, and then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and, finishing off, Iran.””

GEN. WESLEY CLARK interview with Amy Goodman of Democracy Now!

“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organised habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. …We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. This is a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organized. Vast numbers of human beings must cooperate in this manner if they are to live together as a smoothly functioning society. …In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons…who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind.”

― Edward Bernays, Propaganda

The following catalogue of the principal propaganda narratives employed by the USA and its allies against they key target nations of the last few decades, specifically China, Russia, Iran, Syria, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela.

These propaganda narratives are presented without undue criticism or rebuttal. To be effective, most propaganda narratives require some element of truth within them to make their tale credible to the casual observer. In presenting these narratives, I have not taken much effort to analyse the truthfulness of the various claims and assertions from which they are composed. It is hoped that the reader will take some time to research and reflect on a range of different perspectives before reaching his or her own position as to the truth of the matters. In the end, my position is that all propaganda involves some sort of lie and in my view the propaganda narratives documented are inevitably damaging to the peaceful co-existence of the world’s community of nations and people.