<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<html>
<head>
<meta content="text/html; charset=windows-1252"
http-equiv="Content-Type">
</head>
<body text="#333333" bgcolor="#ffffff">
<a moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/stratforleaks-google-ideas-director-involved-%E2%80%98regime-change%E2%80%99">http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/stratforleaks-google-ideas-director-involved-%E2%80%98regime-change%E2%80%99</a><br>
<br>
This is a most astonishing piece of news forwarded by Riaz, even for
someone like me who has a natural suspicion of Internet powers (as of
all powers)..... Google actually has an almost official 'regime change'
agenda which works closely with the more famous US 'regime change'
proclivities. <br>
<br>
Following this news item I did some, well, sorry to say, 'googling' to
find another new item where google chief (or, ex chief) proffers that
the 'Iranian bomb' was perhaps an issue they, meaning google, can take
up. (No today isnt April 1st.)<br>
<br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><a
class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/b8e8b560-a84a-11e0-9f50-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1oMmNLULH">http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/b8e8b560-a84a-11e0-9f50-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1oMmNLULH</a><br>
<br>
</font><font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">Some questions are
being raised about such activity by Google, but,
interesting, mostly about what if is works "in conflict with the
foreign policy of the US". Amusing! Of course only the rich can afford
to discuss security and foreign policy concerns; the less fortunate
should take what is served to them. <br>
</font>
<div
style="border: medium none ; overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><font
face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><br>
</font></div>
<blockquote><font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"> "Joseph Nye, the
Harvard professor who coined the phrase “soft power”, told The
Washington Post in the lead-up to the Dublin meeting that Google’s
entry into the arena “could be problematic – especially if it is
perceived to be in conflict with the foreign policy of the United
States” "<br>
</font></blockquote>
<br>
Earlier, there has been this <font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">
news about an understanding of the US National Security Agency with
Google at <br>
<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2012/03/doj-asks-court-to-keep-secret-any-partnership-between-google-nsa.html">http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2012/03/doj-asks-court-to-keep-secret-any-partnership-between-google-nsa.html</a><br>
<br>
US gov seem to have similar arrangements with other Internet biggies
like Facebook, Twitter etc, which gives it privileged access to
information held by them, and other kinds of leveraged that can be
exercised by them. This is hardly surprising since these are all US
companies and they need to comply with the requirements of US law, and
cooperate with US gov on furthering US interests.<br>
<br>
And still many people want developing countries to not have any
security concerns vis a vis the unipolar control of the US over much of
the core of the Internet, whether in form of CIRs or the 'operations
room' of the major Internet companies that together constitute most of
the Internet today. This position is difficult to sell to even the most
well meaning developing country government guy. And why only
government, also to a southern civil society person, because security
relates to real people and stark issues of their lives. (Think
Afghanistan vis a vis big powers driving arbitrary regime changes!)<br>
<br>
Parminder <br>
<br>
</font>On Thursday 15 March 2012 01:28 PM, Riaz K Tayob wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:4F61A12C.8060909@gmail.com" type="cite">
<meta content="text/html; charset=windows-1252"
http-equiv="Content-Type">
<div id="navigation">
<div class="section clearfix">
<div class="region region-navigation"><br>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<h1 class="title">StratforLeaks: Google Ideas Director Involved in
‘Regime Change’</h1>
<div class="meta">
<p class="authors">By: <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://english.al-akhbar.com/author/yazan-al-saadi"
title="Articles by Yazan al-Saadi">Yazan al-Saadi</a></p>
<p class="dates"> <span class="published"> Published <span
class="date-display-single">Wednesday, March 14, 2012</span> </span> <span
class="updated"> </span> <span class="original"> </span> </p>
</div>
<div class="content-wrap">
<p>Top Google execs, including the company’s CEO and one of Barack
Obama’s major presidential campaign donors Eric Schmidt, informed the
intelligence agency Stratfor about Google’s activities and internal
communication regarding “regime change” in the Middle East, according
to Stratfor emails released by WikiLeaks and obtained by Al-Akhbar. The
other source cited was Google’s director for security and safety Marty
Lev. </p>
<p>The briefings mainly focused on the movements of Jared Cohen,
currently the director of Google Ideas, a “think/do-tank” billed as a
vehicle for spreading American-style liberal democracy. Cohen was also
a former member of US Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff and
former advisor to Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton. </p>
<p>Email exchanges, starting February 2011, suggest that Google execs
were suspicious that Cohen was coordinating his moves with the White
House and cut Cohen’s mission short at times for fear he was taking too
many risks. Stratfor’s vice-president of counter-terrorism Fred Burton,
who seemed opposed to Google’s alleged covert role in “foaming”
