Society
Marco Rocco
November 25, 2021
© Photo: REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

The head of the Western world is in Washington, D.C. and this is the real problem for Europe, because, despite losing World War II, Europe would like to replace the USA as the world leader.

History enlightens us, perhaps too much. In the sense that too much information often confuses us, especially if those who write the books that recount the past are not honest, which is a well-known problem. The fact is that it is not a (historical) mystery that Berlin has always wanted to lead Europe. And from Europe, the world. The first and second world wars are there to prove it.

In both conflicts, Berlin didn’t succeed, even though in WWII it even co-opted Paris in a certain way. As Robert O. Paxton explained to the French, including those on the left; Vichy did not happen by mistake, but by calculation and by affinity in the will – especially of the French elites – to overpower Europe, thus to rule it.

We know how that ended.

But the details, summarized in the Paperclip Operation, should tell us that perhaps there is something more. At the end of WWII, the most important Nazi scientists that could be useful to challenge the emerging USSR, were extricated by the Americans. Even before WWII, a German economic-lobbying base had been operating for some time in New York inside the Thyssen Bank. The purpose of this lobby was to avoid the USA going to war against the Axis.

It is a fact that after World War II many of the leading Nazis disappeared mysteriously, to the point of doubting that they had been secretly taken in by the Americans, perhaps because of their tremendous and public misdeeds. Or they were hired by the OSS, (now CIA), or by the U.S. industrial-military apparatus in the race for post-nuclear dominance against Moscow. Von Braun, Gehlen, and Skorzeny are perhaps the most emblematic cases. Mengele and Muller (Gestapo) are the most mysterious cases. In between, there were dozens if not hundreds of former Nazi criminals who have collaborated post-war with the winning power.

Sounds pragmatic? Perhaps. I would also say risky, in this case.

This risk was – in the long run – one of creating a German bridgehead, or rather an ex-Nazi bridgehead, with its values and absolute power in the USA for purposes unplannable at the time, but still available. In this context, one must inevitably consider the fact that, yes, there can be only one “Head of the West”. And today, that is the USA, although the Germans would like to take its place, being the “first among equals” like the ancient Romans liked to depict themselves.

* * *

With a leap of 75 years, we arrive at the present day and we must note that too many strange things have happened since late 2019/early 2020 to today. The first was the struggle with President Trump, then COVID, which helped to create a very contested U.S. election, then the vaccines, and then the suppression of freedom from various world governments to fight a disease that kills very few… events that seem clearly linked if not downright coordinated.

We would like to make an overall observation, without getting caught up in conspiracy theories (that we do not like), that in global events this is the first time since the end of WWII that we do not see the USA addressing a clear and precise explanation as to what is happening in the whole western world.

Without forgetting the growing Western, but better “Anglo”, challenge to China. Let’s bear in mind that, before the alliance with Japan, Berlin (before becoming Nazi), was very close to Beijing. They well understood – based on German pragmatism – that to challenge the rising power of the USA, a critical mass was needed. (The alliance with Japan came only later, following a certainly risky move on the Japanese side, but which paid off: the invasion of northern China).

And here we are, with clashes in the streets that are being repeated as they were during the U.S. election last November. Perhaps the oddities of the Rittenhouse case are a symbol of what is happening in the world. A symbolism that, incredibly, seems almost to act as the glue for an interpretation of history imbued with pragmatism.

The young Rittenhouse, the face of a child, but with a surname that is, I would say, resonant for American history, is brought to trial for something that, from the outside, would seem to be self-defense: armed with childlike idealism, Kyle took to the streets during the night of the riots in Kenosha, with a rifle in his hand, to defend private property and deter the clashes. Clearly, for someone, it didn’t go quite like they wanted, even if it seems that part of the evidence in his defense was tried to be kept hidden by the FBI.

On the other side of the fence, subjects who were killed by Rittenhouse (2) or wounded (1), we will see if it was an act of self-defense or not. Subjects that, unlike the armed young man, do not carry heavy surnames for the stars and stripes history: Anthony Huber, 26, and Joseph Rosenbaum, the two victims, and Gaige Grosskreutz, wounded. All white males.

Judging the case, Judge Bruce Schroeder, also white. And he too has a surname that is not so prominent in the USA, certainly much more so in other European countries.

