The great risk of asymmetrical warfare is that the seemingly more powerful side – usually a nation-state and its regular armed forces – are actually at a severe disadvantage. This is especially true of liberal democracies, whose armed forces are held rigidly to the rules of war, but intensely scrutinised – not least by the media of their own nation.
Invariably left-leaning, the media are also almost universally ‘anti-war’ and ideologically hostile to even their own armed forces. Consider, for instance, the celebration of the Wikileaks “collateral murder” video, despite the fact that it was obvious propaganda, designed to misrepresent what was, in fact, an American operation rigidly adhering to its rules of engagement.
In Australia, elements of the left-media have long pursued an ideological vendetta against our military operating in Afghanistan, especially Australia’s most decorated serving soldier, Ben Roberts-Smith. Defence bureaucracy has behaved little better.
They have handed an enormous propaganda coup to a brutal communist dictatorship which is determined to ruthlessly punish Australia by any means.
Liberal MP and former special forces captain Andrew Hastie has blasted Defence over its decision to allow the publication of an unsubstantiated allegation that Australian soldiers killed Afghan children, saying it had delivered China an unnecessary propaganda win.
Bear in mind that the allegation was so flimsy that even the likes of the ABC – which rushed to smear Australian Navy personnel for supposedly torturing people-smugglers on almost no evidence at all, a smear it was forced to withdraw – admit that the story is highly dubious.
The allegation was not part of the Brereton war crimes report released two weeks ago, but a separate report by sociologist Samantha Crompvoets, which preceded the four-year inquiry by NSW Supreme Court judge Paul Brereton.
On Monday, China’s Foreign Ministry tweeted a meme by a Chinese artist that seized on the allegation, depicting an Australian soldier slitting the throat of an Afghan child.
“The Crompvoets (report) detailed unproven rumours of Australian soldiers murdering Afghan children,” Mr Hastie told parliament on Thursday[…]
“The Brereton report neither rules these rumours in or out. So why are they in the open?
“It has undermined public confidence in the process and allowed the People’s Republic of China to malign our troops.”
More importantly, given its proven track-record of the most appalling crimes against even its own citizens, China’s malicious smear is staggeringly hypocritical.
“Australia is seeking to be honest and accountable for alleged wrongdoing by a small number of individuals entrusted to wear our flag,” he said.
“We are owning our mistakes. This is in stark contrast to the People’s Republic of China.
“We are yet to receive an apology from the People’s Republic of China. And I’m not holding my breath waiting for one.”
We’re not likely to get one, either, from the oligarchs of Silicon Valley. Nor much help.
He also blasted Twitter for its refusal to take down the offending tweet as requested by Scott Morrison.
“If it wasn’t clear already: we, Australians, alone are responsible for our sovereignty. Authoritarian regimes actively undermine it. Silicon Valley doesn’t care about it.”
The Australian
Like certain mining billionaires, all they care about is making money.
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