Magical Realism and Information Operations

[Tom Odom]

One belief that continually pops up in central Africa is invulnerability through ritualistic initiation. The first time I ran into this was in looking at the 1964 Congo Crisis and the Simba Rebellion. The Simbas believed that their witch doctors could make them invulnerable to bullets, a belief encouraged by the Congolese army's penchant for shooting in the air and discouraged by Western military advisors and mercenaries penchant for hitting their targets. The West's use of contract anti-Castro Cuban aircrew in T6s, T28s, and A26s against the Simbas also did much to disabuse the Simbas (at least those who survived the initial pass) of this notion bullets could not hurt them.

It resurfaced in the post-Rwandan genocide war in central Africa. I have read accounts of the same thinking with the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda and some suggestions the same thing happened in southern Sudan.

Tom

[marct]

It also showed up in the Plains with the Ghost Dance and, in a much more modern context, with the Matamoros massacre.

Ritually, it's a pretty simple thing to achieve, since it really only involves enough manipulation so that the person going through the ritual ends up with heightened adrenal activity (anywhere from 50 - 200%), and a symbolic disjuncture between a particular fear response and a stimulus. A non-kinetic version can be seen in fire-walking.

Marc

[marct]

See also the new Austin Bay article on RCP.

The Battle of Najaf, 2007
By Austin Bay

Iraq's Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani is a most remarkable man.

Consider these attributes: a Muslim theologian who promotes democracy, an Iraqi Shia leader who supports national reconciliation, an international Shia luminary who believes Sunnis and Shias and Christians -- and human beings in general -- have reasons to cooperate and accommodate. In a just world, he would win a Nobel Peace Prize.

British Maj. Gen. Andrew Graham said of Sistani in 2004: "The pro-democracy moderate Muslim cleric doesn't have to be found. That's Sistani. Fortunately, he is the most influential religious leader in Iraq."

Sistani's influence extends beyond Iraq, into Shia communities throughout the world, including Iran and Lebanon.

However, these inspiring attributes are the very reason the so-called "Soldiers of Heaven" militia targeted Grand Ayatollah Sistani for either kidnapping or assassination this past weekend.

More...

[Bill Meara]

One belief that continually pops up in central Africa is invulnerability through ritualistic initiation. The first time I ran into this was in looking at the 1964 Congo Crisis and the Simba Rebellion. The Simbas believed that their witch doctors could make them invulnerable to bullets, a belief encouraged by the Congolese army's penchant for shooting in the air and discouraged by Western military advisors and mercenaries penchant for hitting their targets. The West's use of contract anti-Castro Cuban aircrew in T6s, T28s, and A26s against the Simbas also did much to disabuse the Simbas (at least those who survived the initial pass) of this notion bullets could not hurt them.

It resurfaced in the post-Rwandan genocide war in central Africa. I have read accounts of the same thinking with the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda and some suggestions the same thing happened in southern Sudan.

Tom

O Club, Ft. Bragg, 1984, SF Course. Classmate from Africa is with us. Conversation turns to news reports of Africans putting charms on their M-16 muzzles, and beliveing that they will be protected from incoming rounds. All the Americans chuckle. The African classmate says, "Its true." We're stunned. "You mean its true that they believe this, right." Pause. "No, I mean it is true."
http://www.contracross.com

[goesh]

