• Populism in the new Communism; the same strategies that were used to fight and combat the spread of Communism during the Cold War are now used to fight populism
• Global censorship is not a “left vs right” issue; it is the Blob vs. populism 
  • The “Blob” as a term used to describe the entrenched foreign policy establishment in Washington, DC
• Following World War II, the Blob was created to influence events in foreign countries so that those events would suit the interests of the United States
  • After 1948, the United States needed a new mechanism to maintain its empire – not by military means, but by political vassalage 
  • The US would intervene in countries that did not pose any national security threat but had resources or services that supported the interests of the US and its people
• Starting in 2016, the foreign-policy established institutions felt threatened that the entire rules-based international order might collapse due to nations pursuing their own nationalism; to combat this trend, the Blob created its online censorship apparatus around the year 2014

• The Blob is used to prevent or handicap the rise of populist political candidates in a given region 
• During the Cold War, the CIA and State Department viewed left-wing Communism as the ultimate threat; today, they view right-wing populism as the threat 

• “The American people are subsidizing their silence.” – Mike Benz

Mike Benz is a former official with the U.S. Department of State, known for his work in international communications and digital freedom. He has played a significant role in advocating for internet freedom and the protection of online expression.

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