uprisings, describes Cohen as a “loose Cannon” whose killing or
kidnapping “might be the best thing to happen” to expose Google. </p>
<p><strong>The Cohen Conspiracy</strong></p>
<p>Stratfor’s spotlight on Cohen began on 9 February 2012 after
Burton forwarded to the secure email list a Foreign Policy article
discussing Cohen’s move from the State Department to Google Ideas. With
this article, Burton noted that Cohen had dinner in Cairo with Wael
Ghonim on January 27, 2011 just hours before the Egyptian Google
Executive was famously picked up by Egypt’s State Security. (<a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://english.al-akhbar.com/gi-files/1122191egypt-google-suggest-you-read"
target="_blank">doc-id 1122191</a>)</p>
<p>On the same day, Stratfor’s staff make reference to a Huffington
Post article which highlighted Cohen’s role in “delaying the scheduled
maintenance on Twitter so the Iranian revolution could keep going” and
a Foreign Policy article that noted that Cohen “was a Rhodes scholar,
spent time in Iran, [and] hung out in Iraq during the war…”. These
casual discovers further perked Stratfor’s curiosity about Cohen. (<a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://english.al-akhbar.com/gi-files/1629270more-cohen"
target="_blank">doc-id 1629270</a>)</p>
<p>The following day, Burton forwarded a message to the secure email
list from “a very good Google source” who claimed that Cohen “[was] off
to Gaza next week”. Burton added, “Cohen, a Jew, is bound to get
himself whacked….Google is not clear if Cohen is operating [with a]
State Dept [or] WH [White House] license, or [is] a hippie activist.”</p>
<p>Korena Zucha, another senior analyst on the list, queried, “Why
hasn’t Google cut ties to Cohen yet? Or is Cohen’s activity being
endorsed by those higher up in the [company] than your contact?”</p>
<p>In turn, Burton replied, “Cohen’s rabbi is Eric Schmidt and Obama
lackey. My source is trying to find out if the billionaire owners are
backing Cohen’s efforts for regime change.” (<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://english.al-akhbar.com/gi-files/1111729goggle-shitstorm-moving-gaza-internal-use-only"
target="_blank">doc-id 1111729</a>)</p>
<p>Later on, Burton forwarded information from the “Google source” of
Cohen’s links in establishing <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.movements.org/" target="_blank">Movements.org</a>.
The source added, “A site created to help online organization of groups
and individuals to move democracy in stubborn nations. Funded through
public-private partnerships.” Burton pointed out that the US State
Department is the organization’s public sponsor.” (<a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://english.al-akhbar.com/gi-files/1118344googles-cohen-activist-role"
target="_blank">doc-id 1118344</a>)</p>
<p>Indeed, the State Department, partnering with a number of
corporations, was the main sponsor for the 2008 inaugural Alliance of
Youth Movements summit in New York City that subsequently established
Movements.org. Hillary Clinton endorsed the organization and presented
a video message during the second summit held in Mexico City a year
later. </p>
<p>On 11 February, Burton wrote to the secure email list that Cohen
was still planning to head to Gaza. He added, “The dude is a loose
can[n]on. GOOGLE is trying to stop his entry into Gaza now because the
dude is like scorched earth. It’s unclear to GOOGLE if he’s driving
without a license, but GOOGLE believes he’s on a specific mission of
“regime change” on the part of leftist fools inside the WH who are
using him for their agendas.” (<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://english.al-akhbar.com/gi-files/1113596movementsorg-founder-cohen"
target="_blank">doc-id 1113596</a>)</p>
<p>Throughout this day, the idea proposed by Burton, and seemingly
felt by his Google contacts as well, of Cohen and the White House’s
involvement in the uprisings was actively discussed among the analysts,
especially in regards to who would be targeted next. (<a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://english.al-akhbar.com/gi-files/1113965discussion-who-next"
target="_blank">doc-id 1113965</a>)</p>
<p>By Monday, 14 February 2011, Burton shared intelligence with
George Friedman, Stratfor’s founder, and Scott Stewart, vice-president
of Stratfor’s tactical department, from his source in Google that Cohen
was ordered not to go to Gaza. Burton’s Google source further stated,
“Also, thinking I [the unnamed source] may be on the right track about
him despite his denials [in reference to Cohen working for the White
House/State Department].”</p>
<p>When asked to clarify his sources on Cohen, Burton claimed that
they were Marty Lev, Google’s director for security and safety, and
Eric Schmidt, the current CEO of Google. (<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://english.al-akhbar.com/gi-files/398679googles-jared-cohen-update"
target="_blank">doc-id 398679</a>)</p>
<p>A week later, Burton forwarded an internal Google email obtained
from a ‘senior Google executive’. This email was seemingly sent by
Cohen to the senior Google executive to discuss Cohen’s planned trip in
March.<br>
In it, Cohen wrote, “I wanted to follow-up and get a sense of your
latest thinking on the proposed March trip to UAE, Azerbaijan, and
Turkey. The purpose of this trip is to exclusively engage the Iranian
community to better understand the challenges faced by Iranians as part
of one of our Google Ideas groups on repressive societies. Here is what
we are thinking: Drive to Azerbaijan/Iranian border and engage the
Iranian communities closer to the border (this is important because we
need the Azeri Iranian perspective).”</p>
<p>After reading Cohen’s email, Stewart remarked, “Cohen might end up