We are but one small step from wearing tailsmans, feathers and paint ourselves. What comes to mind is the ritual Fred Cox, a Minn. Vikings kicker had. He had to sit in the exact same spot every game and kept a pair of sneakers by the end of the bench where he sat and kept a Snickers bar in the right shoe and would take one bite and one bite only after each kick he made. It gave him the edge he needed. He was college educated and making more money than most of us and he was held in high esteem by his teammates, fans and home town. One man's ju-ju is another's lucky rabbit's foot and by the way, there was Ghost Dancing at Wounded Knee II in 1973 and a Ghost Shirt was worn during the fire fight at the Jumping Bull compound in which 2 US Marshals went down. When I integrated into a bush village in Gambia, W. Africa during my Peace Corps stint, I was housed at a compound owned by one of the head men. He had fine orange tree and the fruit was coming ripe and he had ju-jus on the tree and nobody would touch the fruit. I remember going up to that tree to get an orange to eat and a couple of guys became quite alarmed and warned me to step back or bad things would happen. I was wearing my ju-ju that I got in the Senegal bush before moving into Gambia so I did a little ritual with tobacco smoke and some rocks with my ju-ju placed in circle of rocks, blew some smoke on the tree, grabbed an orage and ate it. Within 2 days time, all the oranges were gone from the tree and I only ate 2 of them. There are alot of funny things in the world we don't understand and can't appreciate and exploit. I highly recommend ju-jus to Spec. Ops forces. I don't care how advanced and civilized we purport to be, you can take the ju-ju off the man but you can never take the ju-ju out of the man.

[Stan]

Hey Bill,

O Club, Ft. Bragg, 1984, SF Course. Classmate from Africa is with us. Conversation turns to news reports of Africans putting charms on their M-16 muzzles, and beliveing that they will be protected from incoming rounds. All the Americans chuckle. The African classmate says, "Its true." We're stunned. "You mean its true that they believe this, right." Pause. "No, I mean it is true."

The Zäirians in the northern regions also did similar things with their M3 greaseguns. But now that I think about it, most of the weapons fired were somewhat vertical and our MTT members would find suitable shelter under garages while the test of gravity took place .

[wondertk]

The excerpts below come from an interview with Carl G. Jung, "Diagnosing the Dictators." They may offer us a typological context to frame this discussion.

"There are two types of strong men in primitive society. One was the chief who was physically powerful, stronger than all his competitors, and the other was the medicine man who was not strong himself but was strong by reason of the power which the people projected into him. Thus we had the emperor and the head of the religious community. The emperer was the chief, physically strong through his possession of soldiers; the seer was the medicine man, possessing little or no physical power but an actual power sometimes surpassing that of the emperer, because the people agreed he possessed the magic--that is, supernatural ability. He could, for example, assist or obstruct the way to a happy life after death, put a ban upon an individual, a community or a whole nation, and by excommunications cause people great discomfort or pain."

Interestingly, Jung goes on to compare the Hitler/Medicine Man mystique to, of all people, Muhammad, Islam's final prophet, a political, spiritual and military leader. While reading that passage for the first time, I couldn't help but think of charismatic radical imams like Moqtada Al-Sadr, Osama Bin Laden, Sheikh Abdel Rahman, Sami Al-Arian, who seek first and formost to control the meaning of the religion by attacking the legitimacy of Muslim leaders and liberal clerics and also by shunning dissent within their local congregations and communities.

What, therefore, shall be our magical realist plan for psy-ops and other countermeasures to depower the mystique of a "medicine man" like Moqtada al-Sadr while empowering his adversaries?

[RTK]

We are but one small step from wearing tailsmans, feathers and paint ourselves. What comes to mind is the ritual Fred Cox, a Minn. Vikings kicker had. He had to sit in the exact same spot every game and kept a pair of sneakers by the end of the bench where he sat and kept a Snickers bar in the right shoe and would take one bite and one bite only after each kick he made. It gave him the edge he needed. He was college educated and making more money than most of us and he was held in high esteem by his teammates, fans and home town. One man's ju-ju is another's lucky rabbit's foot and by the way, there was Ghost Dancing at Wounded Knee II in 1973 and a Ghost Shirt was worn during the fire fight at the Jumping Bull compound in which 2 US Marshals went down. When I integrated into a bush village in Gambia, W. Africa during my Peace Corps stint, I was housed at a compound owned by one of the head men. He had fine orange tree and the fruit was coming ripe and he had ju-jus on the tree and nobody would touch the fruit. I remember going up to that tree to get an orange to eat and a couple of guys became quite alarmed and warned me to step back or bad things would happen. I was wearing my ju-ju that I got in the Senegal bush before moving into Gambia so I did a little ritual with tobacco smoke and some rocks with my ju-ju placed in circle of rocks, blew some smoke on the tree, grabbed an orage and ate it. Within 2 days time, all the oranges were gone from the tree and I only ate 2 of them. There are alot of funny things in the world we don't understand and can't appreciate and exploit. I highly recommend ju-jus to Spec. Ops forces. I don't care how advanced and civilized we purport to be, you can take the ju-ju off the man but you can never take the ju-ju out of the man.

