Venezuela: Who is Ben Rowswell?

Note to readers: This post provides essential information on the background of the “former diplomat” known as the “combat diplomat” and is based on a profile written in 2015. The original article is now very much a work in progress as more information comes to light. It is being re-organized, rewritten and expanded for this publication. Contribution of information is welcome. – TS, 4 February 2019. Last updated 19 July 2020.

Since January 23, 2019 Ben Rowswell has been put forward in the monopoly media as the condescending saviour to promote Canada’s open support for the counterrevolutionary forces that seek to overthrow the democratically-elected government of President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela. In the run-up to the February 4, 2019 emergency ministerial meeting hosted by Canada of the Lima Group, a gang of countries it is working with to try to force regime change in Venezuela, he was featured three times on CBC TV on January 24, which has yet to find a Venezuelan to interview who is not from the family of an ex-army officer living comfortably in Montreal, and then again on January 28 in the Globe and Mail. Held in Ottawa, it was the group’s first face-to-face meeting since the self-proclaimed “interim president” of Venezuela, Juan Guaidó swore himself in. The U.S., to whom he owes his new position, is not ostensibly a member of the Lima Group, but recognized their puppet immediately with Canada and other members of the Lima Group following soon after. 

Exponential growth of disinformation

Role of powerful private interests and the necessity to build our own organizations and media. “Although the use of social media by parties of the rich to gain electoral advantage and the wielding of social media as a weapon of U.S. imperialism against sovereign states have been well-documented, the use of social media by state agencies to directly interfere with progressive and anti-imperialist political movements is less well studied.” | SAM HEATON

One of the serious problems that faces the people’s movement for empowerment today is the exponential growth of disinformation that takes advantage of modern communications technology and social media. No sooner have these advances been made than powerful private interests, the state and its agents in the ranks of the people have worked out how to dominate and wield the technology in their interests.

Trudeau Liberals’ treatment of important questions of war and peace

Canadians are concerned about questions of war and peace and want Canada to be a force for peace in the world. During the 2015 federal election the Liberal Party suggested that it stood for peace, would end Canada’s combat mission in Iraq and would not continue on the aggressive path of the previous government. Since coming to power the Liberals have shown that in the name of peace they, like the Harper government, stand for war and are charting a dangerous course for Canada’s foreign policy.

In a special edition, TML Weekly presents a comprehensive reports on the real agenda based on its first 100 days in office. It reports that contrary to the promise to end Canada’s combat mission, the government is set to step up the presence of Canadian soldiers in the Middle East and its combat role. The government is continuing the dangerous course of embroiling soldiers in the dirty war in Ukraine and following the lead of the U.S. in interfering in the affairs of Syria, Haiti and Latin America.

In November 2015, the Prime Minister’s Office appointed Roland Paris as one of five top advisors to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Paris is a NATO academic and involved with think tanks and U.S. agencies such as the Halifax International Security Forum (see here) advancing a warmongering foreign policy for Canada. The National Post called Paris “the man behind Justin Trudeau’s foreign policy.” A concern for Canadians is Paris’ foreign policy preoccupations, which include increasing military spending and Canada’s role in the aggressive NATO military bloc, as well as so-called “digital diplomacy” – the Harper government’s use of social media tools to subvert sovereign governments which Washington deems hostile to its interests (see here and here). The Post reported on December 29 that Paris was working for the Liberals before the election was called and that “his fingerprints are clearly evident in the party’s election platform.” All the while Paris was also frequently quoted, before and after the election, as an independent academic and expert commenting on Liberal foreign policy prospects. Paris is also said to be present at “most, if not all, of Trudeau’s meetings with foreign leaders.”

We encourage everyone to read and share TML Weekly to stay informed about these developments and the important matter of the need for Canada to be a force for peace in the world. To read the latest issue, Click here.

John Baird continues his work for private monopolies

Politicization of private interests – Baird did yeoman’s work for private monopoly interests as Canada’s jingoist Foreign Minister putting Canada on war footing against their competitors. Baird is continuing on the same career path but with more lucrative rewards. GEORGE ALLEN

On March 25, Stephen Harper’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird was hired by the Barrick Gold monopoly to sit on its international advisory board. Canada’s conflict-of-interest legislation theoretically prevents cabinet ministers from negotiating future employment while in office. Baird’s resignation from Parliament only took effect on March 16, yet everyone is to believe that the Barrick offer was made during the nine days between March 16 and 25.

Canadian diplomats trained in social media … in Washington

First published on September 14, 2014

Canadian Ambassador to Venezuela Ben Roswell reported (tweeted) on June 17, 2014 on the training of Canadian diplomats in social media and “direct” and “digital diplomacy.” The photo (right) clearly shows that the training is being conducted in Washington, USA, of all places.

Roswell is the leading practitioner and theorist in the Department of Foreign Affairs of “direct” and “digital diplomacy.” His interventionist activities are condemned in Venezuela. In a recent article, I pointed out:

“‘Digital diplomacy’ is a euphemism for cyberwarfare through the use of anti-social media as well as hacking and other means. The anti-social media such as the Twitter service being embraced by the Harper government is integrated with the U.S. state military and espionage agencies.”