having an accident if he is not careful. This is not child’s play.”</p>
<p>Burton responded, “GOOGLE is getting WH [White House] and State
Dept. support and air cover. In reality, they are doing things the CIA
cannot do. But, I agree with you. He’s going to get himself kidnapped
or killed. Might be the best thing to happen to expose GOOGLE’s covert
role in foaming up-risings, to be blunt. The US Gov’t can then disavow
knowledge and GOOGLE is left holding the shit bag.” (<a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://english.al-akhbar.com/gi-files/1121800google-iran-internal-use-only-pls-do-not-forward"
target="_blank">doc-id 1121800</a>)</p>
<p>On 10 March 2011, Burton forwarded another message from his
‘senior Google executive’ source detailing how Cohen was requested not
to travel on his proposed trip. The source explained that Google had
concerns over Cohen’s “baggage” as a “US State Dept. policy maker, his
research and publications on Muslim extremists and youth movements and
his presence in Egypt just as the uprising started.”The source also
stated that Cohen was recommended to “take a lower profile on this
specific trip and let time pass before being visible and associated
with people known by their states to be active in challenging
repressive societies.” (<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://english.al-akhbar.com/gi-files/1164190google-loose-canon-bound-turkey-uae-sensitive-do-not-forward"
target="_blank">doc-id 1164190</a>)</p>
<p>A subsequent message from Burton’s source on 22 March 2011
affirmed that Cohen “heeded the advice not to go to Turkey or UAE for
those meetings.” (<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://english.al-akhbar.com/gi-files/1133861google-cohen-hosting-terrorists"
target="_blank">doc-id 1133861</a>)</p>
<p>The final email dealing with Cohen was on 30 March 2011.<br>
Here, Burton forwarded to the alpha (secure) email list a response by
his source to Burton’s question of whether Cohen was playing any role
in Libya at the time. The source stated, “Not that I’m aware of. He
heeded the advice to avoid Turkey and UAE and didn’t go on that trip.” (<a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://english.al-akhbar.com/gi-files/1160182jared-cohen-google"
target="_blank">doc-id 1160182</a>)</p>
<hr noshade="noshade">
<p><strong>Google Ideas: Politicizing Technology</strong></p>
<p>Certainly, there is more than meets the eye to Cohen and his
actions; even his superiors in Google seem to think so.</p>
<p>The belief, chiefly by Burton, that Cohen had seemingly played a
role in fermenting the uprisings that toppled Zine el Abidine Ben Ali
and Hosni Mubarak underplays, and at times entirely disregards, the
ability and agency by local movements in Tunisia and Egypt.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, Google Ideas, which Cohen directs, is a new animal.
According to a <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/b8e8b560-a84a-11e0-9f50-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1oMmNLULH"
target="_blank">report</a> by the Financial Times published last July,
Google Ideas seems to bond idealistic activist sensibilities with
Google’s pursuit for continued global expansion - blurring the lines
between business and political action. Schmidt and Cohen dub Google
Ideas as a “think/do-tank” that aims to tackle political and diplomatic
matters through the use of technology. </p>
<p>The first public event for the think/do-tank, in partnership with
the Council on Foreign Relations and the Tribeca Film Festival, was
held last June in Dublin. It gathered around 80 ‘former’ extremists,
including former Muslim radicals, neo-Nazis, US gang members, and
others, in a “Summit Against Violent Extremism”. The <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/2011/06/google-ideas-launches-summit-against.html"
target="_blank">announcement</a> by Google declared that the summit’s
aim is “to initiate a global conversation on how best to prevent young
people from becoming radicalised and how to de-radicalise others” and
that “the ideas generated at the Dublin summit will be included in a
study to be published later in the year.” </p>
<p>One spin off was the creation of the <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.againstviolentextremism.org/" target="_blank">Against
Violent Extremism</a> group, apparently a network for those who
attended the Dublin Summit. Beyond merely networking, the group also
advertises certain projects that are in need of funding. Notably, much
of the projects pertain to the Middle East, including an “Al-Awlaki
Counter-Campaign” - Anwar al-Awlaki, an American citizen of Yemeni
origin, was assassinated in September of last year by the US for his
alleged al-Qaeda connections. </p>
<p>But the Against Violent Extremism site does not seem to be
presently active. The last update for projects in need of funding was
made in September and the last announcement regarding the workings of
the site was made in October. </p>
<p>More recently, Foreign Policy reported in January that the
Brookings Institute, one of the oldest and most influential think-tanks
in Washington, DC, named Google Ideas as “the <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/01/18/brookings_tops_2011_think_tank_rankings"
target="_blank">best new think tank</a> established in the last 18
months.” Such accolades arguably suggests that Google Ideas is expected
to be a major player in the near future.<br>
</p>
<p><a moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/stratforleaks-google-ideas-director-involved-%E2%80%98regime-change%E2%80%99">http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/stratforleaks-google-ideas-director-involved-%E2%80%98regime-change%E2%80%99</a><br>
</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
</body>
</html>