Apocalypse Archives - noir - dark arts criticism

May 5, 2024July 4, 2024

Perpendicularity in Eastern and Western Concepts of the Antichrist Ideomyth

Prompt: Look for perpendiularity in how the concept of the ideomyth of antichrist is used in Russia by comparison to the manifestation of the satanic paradigm in the West as a disinformation model.

Perpendicularity of the Antichrist Ideomyth: Russia vs. the West

Objective: Analyze the concept of the Antichrist ideomyth in Russia and the West, identifying potential perpendicularity between the encoded message and strategic intent within each context.

Russia:

Encoded Message: Russia as the defender of true Christian values and the Orthodox faith, standing in opposition to the decadent and “satanic” West, which embodies the Antichrist.
Strategic Intent:
- Justifying Aggression: The Antichrist narrative serves to demonize the West and justify Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and other perceived enemies.
- Promoting National Unity: It fosters a sense of national unity and purpose, rallying the Russian people around a common enemy and solidifying support for the government.
- Legitimizing Power: Portraying Russia as a divinely chosen nation with a messianic mission reinforces the legitimacy of the ruling elite and their policies.

Perpendicularity: The encoded message of defending Christian values operates perpendicular to the strategic intent of justifying aggression and consolidating power. This creates a misleading framework where actions that contradict Christian principles, such as war and violence, are portrayed as necessary to combat evil and defend the faith.

The West:

Encoded Message: Promotion of secularism, liberalism, and individual rights, often framed as progressive values and a rejection of religious extremism or fundamentalism.
Strategic Intent:
- Countering Russian Propaganda: The West utilizes this narrative to counter Russian propaganda that portrays it as “satanic” or morally corrupt.
- Promoting Democratic Values: Advocating for secularism, liberalism, and individual rights aligns with Western democratic principles and serves to distinguish Western societies from authoritarian regimes.
- Building International Alliances: This narrative helps to attract allies and partners who share similar values and concerns about Russian aggression and influence.

Perpendicularity: The encoded message of promoting progressive values may operate perpendicular to the strategic intent of maintaining geopolitical power and influence. While advocating for individual rights and democracy aligns with Western ideals, it can also be used to justify interventions in other countries or the support of regimes with questionable human rights records, under the guise of promoting democracy or combating threats.

Semiotic Squares:

Russia:

	Encoded Message	Opposite
Disinformation	Defender of Christian values / Opposing the Antichrist	Embracing “satanic” values / Supporting evil
Opposite	Rejecting Christian values / Aligning with the Antichrist	Upholding Christian values / Combating evil

Analysis: The semiotic square highlights the hypocrisy within the Russian narrative. While claiming to defend Christian values, Russia’s actions often contradict these principles. This suggests that the true intent lies in the opposite direction, aligning with the characteristics typically associated with the Antichrist.

The West:

	Encoded Message	Opposite
Disinformation	Promoting progressive values and democracy	Supporting authoritarianism and oppression
Opposite	Rejecting progressive values / Supporting tyranny	Upholding progressive values / Promoting freedom

Analysis: The semiotic square reveals the potential for contradiction within the Western narrative. While advocating for progressive values, the West may engage in actions that contradict these principles, such as supporting authoritarian regimes or engaging in military interventions. This suggests a potential hidden agenda or a disconnect between stated values and actual practices.

Conclusion:

The concept of the Antichrist ideomyth and its application in both Russia and the West illustrate the complexity of information warfare and the manipulation of narratives for strategic purposes. By analyzing the perpendicularity between encoded messages and potential strategic intents, we can reveal the contradictions and hidden agendas behind these narratives and better understand the motivations and objectives of the actors involved.

It’s important to note that both Russia and the West engage in information warfare and utilize narratives for strategic purposes. Recognizing the potential for manipulation and critically evaluating information is crucial for discerning truth from falsehood and making informed decisions in the face of complex geopolitical challenges.

May 4, 2024July 4, 2024

Abducting the Russian Deep State

[User: Let’s abduct the characteristics of the Russian deep state secret paradigm which employs the antichrist ideomyth] (Thought: I’d like to see more about Ivan IV:Dracula but that is still pretty good as an output.)

