Those who defied the regime’s oppression and brutalities where accused of treason, their reputation was smeared, and they were even labeled by this propaganda as terrorists or Daeshies.
The regime’s smearing of their reputation even followed them to the countries of their refuge. When Bashar Assad was asked whether there were terrorists among the Syrian refugees who fled the country to Europe and elsewhere, he said "yes".
Frustrating the opponent is another technique the Assad media implemented in its war against Syrians. This psychological warfare works on discrediting not only opponents but whoever is on their side by portraying them either in their worst shape or by claiming that they are ready for bargaining or selling you out.
It is well known that Turkey is an important stubborn backer of the Syrian opposition and a host to almost three million Syrians considered by Turkey as guests not refugees. Creating a rift between Syrians and Turkey would not be a simple setback for Syrians opposing the Assad regime. Recently after the rapprochement with Russia, roamers spread that Erdogan is going to make up with Assad. This would be a deadly blow to opposition. An air of frustration among Syrians in Turkey and elsewhere filled up the atmosphere. "The closest of supporter of these cheap Syrians is consolidating relations with the regime and Erdogan is even trying to conciliate Assad himself” goes the propaganda.
Recently a well known Assad regime journalist Mohammad Ballout published as a scoop that a tripartite summit would be held in Moscow encompassing Putin, Assad and Erdogan. The date was even set: between the 18th and 22nd of September.
This piece of news really hurt Syrians, both loyal and opposition. It hurt loyals because Erdogan was perceived and portrayed as the regime’s worst enemy, and the opposition because Syrians cannot be disappointed or cheated as such by a major supporter of displaced Syrians for the past five years.
This whole scoop turned out to be a Mukhabarat (intelligence) fabrication fed into Ballot’s mind; and he, in turn, disseminated the information. The belying and discrediting of the information came from two sources. First, the Russians denied their knowledge of such a summit; and, second a colleague of Ballot – in competition with him for the love of Mukhabarat exposed Ballot’s root of the story.
After such a scandal, Ballot wrote another story saying that the meeting would be at the level of foreign ministers. He utilized a visit by the chief of the Mukhbabarat, Ali Mamlouk, to Moscow to be as a preparation for the ministerial meeting.
We are waiting for Ballot’s colleague to introduce his version of the new story. Assad’s brutality and his propaganda machine got Syria to where it is now. We don’t know whether this is double or triple Goebbelism that has gone beyond neo-Goebbelism.
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