Above all, according to the writer, we should remember the famous vote to choose the official language in which to write the American laws, choosing whether to introduce the German language as well. We all know that the English language vote won, but only by one vote, 42 to 41, sanctioning the choice of the official U.S. language. This is to say that the weight of German culture in the USA, especially in the north-eastern areas subjected to strong European immigration, has always been preponderant.

What we are observing in the Rittenhouse trial is really a symbolic aspect. Whichever way the trial goes, Judge Schroder has decided to take on a starring role with his attitude, assuming a certain torment – outside of the final decision – for the trial of the young Rittenhouse.

In this context, we can only agree with CNN, that perhaps there would never be a need for a black judge and a black jury since the defendant and the victims are all white.

* * *

The strategic question remains – is what happened in Kenosha a symptom of a deep internal fault in the United States, that is reviving ancient rivalries between the Anglo world and the proto-German world?

This doubt is similar to the one described above; that from Operation Paperclip onwards there has been a very high-level influence in the U.S. intelligence by ex-Nazis, people not so recommendable in their intentions, since in any case, they are enemies – although defeated – of the USA. The USA, I remind you, has always been the adversary to defeat, in order to reach the “head” of the western world idealized by Berlin.

All of this and always giving high specific weight to subjects of purely German origin, who are clearly constantly present in the American culture “that counts”. Although, as in the case of Kissinger, it often cannot be said that here presents the soul of the stars and stripes, given that, for example, the venerated Henry himself was born in a Germany that a few years later would become Nazi Germany.

In this context we finally arrive at the title: perhaps it would not be surprising if the Stasi or what remains of it (today absorbed in other institutions, ed.) has also acted indirectly within the USA, to destabilize it. We do not dare to speculate how such a hypothetical end could be pursued, clearly.

Thus, we limit ourselves to observing the history of Antifa, born as a movement in Germany, in 1932 (Antifaschistische Aktion), to fight the fascism represented at that time by Mussolini. And then transited, what remained of it, into the GDR, its natural home in terms of theoretical political positioning.

Thus it was able to leverage itself during the Cold War on the organizational power of what was the structure very cleverly governed by Markus Wolf, the famous Stasi.

Today Antifa has spread all over the world and is organized almost militarily in its global “interventions”. Could it be also an objective/tool of the ex-GDR secret services? Impossible to exclude, indeed (its protests against the Trump presidency were unforgettable for example).

Apart from pointing out that the Stasi also financed and trained members of the RAF – Rote Armee Fraktion, also known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang: after the fall of the communist government in East Germany in 1989-1990, it was discovered that the RAF had been trained and supplied, and had received protection from the Stasi, the secret police of the former communist regime.

John Philip Jenkins, professor emeritus of history at Baylor University, says the RAF’s tactics are similar to those used by Antifa today:

“The goal of their terrorist campaign was to trigger an aggressive response from the government, which the groups’ members said would trigger a broader revolutionary movement.”

Bettina Röhl, the German journalist of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, presented an unmissable analysis on June 2, 2020 on the subject, noting how Antifa is paid by the German government to fight the extreme right (…). Even going so far as to state the following:

“One might wonder if the Antifa movement is something like an official RAF, a terrorist group financed by the state under the pretext of ‘fighting against the Right’”.

Based on public denunciations from Republican members of the House of Representatives, whether true or false, we cannot exclude that Antifa may have been involved in the Capitol Hill protests. It is enough to refer to the chronicle of the beginning of the year 2021 to see the pieces of evidence left behind to be able to understand what happened

* * *

The basic consideration remains: perhaps the U.S. is not as united as it may appear. And perhaps there is a hidden driving force that could leverage such internal divisions to weaken the “head” of the Western world, perhaps precisely on a Teutonic basis.

Such a consideration would also justify the global “directing” chaos within the West for the last two years.

Remembering the discovery of the famous Zimmermann Telegram (the German diplomatic telegram that, to make a long story short, tried to foment a Mexican revolt against the USA during the First World War, in order to avoid a U.S. military involvement in the Great War) we’ll stick to watching the events unfold.

In the end, we are mindful of Mark Twain’s teaching that history often, if it doesn’t repeat itself, it still rhymes…

The Rittenhouse Case and the Symbolism of the Stasi: Are We Ready Again to Destabilize the Enemy of All Time?