I won't go on patrol without a rosary in one pocket and my St. Michael medal on my dogtags. Superstition, no matter how odd it seems, works until proven otherwise.

[marct]

What, therefore, shall be our magical realist plan for psy-ops and other countermeasures to depower the mystique of a "medicine man" like Moqtada al-Sadr while empowering his adversaries?

Like to ask the simple questions, Terri? Well, I've got two answers to that. First, organize the United States Magi Corps (USMC, kinda catchy ring to it, don't you think?). Best to make it under the Marines, both because they seem to be more flexible and because their acronym would then be USMC2.

The second answer is a more serious one but, actually, runs along the same lines. I think that there should be a seminar / workshop / think tank group that is put together to look at this seriously. I'd certainly want to be part of it, especially given my academic background .

Marc

[Stan]

Hi Terri !

We decided, that if we can get Marc to join the Army (that would be the USA), Tom and I would split the first grand.

Now with Carl Jung hanging around yet again, I don't know if we will be so successful.

Did you happen to take the MBTI test ? And the results would be

Could we get you into say...wait for it....boots

Regards, Stan

[goesh]

" What, therefore, shall be our magical realist plan for psy-ops and other countermeasures to depower the mystique of a "medicine man" like Moqtada al-Sadr while empowering his adversaries? " (Wondertk)

Putting the Eye of Horus/Eye of Ra on sadr's men KIA would be a good start but I think ROE prohibits doing anything with bodies other than burying them - other than that and a few other ideas that can't be discussed in this format about all that can be done is wave the Bible and pray for clear shots.....

I forgot to add in my previous post that many traditional Native Americans carried eagle feathers to Nam, feathers that were given in a ceremonial manner. I would bet a crsip $100.00 there are a few eagle feathers in Iraq and Afghanistan too.

[marct]

Hi Stan,

We decided, that if we can get Marc to join the Army (that would be the USA), Tom and I would split the first grand.

Now with Carl Jung hanging around yet again, I don't know if we will be so successful.

Hey, I always liked Jung! Top notch magician, errr, ummm, "psychologist".

Did you happen to take the MBTI test ? And the results would be

Could we get you into say...wait for it....boots

Terri, don't take this too seriously . I think Stan has a boot fetish...

Honestly, I think we could probably get a really good team together to look at "magical realism" in general and its application to the global counter-insurgency. As long as we can keep Tanya Luhrman out of it, everything would go well....

Marc

[wondertk]

Don't know about boots on the ground, but I have a pair of pink suede high heels in my closet that could be useful for both psy-ops and non-lethal torture against the most devout among our enemies.

The Magi Corps is intriguing, Marc, but the study group is probably more feasible, and I would be happy to participate.

I know, someone had to bring Jung into this discussion. And it had to be me.

Here's another plan: create a fake insurgent group with its own fake medicine man leader and open up a garbage can into which other insurgents may jump.

That's doable, don't you think?

[marct]

Hi Goesh,

Putting the Eye of Horus/Eye of Ra on sadr's men KIA would be a good start but I think ROE prohibits doing anything with bodies other than burying them - other than that and a few other ideas that can't be discussed in this format about all that can be done is wave the Bible and pray for clear shots.....

I'd be in favour of the eye of Horus, although the Left Eye would be more appropriate <evil grin>. In some of my darker moments, I keep thinking about Blood Eagles, but that is definitely verbotten! Still and all, there is a certain aesthetic counterpoint to beheadings.... (my mother always accused me of being a blood thirsty barbarian ).

I forgot to add in my previous post that many traditional Native Americans carried eagle feathers to Nam, feathers that were given in a ceremonial manner. I would bet a crsip $100.00 there are a few eagle feathers in Iraq and Afghanistan too.

I'd be surprised if there weren't!

