An American Maskirovka
Let’s begin with a definition. Maskirovka is a Russian word (маскировка) which means “the use of deception to confuse.”
I recently reread Tom Clancy’s 1986 novel, Red Storm Rising, for the first time since high school. In it, the KGB brutally bombs its government parliament building, killing children who were there on a tour to provoke a war with NATO and cover for the war’s true purpose. The purpose was to gain access to energy resources now in short supply after Islamic terrorists destroyed a significant refinery in Siberia. Though the deception plan was imposed on the Russian people, the cost of the war to follow was paid for by the blood and treasure of many nations. The part that sticks out most is that Russian intelligence services had to deceive their people first.
This example is fiction, but even by reading fiction, we can learn lessons and apply them to the real world.
Here is a fitting example. In the book, two senior members of the Soviet government discuss what is happening as the push for war accelerates. One asks the other for a truthful answer about some of the intelligence leading to the push for war and the Soviet Union’s military readiness. His counterpart answers, “In our country, truth is often greater madness,” as he continues to decry the call to arms.
The more I read the book, the more it applied to America in 2024. Those of us who only want to call balls and strikes see a form of madness in our nation as the truth is ignored and the lie magnified.
What does America’s Maskirovka look like?
- When federal agents embedded and encouraged the events of January 6th.
- When the same government arrested and incarcerated Jan. 6 peaceful protest attendees and blamed them for the violence.
- When Agents of ignorance went as far as to claim that ANTIFA and BLM riots were not happening in 2020, or they were only peaceful, even when they were happening with buildings burning in the background of their news reports.
- That Trump committed an impeachable offense – twice.
- To claim that groups like the Patriot Front represent real American patriots and then use them as an excuse to call good Americans “Domestic Violent Extremists.”
- When school boards pretend to care what parents think rather than pursue the agenda to which they are beholden.
- To claim that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are not Marxism and Communism in disguise.
- That abortion and transvestite surgeries are healthcare and that “comprehensive sex ed” in schools teaches anything but an anti-family agenda.
- That “evidence-based” anything in government is truly that, such as “evidence-based social justice reform.” The same is true for “trauma-informed,” “data-driven,” or “restorative justice.” These are word salads designed to deceive.
- That the #immigrationinvasion happening on America’s borders is composed of people who only want a better life and not an invasion of illegal aliens mostly here to help destroy America.
- That the Biden administration is handling the surge in conflicts around the world well and not, in fact, the cause of most of it.
- That anti-Israel protestors are just students who support the poor and oppressed “Palestinians”[i] and are not led and funded by the same people who organized the riots of 2020. How did all the college protest encampments conveniently end up with the same $500 North Face tents?
- That the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), Section 702, is necessary to keep Americans safe.
This list could continue and encompass many events throughout America’s history. Including September 11, 2001, and Benghazi would be a good starting point.
The Biden administration and the Washington, D.C. uniparty are full of planet-sized gaslights. We should not put it past them to keep the maskirovka alive and focus on deceiving Americans first and foremost. The unfortunate consequence of such deception is that they could try to pull America into a war, declare another false pandemic, or intentionally crash our economy.
The simple fact is we have plenty of foreign adversaries, but our greatest enemies are domestic.
This is why we at Restore Liberty work hard to achieve our mission objectives. To borrow another quote from a fictitious General Alexseyev, in Red Storm Rising, “We don’t seek to overturn the state; we seek to restore it.”
I will close with a favorite personal quote of mine.
“We gain knowledge much faster than we gain wisdom.”
May we all pray for and seek wisdom in these days of deception.
Lt Col (ret), US Army, Darin Gaub is a Co-founder of Restore Liberty, an international military strategist, geo-political analyst, executive leadership coach, ordained Bible minister, and serves on the boards of multiple volunteer national and state-level organizations. The views presented are those of the author and do not represent the views of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, or its components. He can be found on Rumble and Substack.
[i] Palestine has never been a country, so there is no such thing as a “Palestinian” anyway.