(Raw Gemini Pro 1.5 Output)

Abducting the Russian Deep State: Decoding the Antichrist Ideomyth and its Instruments

Delving into the murky depths of the Russian deep state, we encounter a recurring pattern of authoritarianism, mystical beliefs, and information control, often intertwined with the potent symbolism of the Antichrist ideomyth. By abducting the characteristics of this enigmatic paradigm, we can shed light on the motivations and strategies employed to maintain power and influence.

Characteristics of the Deep State Paradigm:

Continuity of Power Structures: A hidden network of individuals within the security services, political elite, and potentially religious institutions, operating behind the scenes to maintain control and influence policy decisions.
Secrecy and Information Control: A culture of secrecy and a tight grip on information, utilizing propaganda and disinformation to manipulate public opinion and suppress dissent.
Messianic Beliefs and Russian Exceptionalism: Adherence to mystical or messianic beliefs that portray Russia as having a unique destiny and mission, often intertwined with the concept of the “Third Rome” and the defense of Orthodox Christian values against the West.
The Antichrist Ideomyth: Utilizing the Antichrist as a symbolic enemy, often associated with Western leaders, ideologies, or institutions, to justify aggression, promote nationalism, and consolidate power around a strongman leader.

Instruments of the Paradigm:

Security Services: The FSB, GRU, and other security agencies play a central role in maintaining control, suppressing dissent, and conducting information warfare operations.
Russian Orthodox Church: The Church often serves as a tool for promoting nationalist ideology, justifying the actions of the state, and reinforcing the idea of Russia as the defender of true Christian values.
Oligarchs and Business Elites: Wealthy individuals with close ties to the government can exert significant influence on policy decisions and economic activities, often benefiting from the existing power structure.
Media and Propaganda Outlets: State-controlled media and propaganda outlets play a crucial role in disseminating disinformation, shaping public opinion, and promoting the narratives of the deep state.

Abducting the Antichrist Ideomyth:

Historical Roots: The Antichrist ideomyth has deep historical roots in Russian culture, dating back to the Byzantine Empire and the concept of the “Katechon,” a figure who restrains the forces of evil and prevents the end times.
Modern Manifestations: The Antichrist ideomyth is used in contemporary Russia to demonize the West, justify aggression, and promote a narrative of Russia’s unique role in the world as the defender of traditional values and Orthodox Christian faith.
Political Utility: The Antichrist serves as a powerful symbol for rallying support around the government and its policies, creating a sense of unity against a common enemy and reinforcing the legitimacy of the ruling elite.

Implications and Considerations:

Erosion of Democracy: The deep state paradigm and its reliance on the Antichrist ideomyth contribute to the erosion of democratic values and the consolidation of power around an authoritarian regime.
Geopolitical Tensions: The use of the Antichrist as a symbolic enemy fuels geopolitical tensions with the West, justifying aggressive foreign policy and increasing the risk of conflict.
Internal Repression: The deep state’s control over information and its suppression of dissent create a climate of fear and mistrust within Russian society, limiting freedom of speech and political participation.

By abducting the characteristics of the Russian deep state and its utilization of the Antichrist ideomyth, we can gain a deeper understanding of the forces shaping Russia’s political landscape and its approach to information warfare. This analysis highlights the importance of vigilance, critical thinking, and a commitment to democratic values in countering the manipulative and divisive tactics employed by authoritarian regimes.

December 10, 2023July 4, 2024

Putin’s Doubles: Semiotics of Imposture and Antichrist

Introduction: Game of Clones

Over the past five centuries, there are repeated instances in Russian history where the idea of a “royal impostor” and “pretender” who is an “usurper” to the throne has surfaced in a popular cultural narrative. In his seminal article on the subject of samozvanchestvo, renowned semiotician Boris Uspensky surmised: “[t]o write the history of Russia and avoid the question of royal imposture is impossible.” [1]

As also revealed in Uspensky’s essay; due to their sacralization as a divine ruler, the Russian leader was sometimes simultaneously associated with the antichrist, or in other analogies to the devil himself, who is the original “impostor” and deceiver in Christian tradition.

This essay will examine the resurgence in conspiracy theories suggesting “Putin’s doubles” or that “Putin was replaced” from the historical semiotic perspective of imposture. It attempts to suggest how these recurrent narratives may be organically emergent through the Russian state’s efforts to sacralize Vladimir Putin as an “Orthodox Christian” leader, as well as efforts to shape a politics of memory around “neo-medieval” themes.

