Good article.

I need to add that:

"The Pentagon ...winning the hearts and minds not of recalcitrant Afghan tribesmen but of Americans." also extends to persuasion of us non-US foreigners:

1. I received an eery emailed pat on the back, years back, from a military media monitor from Centcom (the Pentagon/US command covering Iraq and Iran) for my blog coverage of those countries - see http://gentleseas.blogspot.com/2006/06/oil-unspeakable-foreign-policy-factor.html . I read his "praise" more as we're keeping an eye on you boyo" due to that blog's ongoing criticism of the Oil Crusading Dubya Doctrine; and

2. The Pentagon ensuring the continuing Australian presence in Afghanistan by supplying copy and persuasive General's speeches to the Australian media. Conservative Australian media pundits then regurgitate these Pentagon media/PR products onto a gullible Australian public. This makes us accept increasing Australian deaths in Afghanistan as part of some grandiose democracy aid plan for appreciative Afghan gunmen.

The Petagon has decreed how long Australia will stay in the Afghan kill zone.

Pete
http://gentleseas.blogspot.com/2010/06/afghanistan-differing-indian-and.html

Yes and the Pentagon is also a major producer of bang-bang-you-are-dead video games for young males, pre-adolescents, adolescents, and "grown-up" or retarded adolescents.

It also has much input and influence on Hollywood war films too.

Pilger's article should be read by every Australian. Perhaps then our ignorance about America's advanced attempt to gain military control of the world would be lessened!

Most Australians have no idea of what America is up to. We in this country are drowning in a flood of American propaganda and our MSM doesn't tell us the ugly truth about the warmongering 'Yanks.'

Our politicians are in lockstep with the American war-machine and we follow them wherever they go like lapdogs.

While America rules the world, war will never stop!

John Pilger what do you expect? a dictatorship for cheap?

How much did Hitler or Stalin spent for theirs?

And, do you have any figures on how much Popes spend on the Propagation of their faith?

I have been following this subject for years and I am
alarmed at the way that we are following "all things American"
to the extent that we are now sending our youth to fight and die
for their causes.
All the work of our Australian pioneers to build up a feeling of national pride vanished when we joined America in Vietnam and in the invasion of Iraq with the killing of millions, men, women and children. Today Australia has nothing to be proud of.
Instead we are trying to manufacture some sort of artificial pride in our country though military events in our country's history.

What a load of tripe. Self-regarding twaddle like is no way to criticise so poor a set of decisions as those made by our warmongering politicians.