The head of the Western world is in Washington, D.C. and this is the real problem for Europe, because, despite losing World War II, Europe would like to replace the USA as the world leader.

History enlightens us, perhaps too much. In the sense that too much information often confuses us, especially if those who write the books that recount the past are not honest, which is a well-known problem. The fact is that it is not a (historical) mystery that Berlin has always wanted to lead Europe. And from Europe, the world. The first and second world wars are there to prove it.

In both conflicts, Berlin didn’t succeed, even though in WWII it even co-opted Paris in a certain way. As Robert O. Paxton explained to the French, including those on the left; Vichy did not happen by mistake, but by calculation and by affinity in the will – especially of the French elites – to overpower Europe, thus to rule it.

We know how that ended.

But the details, summarized in the Paperclip Operation, should tell us that perhaps there is something more. At the end of WWII, the most important Nazi scientists that could be useful to challenge the emerging USSR, were extricated by the Americans. Even before WWII, a German economic-lobbying base had been operating for some time in New York inside the Thyssen Bank. The purpose of this lobby was to avoid the USA going to war against the Axis.

It is a fact that after World War II many of the leading Nazis disappeared mysteriously, to the point of doubting that they had been secretly taken in by the Americans, perhaps because of their tremendous and public misdeeds. Or they were hired by the OSS, (now CIA), or by the U.S. industrial-military apparatus in the race for post-nuclear dominance against Moscow. Von Braun, Gehlen, and Skorzeny are perhaps the most emblematic cases. Mengele and Muller (Gestapo) are the most mysterious cases. In between, there were dozens if not hundreds of former Nazi criminals who have collaborated post-war with the winning power.

Sounds pragmatic? Perhaps. I would also say risky, in this case.

This risk was – in the long run – one of creating a German bridgehead, or rather an ex-Nazi bridgehead, with its values and absolute power in the USA for purposes unplannable at the time, but still available. In this context, one must inevitably consider the fact that, yes, there can be only one “Head of the West”. And today, that is the USA, although the Germans would like to take its place, being the “first among equals” like the ancient Romans liked to depict themselves.

* * *

With a leap of 75 years, we arrive at the present day and we must note that too many strange things have happened since late 2019/early 2020 to today. The first was the struggle with President Trump, then COVID, which helped to create a very contested U.S. election, then the vaccines, and then the suppression of freedom from various world governments to fight a disease that kills very few… events that seem clearly linked if not downright coordinated.

We would like to make an overall observation, without getting caught up in conspiracy theories (that we do not like), that in global events this is the first time since the end of WWII that we do not see the USA addressing a clear and precise explanation as to what is happening in the whole western world.

Without forgetting the growing Western, but better “Anglo”, challenge to China. Let’s bear in mind that, before the alliance with Japan, Berlin (before becoming Nazi), was very close to Beijing. They well understood – based on German pragmatism – that to challenge the rising power of the USA, a critical mass was needed. (The alliance with Japan came only later, following a certainly risky move on the Japanese side, but which paid off: the invasion of northern China).

And here we are, with clashes in the streets that are being repeated as they were during the U.S. election last November. Perhaps the oddities of the Rittenhouse case are a symbol of what is happening in the world. A symbolism that, incredibly, seems almost to act as the glue for an interpretation of history imbued with pragmatism.

The young Rittenhouse, the face of a child, but with a surname that is, I would say, resonant for American history, is brought to trial for something that, from the outside, would seem to be self-defense: armed with childlike idealism, Kyle took to the streets during the night of the riots in Kenosha, with a rifle in his hand, to defend private property and deter the clashes. Clearly, for someone, it didn’t go quite like they wanted, even if it seems that part of the evidence in his defense was tried to be kept hidden by the FBI.

On the other side of the fence, subjects who were killed by Rittenhouse (2) or wounded (1), we will see if it was an act of self-defense or not. Subjects that, unlike the armed young man, do not carry heavy surnames for the stars and stripes history: Anthony Huber, 26, and Joseph Rosenbaum, the two victims, and Gaige Grosskreutz, wounded. All white males.

Judging the case, Judge Bruce Schroeder, also white. And he too has a surname that is not so prominent in the USA, certainly much more so in other European countries.