Marc

[Stan]

Terri, don't take this too seriously . I think Stan has a boot fetish...

Honestly, I think we could probably get a really good team together to look at "magical realism" in general and its application to the global counter-insurgency. As long as we can keep Tanya Luhrman out of it, everything would go well....

All jokes aside:
There's room for a lot of these folks in a team. I had smaller 2 or 3-man teams, but we seemed to have all the elements in our favor.

I like Goesh's last; both the clear shots and the Native Americans.

[wondertk]

I will admit to being an ENTJ on the MBTI.

On the Gregoric, I am Abstract-Random.

I am also a Libra with Aquarius rising on the cusp with Pisces. (Not really)

I also have secret fantasies about launching an all-women counter protest group who march down the street of Baghdad in red white and blue bikinis. This would be great psy-ops for disarming those militias.

[marct]

Don't know about boots on the ground, but I have a pair of pink suede high heels in my closet that could be useful for both psy-ops and non-lethal torture against the most devout among our enemies.

<truly evil grin>Reminds me of that fiction piece you sent me a while back....

The Magi Corps is intriguing, Marc, but the study group is probably more feasible, and I would be happy to participate.

I also doubt that a Magi Corps cold get going. It's too bad, especially given the number of magical practitioners already serving in the US forces (Asatruar, Wiccans, etc.). Besides that, I think we could come up with some really spiffy uniforms .

I think the study group / think tank would be the way to go. Any suggestions?

Here's another plan: create a fake insurgent group with its own fake medicine man leader and open up a garbage can into which other insurgents may jump.

That's doable, don't you think?

Yup, but it's also a really dangerous thing to do - black PSYOPs as it were.

Marc

[marct]

I will admit to being an ENTJ on the MBTI.

Hah! I thought so!

All jokes aside:
There's room for a lot of these folks in a team. I had smaller 2 or 3-man teams, but we seemed to have all the elements in our favor.

I agree, Stan. Again, all jokes aside, I'm going to see if I can et any support for setting up an administrative shell for a think tank in my department (Interdisciplinary Studies). A friend, colleague and sometimes student of mine who has been lurking here for a while (and when are you going to post Greg?), also think that it would be a good idea, so I'll be chatting with him as well.

Marc

[wondertk]

You need a grant, which means you need to establish a non-profit group, which means you need to appoint a board and create a website.

This also means you need a logo, which shouldn't be too difficult to work out among those involed in this discussion and probably involves eagle feathers, an M-16, and some biblical imagery--maybe something eye-catching from the Book of Revelation.

As for that essay I wrote a while back, I'm still weighing on whether or not to send it here as an attachment. That piece could really come back to haunt me. The Evil Eye beads I bought in Turkey, which I now I have hanging over my office door and around the house and in my car, would not be sufficient for preventing malicious deities and their proxies from harming me.

[marct]

Hi Terri,

You need a grant, which means you need to establish a non-profit group, which means you need to appoint a board and create a website.

Grants are nice, but non-profit status can be pulled through the university. It means setting up an Organized Research Unit (ORU) which then has the ability to get grants via the university. Boards shouldn't be too much f a problem, and the website is a snap (I do some of that for a living).

This also means you need a logo, which shouldn't be too difficult to work out among those involed in this discussion and probably involves eagle feathers, an M-16, and some biblical imagery--maybe something eye-catching from the Book of Revelation.

Aaargh! I hate Revelation ! Anyway, something from Solomon would make more sense - maybe a nice protection hexagram. Personally, I'll put in a bid for crossed spirit feathers bracketing a pentagram argent, on a shield noir, surmounted by the Left Eye of Horus argent.

As for that essay I wrote a while back, I'm still weighing on whether or not to send it here as an attachment. That piece could really come back to haunt me. The Evil Eye beads I bought in Turkey, which I now I have hanging over my office door and around the house and in my car, would not be sufficient for preventing malicious deities and their proxies from harming me.

Oh, I suppose so, but it really is a good piece . If your beads don't work, let me know and I'll send you something stronger (it's amazing what we pick up in the field ).

Marc