It seems that Harper’s digital warriors are so delighted with their craven role as fifth columnists that they openly tweet and boast about it:

 

 Ben Rowswell @benrowswell

Follow

@mclaugm leading the charge on training Cdn Consuls-General on #socialmedia here in DC.

1:49 PM – 17 Jun 2014

Negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program and Baird’s ‘direct diplomacy’ project

Protest in Tehran against attempts to interfere with Iran’s sovereign right to possess nuclear technology, November 23, 2014.

By LOUIS LANG

On January 15, international negotiations got underway on Iran’s nuclear program in Geneva, Switzerland. These negotiations are of great importance for people all over the world. The main subject of the negotiations is the use of nuclear technology and the level of uranium enrichment needed by Iran for the peaceful development of nuclear energy to meet its needs. Coupled with this is the demand by Iran to remove the economic and other sanctions imposed by the U.S. and big European powers to destroy its economy and in this way force Iran to submit to the foreign dictate.

Venezuela: Dirty activities of Canadian embassy

By TONY SEED

Opposition is being expressed in Venezuela to the activities of the Canadian embassy and its new ambassador, Ben Rowswell. Rowswell was appointed by Stephen Harper at the end of February 2014 and took up his new post in Caracas in March without a lot of fanfare. The news did not slip by us nor a number of independent media outlets.* Recently, the Canadian online publication, TML Daily, provided a revealing update from Venezuelan sources.

Mision Verdad, a blog from Venezuela described by its authors as providing “information to inform and expose” free from the manipulation that characterizes the media controlled by the rich, carried a report on the activities of the ambassador, titled “Who is the Canadian Ambassador to Venezuela?”

Venezuelans expose dirty activities of Canadian embassy in Venezuela

The use of “smart power” and “digital diplomacy” to interfere in the internal affairs of sovereign countries

Opposition is being raised in Venezuela to the activities of the Canadian embassy and its new ambassador to Venezuela, Ben Rowswell. The official was appointed by Stephen Harper at the end of February 2014 with little fanfare. He took up his new post in Caracas in March.

‘Digital diplomacy’: Harper government’s new weapon for subversion

By TONY SEED

AMIDST revelations about U.S.-led global espionage and cyber warfare and other wrongdoings coming to light during the past year, the Harper war government is expanding its own participation in social media and electronic subversion of foreign states trying an independent path of development and deemed hostile to the interests of the US and NATO bloc.

On February 7 Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird visited the headquarters of Google and Twitter in Silicon Valley, California, where he mapped out how “digital diplomacy” will be added to the weapons of armed subversion such as covert operations, “aid,” and secret diplomacy that are already being used internationally by the Harper government against targeted countries.

“Digital diplomacy” is cyberwarfare. It is a new buzz word to go along with “direct diplomacy” and the “public diplomacy” embraced by the Obama Doctrine, the U.S. State Department and NATO to rationalize the creation of mechanisms whereby the United States gives itself the right to deal directly with citizens of various countries and NGOs that do its bidding and completely bypass sovereign governments. 

‘Digital diplomacy’: Harper’s new ambassador modernizes Canada’s hidden agenda in Venezuela

New Canadian ambassador in Venezuela is a counter-insurgency specialist 

Amidst revelations about U.S.-led global espionage and cyber warfare and other wrongdoings coming to light during the past year, the Harper government is now using what it calls “digital diplomacy” to expand its own participation in anti-social media and electronic subversion of other states deemed hostile to the interests of the US empire and the NATO bloc.

Halifax International Security Forum: The network of subversion, annexation and war in the making – the ‘Halifax Canada Club’

By TONY SEED

This article is part of an ongoing investigation into the Halifax International Security Forum (HISF), which was formed in 2009 as a covert arm of the U.S. state that presents itself as an “independent” and “non-partisan” body with quasi-permanent status. It was originally published on November 21, 2013 and revised on April 15, 2014; November 17 and 21, 2014; February 17, 2016; and February 28, 2021. 

Topics at the 2014 HISF Forum include: “Pipeline Corridors: The Geopolical Role of Energy Infrastructure.” Given that one of the opening plenary sessions is titled “O Say, Can’t You see? The Indispensable Role of the Exceptional Superpower,” one must ask, what is behind this?

THE Halifax International Security Forum (HISF) aka the Halifax War Conference was formed in 2009 by the Washington-based German Marshall Fund and the Harper ruling clique as a parallel body to established agencies of the Canadian state such as the departments of foreign affairs and national defence. The U.S. board of directors of the HISF includes three members of the Council of Foreign Relations (CFR), the president of Freedom House, and two experienced agents with the National Endowment for Democracy, whose work in subversion throughout the world is nefarious and well-documented. The programmatic work of the CFR, which is also the “media partner” of the HISF, for the integration of Canada into the United States, has also been well exposed.