Rolling Deep

More proof, if one were needed, that reality is taking Deep State as a template.

USAID— a branch of government that normally gives humanitarian aid— tried to undermine the Cuban government by setting up an social media project funded by the US government, but routed through third parties in Spain, Nicaragua, and elsewhere.   They intended to build a a subscription base by concentrating on non-controversial content like baseball or music, and then eventually start creating flash mobs that could, as their mission statement had it, “renegotiate the balance of power between the state and society.”

This was, of course, illegal under U.S. law, which requires covert programs intended to overthrow a foreign regime to be approved by the President, and for Congress to be informed.  Obama’s spokesman claimed the program wasn’t covert, and therefore the law didn’t apply.  Which is an interesting point: how covert is a social media platform with thousands of subscribers?

The program, called ZunZuneo, came to an end in June of 2012 when the Cuban security services managed to block it.  Not because they sniffed out the State Department connection, apparently, but just because it was a form of media the Cuban government didn’t control.