Above all, according to the writer, we should remember the famous vote to choose the official language in which to write the American laws, choosing whether to introduce the German language as well. We all know that the English language vote won, but only by one vote, 42 to 41, sanctioning the choice of the official U.S. language. This is to say that the weight of German culture in the USA, especially in the north-eastern areas subjected to strong European immigration, has always been preponderant.

What we are observing in the Rittenhouse trial is really a symbolic aspect. Whichever way the trial goes, Judge Schroder has decided to take on a starring role with his attitude, assuming a certain torment – outside of the final decision – for the trial of the young Rittenhouse.

In this context, we can only agree with CNN, that perhaps there would never be a need for a black judge and a black jury since the defendant and the victims are all white.

* * *

The strategic question remains – is what happened in Kenosha a symptom of a deep internal fault in the United States, that is reviving ancient rivalries between the Anglo world and the proto-German world?

This doubt is similar to the one described above; that from Operation Paperclip onwards there has been a very high-level influence in the U.S. intelligence by ex-Nazis, people not so recommendable in their intentions, since in any case, they are enemies – although defeated – of the USA. The USA, I remind you, has always been the adversary to defeat, in order to reach the “head” of the western world idealized by Berlin.

All of this and always giving high specific weight to subjects of purely German origin, who are clearly constantly present in the American culture “that counts”. Although, as in the case of Kissinger, it often cannot be said that here presents the soul of the stars and stripes, given that, for example, the venerated Henry himself was born in a Germany that a few years later would become Nazi Germany.

In this context we finally arrive at the title: perhaps it would not be surprising if the Stasi or what remains of it (today absorbed in other institutions, ed.) has also acted indirectly within the USA, to destabilize it. We do not dare to speculate how such a hypothetical end could be pursued, clearly.

Thus, we limit ourselves to observing the history of Antifa, born as a movement in Germany, in 1932 (Antifaschistische Aktion), to fight the fascism represented at that time by Mussolini. And then transited, what remained of it, into the GDR, its natural home in terms of theoretical political positioning.

Thus it was able to leverage itself during the Cold War on the organizational power of what was the structure very cleverly governed by Markus Wolf, the famous Stasi.

Today Antifa has spread all over the world and is organized almost militarily in its global “interventions”. Could it be also an objective/tool of the ex-GDR secret services? Impossible to exclude, indeed (its protests against the Trump presidency were unforgettable for example).

Apart from pointing out that the Stasi also financed and trained members of the RAF – Rote Armee Fraktion, also known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang: after the fall of the communist government in East Germany in 1989-1990, it was discovered that the RAF had been trained and supplied, and had received protection from the Stasi, the secret police of the former communist regime.

John Philip Jenkins, professor emeritus of history at Baylor University, says the RAF’s tactics are similar to those used by Antifa today:

“The goal of their terrorist campaign was to trigger an aggressive response from the government, which the groups’ members said would trigger a broader revolutionary movement.”

Bettina Röhl, the German journalist of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, presented an unmissable analysis on June 2, 2020 on the subject, noting how Antifa is paid by the German government to fight the extreme right (…). Even going so far as to state the following:

“One might wonder if the Antifa movement is something like an official RAF, a terrorist group financed by the state under the pretext of ‘fighting against the Right’”.

Based on public denunciations from Republican members of the House of Representatives, whether true or false, we cannot exclude that Antifa may have been involved in the Capitol Hill protests. It is enough to refer to the chronicle of the beginning of the year 2021 to see the pieces of evidence left behind to be able to understand what happened

* * *

The basic consideration remains: perhaps the U.S. is not as united as it may appear. And perhaps there is a hidden driving force that could leverage such internal divisions to weaken the “head” of the Western world, perhaps precisely on a Teutonic basis.

Such a consideration would also justify the global “directing” chaos within the West for the last two years.

Remembering the discovery of the famous Zimmermann Telegram (the German diplomatic telegram that, to make a long story short, tried to foment a Mexican revolt against the USA during the First World War, in order to avoid a U.S. military involvement in the Great War) we’ll stick to watching the events unfold.

In the end, we are mindful of Mark Twain’s teaching that history often, if it doesn’t repeat itself, it still rhymes…

The head of the Western world is in Washington, D.C. and this is the real problem for Europe, because, despite losing World War II, Europe would like to replace the USA as the world leader.

