EOTO #2

FALSE FLAG

False Flag is described as an action that is done with the intent of placing blame on another party. This type of action is typically found in politics and warfare used to trick other nations. It first began back in the 16th century and was used by pirates. The pirates would use their ships to "deceive" other ships into coming closer so they could attack and have the upper-hand in battle. It brought an interesting tactic to warfare that would end up becoming very popular. It seems like an unfair technique considering using one's trust to attack others. It did overtime become "appropriate" and had some organization to it. Countries would decide to organize attacks on themselves in order to place blame and appear as the victim to the outside world. 

It's important to know that while not necessarily ethical, False Flag is not illegal. The Humanitarian Law doesn't count this technique as a warcrime. One important term to discuss is pretexting, which is the use of a fabricated story to manipulate others into sharing information. Pretexting is often used in cybersecurity, however, it is commonly used in False Flag operations. An example of this could be one country sending someone in to impersonate a member of the company in order to get records, plans, and/or information. This type of scamming is considered illegal in the United States, and there are laws that are aimed to prevent this from happening. 

To discuss some pros of this technique it's important to keep in mind that this is a warfare type of technique, not an ethical one. To start, False Flag operations tend to gain sympathy from people. If another country is staging an attack and blaming another country for it, there will be global attention. This type of attention may be successful in the sense where support may be given from all over. With social media being so prominent in our modern society, it is very easy to see what is going on around the world. With that being said, all it takes is one video or message for other nations to get involved. Allow me to provide an example, in 2022 Russia plotted a fake attack by Ukraine. They did this by creating a video to send out for everyone to see, which would definitely draw in some sympathy from somewhere. Another pro could be pushing responsibility. If they are able to get away with their False Flag operations, the responsibility and "blame" will be pushed onto another nation. This allows them to look way better in the public eye, which may allow for even more sympathy. 

There are some major cons with False Flag as well, as it is a very deceptive technique. To start off, it is unethical to lie and place blame on others... obviously, but it simply can destroy the nation's reputation. If not pulled off successfully or kept under tight wraps, it will become known to the public immediately. Once again, social media is very prominent, it takes one post for widespread opinions to form. Just like that, the nation is discredited because of the use of this technique. There is also a lot of fear and anxiety that can be provoked from this type of warfare. Since it is a large manipulation, people believe what is said and are often terrified by it. 

I want to give a couple of examples to wrap up this discussion of False Flag to better understand what this technique is all about. Back in April this year, 2024, Russia claimed Ukraine responsible when disruption occurred at the nuclear power plant in... Kyiv, Ukraine. They are claiming it was done to place blame on Moscow in order to make the West feel bad and continue to give aide. The question behind this is why would Ukraine purposefully damage their own infrastructure just to receive more aide? 

Another is example is back in 2014 when Russia sent in special forces into Ukraine pretending to be local self-defense. This allowed them to destroy and obtain government buildings and take control of Crimea. This is considered False Flag because they are pretending to be Ukraine special forces and taking advantage of Crimea's occupants. 

False Flag has the opportunity to be very dangerous and manipulative to society. It can be the beginning of war and place a lot of stress, fear, and anxiety on citizens. The addition of the media's presence in war now has made it very easy to get tangled up in what is real versus what isn't. A lot of conspiracy theories can arise or even just different opinions. Since this is true, all it takes is one post to spread like wild fire and just add on to the mess that is False Flag.