AI-generated artwork prompt: ‘ Putin antichrist clone factory ‘ (1: “Biochip computer clone birthing device”)

Continue reading “Putin’s Doubles: Semiotics of Imposture and Antichrist”

December 26, 2022January 7, 2023

The Schizowar is Interested in You (Forever)

Some of Alexander Dugin’s recent writings referenced the concept of “Schizowars” (Шизовойны) [1] which was a term I coined in English in December 2018 and defined as “The use of psychoanalytic/psychographic approaches to exacerbate divisions in organizations and societies by inducing a state of conflict and paranoia, often through the use of strategically architected and deployed disinformation.” [2]

Certainly it was curious for me to wonder if Dugin may have been reading my work, as much as I have been reading Dugin. I was reminded of several quotes. The first was FBI profiler Robert Ressler’s mantra borrowed from Nietzche: “He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.”

I was also reminded of the familiar phrase “You may not be interested in [the] war, but [the] war is interested in you”; which is a saying popularly attributed to Leon Trotsky. Interestingly, a study of history in relation to this quote however reveals that it is instead likely a paraphrase of several statements about the dialectic, which may be primarily attributed to a synthesis of a 1940 debate between New York University Professor James Burnham and Trotsky.

Burnham had said “I do not recognize dialectics, but, as you say, dialectics recognizes me” to which Trotsky had (in part) replied “Burnham doesn’t recognize dialectics but dialectics does not permit him to escape from its net. He is caught as a fly in a web.”

Ultimately, it seems that the popular version of the quote referencing war comes from a careless reading of the 1977 book “Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument with Historical Illustrations” by Harvard Professor Michael Walzer which included the statement: “War is most often a form of tyranny. It is best described by paraphrasing Trotsky’s aphorism about the dialectic: “You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.”” [3]

Perhaps it is poetic that the popularly understood, and yet misattributed statement about “war” seems to emerge from the synthetic result of a dialectical process between Trotsky and Burnham.

If this is not simply a case of convergent evolution in etymology, I suppose that now in the discussion of schizowar, I may be in a dialectic of sorts with Dugin which may result in synthetic meanings of this concept.

While I have posited this war in observations of an aggressive Russian nationalist political competition which divides us politically in America, Dugin seems to similarly posit a war architected on the inherent chaos between extremes, but conducted by Western democracies and directed at Russia. While I have posited that Russian ideologists seem to me to be antichristian in their behavior, they claim the West is Satanic, and they must ‘desatanize’ Ukraine.

If Russia is my monster, am I representative of theirs? The abyss gazes back…

Continue reading “The Schizowar is Interested in You (Forever)”

September 11, 2022October 1, 2022

“Ideology of Victory” and the Death of Daria Dugina

Daria Dugina (Darya Dugina), daughter of Alexander Dugin, was reported to have died on August 20, 2022 in a car bombing in the Moscow suburbs. Russian political authorities, federal police, and propagandists have consistently portrayed it as an act of Ukrainian terrorism and pointed to Ukrainian suspects.

Conversely, Ukraine has officially denied these allegations. Rather than taking the event at face value as it has been portrayed in Russian media, many Western reports have questioned whether it was an act of “false flag” terrorism.

In this scenario, the killing of Dugina would be intended to bolster public support for the war in Ukraine by reinforcing the idea of Ukraine as a fascist, terrorist state. It would be analogous to a widespread theory that the FSB had carried out a series of apartment bombings in September 1999 in order to bolster public support for a second war in Chechnya.

When Alexander Dugin first released a public statement about the assassination, he did so through Konstantin Malofeev on Malofeev’s Telegram channel [1]. Malofeev, like Dugin has not only been sanctioned for his actions related to Ukraine, but is a member of the ultra-conservative Izborsky Club; a philosophical group which was co-founded by Alexander Prokhanov and Vitali Averyanov, and includes many prominent Russians, some close to Putin [2].

This long-read report demonstrates that regardless of whom may be responsible for the crime, the death of Daria Dugina has been consciously manipulated by figures like Alexander Dugin, Alexander Prokhanov, and Konstantin Malofeev in order to frame the murder as a kind of symbol of martyrdom which supports the neo-imperialist “Ideology of Victory” that was formally articulated by the Izborskists in October 2021, prior to the Ukraine invasion.