History enlightens us, perhaps too much. In the sense that too much information often confuses us, especially if those who write the books that recount the past are not honest, which is a well-known problem. The fact is that it is not a (historical) mystery that Berlin has always wanted to lead Europe. And from Europe, the world. The first and second world wars are there to prove it.

In both conflicts, Berlin didn’t succeed, even though in WWII it even co-opted Paris in a certain way. As Robert O. Paxton explained to the French, including those on the left; Vichy did not happen by mistake, but by calculation and by affinity in the will – especially of the French elites – to overpower Europe, thus to rule it.

We know how that ended.

But the details, summarized in the Paperclip Operation, should tell us that perhaps there is something more. At the end of WWII, the most important Nazi scientists that could be useful to challenge the emerging USSR, were extricated by the Americans. Even before WWII, a German economic-lobbying base had been operating for some time in New York inside the Thyssen Bank. The purpose of this lobby was to avoid the USA going to war against the Axis.

It is a fact that after World War II many of the leading Nazis disappeared mysteriously, to the point of doubting that they had been secretly taken in by the Americans, perhaps because of their tremendous and public misdeeds. Or they were hired by the OSS, (now CIA), or by the U.S. industrial-military apparatus in the race for post-nuclear dominance against Moscow. Von Braun, Gehlen, and Skorzeny are perhaps the most emblematic cases. Mengele and Muller (Gestapo) are the most mysterious cases. In between, there were dozens if not hundreds of former Nazi criminals who have collaborated post-war with the winning power.

Sounds pragmatic? Perhaps. I would also say risky, in this case.

This risk was – in the long run – one of creating a German bridgehead, or rather an ex-Nazi bridgehead, with its values and absolute power in the USA for purposes unplannable at the time, but still available. In this context, one must inevitably consider the fact that, yes, there can be only one “Head of the West”. And today, that is the USA, although the Germans would like to take its place, being the “first among equals” like the ancient Romans liked to depict themselves.

* * *

With a leap of 75 years, we arrive at the present day and we must note that too many strange things have happened since late 2019/early 2020 to today. The first was the struggle with President Trump, then COVID, which helped to create a very contested U.S. election, then the vaccines, and then the suppression of freedom from various world governments to fight a disease that kills very few… events that seem clearly linked if not downright coordinated.

We would like to make an overall observation, without getting caught up in conspiracy theories (that we do not like), that in global events this is the first time since the end of WWII that we do not see the USA addressing a clear and precise explanation as to what is happening in the whole western world.

Without forgetting the growing Western, but better “Anglo”, challenge to China. Let’s bear in mind that, before the alliance with Japan, Berlin (before becoming Nazi), was very close to Beijing. They well understood – based on German pragmatism – that to challenge the rising power of the USA, a critical mass was needed. (The alliance with Japan came only later, following a certainly risky move on the Japanese side, but which paid off: the invasion of northern China).

And here we are, with clashes in the streets that are being repeated as they were during the U.S. election last November. Perhaps the oddities of the Rittenhouse case are a symbol of what is happening in the world. A symbolism that, incredibly, seems almost to act as the glue for an interpretation of history imbued with pragmatism.

The young Rittenhouse, the face of a child, but with a surname that is, I would say, resonant for American history, is brought to trial for something that, from the outside, would seem to be self-defense: armed with childlike idealism, Kyle took to the streets during the night of the riots in Kenosha, with a rifle in his hand, to defend private property and deter the clashes. Clearly, for someone, it didn’t go quite like they wanted, even if it seems that part of the evidence in his defense was tried to be kept hidden by the FBI.

On the other side of the fence, subjects who were killed by Rittenhouse (2) or wounded (1), we will see if it was an act of self-defense or not. Subjects that, unlike the armed young man, do not carry heavy surnames for the stars and stripes history: Anthony Huber, 26, and Joseph Rosenbaum, the two victims, and Gaige Grosskreutz, wounded. All white males.

Judging the case, Judge Bruce Schroeder, also white. And he too has a surname that is not so prominent in the USA, certainly much more so in other European countries.

Above all, according to the writer, we should remember the famous vote to choose the official language in which to write the American laws, choosing whether to introduce the German language as well. We all know that the English language vote won, but only by one vote, 42 to 41, sanctioning the choice of the official U.S. language. This is to say that the weight of German culture in the USA, especially in the north-eastern areas subjected to strong European immigration, has always been preponderant.

