From the Sinatra Doctrine to False Flag
What do we know about the Sinatra Doctrine and False Flag operations? In dictatorial or totalitarian societies, power structures typically resort to a series of innovative ideas during crises to prevent the spread of protests and the joining of the neutral masses to the protesters. Among the most famous and widely used is the Sinatra Doctrine. The False Flag is similar to the Sinatra Doctrine, although it is mainly used for the operations of a third country.
The Sinatra Doctrine is a name given by Gennady Gerasimov, the spokesperson for the Soviet Foreign Ministry, in 1989 to the new Soviet policy towards the Eastern European communist countries. In an interview with the TV program Good Morning America, and explaining a speech by Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze two days earlier, Gerasimov said, ‘Our doctrine now is the Frank Sinatra Doctrine. He has a song that says, ‘I did it my way,’ so each country decides in its own way which path to take.’
The Sinatra Doctrine aimed at recruiting the neutral masses
When the Prague Spring protests in Czechoslovakia against Soviet policies began, a large portion of the population was neutral. Although they were not supporters of Soviet policies, they had no motivation for public protests and participation in marches because they believed that while the Soviets were dictators, Czechoslovakia’s future without the Soviets was also uncertain. The Prague Spring was mainly driven by young people and students using civil methods like silent marches, standing in public places, and gathering in squares. However, a vast majority remained silent in the face of these protests, as this neutral segment of society feared the future.
Leonid Brezhnev ordered the KGB not to use police and security forces but to create a psychological atmosphere to incite the neutral and indifferent segment of society against the protesters. The KGB suggested that police forces and loyalists in civilian clothes attack public property, as well as people’s homes and shops, to loot and destroy, thus making it seem as though the protesters were looters and enemies of the people.
Gradually, the neutral segment of society, tired of the chaos, looting, and destruction, began to support the party and government, asking them to stop the chaos. The situation reached a point where public protests changed color, and now the same neutral and indifferent segment of society took to the streets, chanting against the protesters and demanding peace. This action later became famous as the Sinatra Doctrine. Eastern Bloc security organizations always dedicated part of their training programs to forming strike teams with the aim of recruiting the neutral masses.
The Sinatra Doctrine in Islamshahr
It was said that in the early 1990s, five groups from the officer colleges were sent to North Korea for training in psychological operations engineering. These graduates conducted their first practical test during the events and protests of 1995 in Islamshahr. On April 4, 1995, Islamshahr citizens protested against the increase in bus and taxi fares at a place called Sarnouri. However, just two days later, on Ayatollah Kashani Street, a group attacked the Islamshahr water supply, and another group from the Chichaklu area of Islamshahr began setting fire to parked cars and motorcycles and breaking street windows and signs.
This looting and destruction of people’s property caused dissatisfaction among the citizens of Islamshahr, and in practice, it was the people who attacked the protesters. Finally, on Friday, a crowd of tens of thousands gathered at the Friday prayer site on Takhti Street in Qasemabad, demanding peace. The Friday prayer leader of Islamshahr promised the people that the police and municipality would quickly repair the damages and restore peace. Similar examples can be cited from July 1999 to Ashura 2009 and subsequent years.
False Flag for eliminating rivals or war
The term False Flag was first used when pirate ships raised the flags of other countries to deceive commercial ships into thinking they were allies. Over time, this term was used for any other covert operation where the executor intended to blame someone else. This term is used for activities that individuals or government organizations carry out to confront political or military rivals.
In legal texts, False Flag operations are generally described as apparent blame-shifting and staging. The United States has a long history of using False Flags against its rivals and enemies. False Flags are mainly used for setting the stage or creating excuses for initiating conflict and war with another country.
The False Flag raised by Hitler
The most famous False Flag operation was executed by Nazi Germany in the event known as Gleiwitz. In 1939, Adolf Hitler ordered some of his officers to disguise themselves as Polish soldiers to stage an attack on a German radio station. This move led to some German people’s support for the attack on Poland and ultimately ignited World War II. In his now-famous speech just before this attack, Hitler said, ‘It doesn’t matter if they believe it or not; they won’t ask the victor if he told the truth or lied.’
It is said that the United States has a long history of using False Flags against its rivals and enemies. Perhaps the most famous False Flag operation in recent years was the US attack on Iraq under the pretext of possessing weapons of mass destruction, which later turned out to be false. Or, for example, regarding the US attack on Pearl Harbor, a harbor in the Hawaiian archipelago, which paved the way for the US entry into World War II, some theorists believe that the US government deliberately provoked Japan into taking overt military action against the United States.
Now, in response to Russia’s claim that Ukraine is planning to use a dirty bomb, Kyiv and its Western allies have called it a False Flag operation, believing that the Kremlin is seeking an excuse to escalate the war against its neighbor by making such an accusation and claim. James Cleverly, the UK’s Minister for European Neighborhood and the Americas, said at an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council in New York that the False Flag is an obvious ploy of the Kremlin.