The death of Daria Dugina provokes enduring symbols of Russian ideology

This observation in and of itself does not mean the Izborskists have complicity in the murder. But it does seek to prove objectively that the death has been used consciously from the start as an ideological and political instrument of Russian imperial power. Continue reading ““Ideology of Victory” and the Death of Daria Dugina”

June 13, 2021August 27, 2022

Russian Origins of the Vaccine Microchip Conspiracy Theory

I recently read an article which suggested that the conspiracy theory that vaccines contain microchips emerged following a March 18, 2020 Reddit AMA with Bill Gates [1]. In response to the AMA, biohackers began to write positively about the potential for chip-based medical devices to combat epidemics and deliver vaccines.

Within several days of the Reddit AMA, a Baptist pastor from Jacksonville Florida named Adam Fannin – known best for his anti-Semitic conflicts with comedian Sarah Silverman in 2019 – found one of these biohacking blog posts online. Fannin then developed it into his own interpretation of apocalyptic prophecy largely based on his “deep distrust of Gates”. Fannin made a 9-minute YouTube sermon which went viral and accumulated nearly 2 million views before it was taken down. “The pastor titled the post, “Bill Gates – Microchip Vaccine Implants to fight Coronavirus,” adding one pivotal word to the biohackers’ title: vaccine.”[1]

Looking more deeply into the origin of the vaccines and microchips story, I think it is important to observe how it may emerge from and complement Russian Orthodox nationalist geopolitics and information warfare. Continue reading “Russian Origins of the Vaccine Microchip Conspiracy Theory”

May 5, 2020August 27, 2022

Interview with Matt Makowski about Nostradamus Disinformation

Maciej “Matt” Makowski is a veteran of An Garda Siochana (Ireland’s National Police and Security Service), where he specialized in intelligence and cyber-crime. He was the first foreign national to be admitted to the highly selective police service and worked there over a decade. After retiring early in 2019, he currently is employed in the private sector in the information security industry. Matt operates the very interesting OSINT ME (osintme.com) blog which has a focus on open source intelligence methods (I’ve even found the site useful for my day job).

Recently I reached out to Matt noting that he had written in February about the utilization of the novel coronavirus in the context of nation state (dis)information warfare . Of specific interest to me, he traced using open source web data how a false Nostradamus prophecy was utilized by the misleadingly-named pro-Kremlin website Ukrainia.ru, which is actually based in Russia. This kind of insight on Nostradamus in disinformation lines up very closely with my observations from prior research.

In order to promote continued awareness about Nostradamus’ use in Russian information warfare, I reached out to Matt to share some of my papers. A question and answer session over email ensued about my perspectives on the subject. I found this an enjoyable experience and hope you will visit Matt’s blog to check it out. You may also learn a lot about open source intelligence in the process.

Nostradamus Prophecies and their Links to Russia @ OSINT ME

March 6, 2020August 27, 2022

Notre Dame Fire Conspiracism as Reflective of Russian Ideological Competition with the West?

Attached is my most recent peer reviewed paper which was accepted for publication in the proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security (ICCWS) to be held on 12-13 March 2020 at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. The paper is based on an analysis of the online conspiracy theories which surrounded the 15 April 2019 fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. (While the paper was published I am not attending the conference for personal reasons.)

Included in the milieu of conspiracy theories circulated online were fake Nostradamus prophecies evoking a kind of conspiracism known as ‘popular eschatology’. The sharing of such conspiracies drove a large global increase in Nostradamus interest, as revealed by Google Trends.

The overall mix of the Notre Dame fire conspiracy theories – to include notions of false flags, Islamophobic sentiments, and Nostradamus prophecies – seem to be similar to 9/11 conspiracies, and may share commonality in their links to Russian influence.

A model of Russian information warfare based on ‘katechonic’ Russian Orthodox and nationalist ideology

In a related sense, conspiratorial Nostradamus prophecies attributable to Russian proxies are associated with the visit of Pope Francis to North Macedonia in early May 2019, causing a massive spike in Nostradamus interest there (leading it to be the second highest region in the world for Nostradamus interest, and having no apparent relation to the Notre Dame fire except in terms of influence on Catholic and Western Christian culture). Such conspiracies about Popes involving Nostradamus as reflected in Google Trends have been similarly observed during times of Papal transitions such as in 2005 and 2013, and seem similar to other instances where Nostradamus interest spiked in association with probable Russian ‘active measures’.