What we are observing in the Rittenhouse trial is really a symbolic aspect. Whichever way the trial goes, Judge Schroder has decided to take on a starring role with his attitude, assuming a certain torment – outside of the final decision – for the trial of the young Rittenhouse.

In this context, we can only agree with CNN, that perhaps there would never be a need for a black judge and a black jury since the defendant and the victims are all white.

* * *

The strategic question remains – is what happened in Kenosha a symptom of a deep internal fault in the United States, that is reviving ancient rivalries between the Anglo world and the proto-German world?

This doubt is similar to the one described above; that from Operation Paperclip onwards there has been a very high-level influence in the U.S. intelligence by ex-Nazis, people not so recommendable in their intentions, since in any case, they are enemies – although defeated – of the USA. The USA, I remind you, has always been the adversary to defeat, in order to reach the “head” of the western world idealized by Berlin.

All of this and always giving high specific weight to subjects of purely German origin, who are clearly constantly present in the American culture “that counts”. Although, as in the case of Kissinger, it often cannot be said that here presents the soul of the stars and stripes, given that, for example, the venerated Henry himself was born in a Germany that a few years later would become Nazi Germany.

In this context we finally arrive at the title: perhaps it would not be surprising if the Stasi or what remains of it (today absorbed in other institutions, ed.) has also acted indirectly within the USA, to destabilize it. We do not dare to speculate how such a hypothetical end could be pursued, clearly.

Thus, we limit ourselves to observing the history of Antifa, born as a movement in Germany, in 1932 (Antifaschistische Aktion), to fight the fascism represented at that time by Mussolini. And then transited, what remained of it, into the GDR, its natural home in terms of theoretical political positioning.

Thus it was able to leverage itself during the Cold War on the organizational power of what was the structure very cleverly governed by Markus Wolf, the famous Stasi.

Today Antifa has spread all over the world and is organized almost militarily in its global “interventions”. Could it be also an objective/tool of the ex-GDR secret services? Impossible to exclude, indeed (its protests against the Trump presidency were unforgettable for example).

Apart from pointing out that the Stasi also financed and trained members of the RAF – Rote Armee Fraktion, also known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang: after the fall of the communist government in East Germany in 1989-1990, it was discovered that the RAF had been trained and supplied, and had received protection from the Stasi, the secret police of the former communist regime.

John Philip Jenkins, professor emeritus of history at Baylor University, says the RAF’s tactics are similar to those used by Antifa today:

“The goal of their terrorist campaign was to trigger an aggressive response from the government, which the groups’ members said would trigger a broader revolutionary movement.”

Bettina Röhl, the German journalist of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, presented an unmissable analysis on June 2, 2020 on the subject, noting how Antifa is paid by the German government to fight the extreme right (…). Even going so far as to state the following:

“One might wonder if the Antifa movement is something like an official RAF, a terrorist group financed by the state under the pretext of ‘fighting against the Right’”.

Based on public denunciations from Republican members of the House of Representatives, whether true or false, we cannot exclude that Antifa may have been involved in the Capitol Hill protests. It is enough to refer to the chronicle of the beginning of the year 2021 to see the pieces of evidence left behind to be able to understand what happened

* * *

The basic consideration remains: perhaps the U.S. is not as united as it may appear. And perhaps there is a hidden driving force that could leverage such internal divisions to weaken the “head” of the Western world, perhaps precisely on a Teutonic basis.

Such a consideration would also justify the global “directing” chaos within the West for the last two years.

Remembering the discovery of the famous Zimmermann Telegram (the German diplomatic telegram that, to make a long story short, tried to foment a Mexican revolt against the USA during the First World War, in order to avoid a U.S. military involvement in the Great War) we’ll stick to watching the events unfold.

In the end, we are mindful of Mark Twain’s teaching that history often, if it doesn’t repeat itself, it still rhymes…

The views of individual contributors do not necessarily represent those of the Strategic Culture Foundation.

See also

November 4, 2024
November 12, 2024

See also

November 4, 2024
November 12, 2024
The views of individual contributors do not necessarily represent those of the Strategic Culture Foundation.