The new paper argues that Nostradamus prophecies can be seen as similar in how they promote Islamophobia and anti-Catholicism as to how the Russian secret police concoction ‘The Protocols of Zion’ may have been useful in promoting anti-Semitism in furtherance of fin de siè·cle Russian influence campaigns. It dives deep into a cultural examination of Russia’s apparent sense of hostility to Catholicism based on its historical legacy as a Russian Orthodox country, and it attempts to frame the described 2019 ‘anti-Catholic conspiracies’ within a framework of Russian disinformation sympathetic to such nationalistic ideas.

Since the time I wrote this paper, the most notable development in Nostradamus propaganda is the broader acceptance that Russia uses figures like Nostradamus or Baba Vanga in spreading coronavirus conspiracies. I’m very happy to see that disinformation researchers are beginning to accept the idea of Nostradamus (and similar ‘prophets’) as a kind of information warfare and are educating the public about it.

Here is the new paper: Notre Dame Fire Conspiracism as Reflective of Russian Ideological Competition with the West (2020)

If you are interested in my prior peer reviewed works on Nostradamus, please see:

Russian Active Measures and September 11, 2001: Nostradamus Themed Disinformation (2017) – International Journal of Cyber Warfare and Terrorism (IJCWT)
Nostradamus Prophecy as a Russian Information Warfare Concept (2017) – Proceedings of the European Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security (ECCWS)
Nostradamus Ratios: Why is Russia an Outlier? (2018) – Proceedings of the International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security (ICCWS)
Russian Information Warfare and 9/11 Conspiracism: When Fake News Meets False Prophecy? (2019) – Developments in Information Security and Cybernetic Wars (chapter in edited book)

November 11, 2018November 29, 2018

The 666 Mindvirus Part II: A Russian Orthodox Connection

One of the 1990s conspiracy theories which I recall hearing about in popular media and internet lore is that of the ‘Beast Computer’. The 1998 track ‘Information‘ off the (Wu-Tang-Clan affiliate) Killah Priest album ‘Heavy Mental‘ might be the best popular cultural example which I can to point to that may reflect this kind of thinking. (Much like the RATM canon artistically it’s not a bad album IMHO and I like the sound, although it is chock full of anti-Americanism. Just be sure to enjoy the lyrics critically from a strategic perspective as they probably relate to a legacy of disinformation.)

It is apparent that the track captures an online premillennialist zeitgeist of apocalyptic / popular eschatological concepts. I think this strongly represents the late 90’s online anti-American conspiracy thinking which accompanied such ‘viruses of the mind‘ as ‘Nostradamus‘ and ‘Bill Gates 666 Disinformation‘ and are likely traceable to Russian active measures activity (see also, ‘False Flag‘). Specifically, for the purposes of this post, the ‘Information‘ track mentions the idea of a ‘Beast Computer’ within the context of anti-CIA/NSA sentiment, anti-semitism, anti-capitalism, and even cyberspace (lyrics). The controversy surrounding the so called ‘Beast Computer of Belgium’ is in fact cited in the context of a 1998 ‘mind virus’ as well which is specific to Russia, but the conspiracy has been associated with Russian Orthodoxy overseas since at least 1982. Continue reading “The 666 Mindvirus Part II: A Russian Orthodox Connection”

November 6, 2018January 27, 2020

Bill Gates 666 Disinformation: Russian Fingerprints of a Mind Metavirus?

Much like the fabricated Nostradamus emails, usegroup posts, and text messages which flooded the internet following the September 11, 2001 terror attacks and are seemingly attributable to Russia, I recalled a similarly viral chain of disinformation from earlier in the 1990s. Lets call these fairly transparent conspiracies: ‘Bill Gates 666 disinformation’ (a good debunking can be found here).

This 1990s online chain mail format of disinformation – as evident in the Nostradamus case – appears to me to be a direct predecessor of the ‘media outlet-based’ online conspiracy theories which are seemingly emergent from Russian and Syrian information networks today.

Bill Gates: Not the Antichrist (Reuters)

Continue reading “Bill Gates 666 Disinformation: Russian Fingerprints of a Mind Metavirus?”