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CIA to Sunset the World Factbook

abc.net.au

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Re: CIA to Sunset the World Factbook

#91

Post by lyu07282 »

kergonath wrote: post #78
ekianjo wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Unfortunate. So many essays that I wrote in school cited The World Facebook as a source. A source of propaganda? There's nothing the CIA does without political motivation.

> There's nothing the CIA does without political motivation. Even then, political motivation in itself does not make it inaccurate. It’s easy to see why a liberal democracy supposed to defend liberty across the globe would be interested in making facts accessible. Facts and education are the best way to fight obscurantism and totalitarianism. It’s also easy to see why a regime sliding back towards autocracy would hav…

[flagged]

Re: CIA to Sunset the World Factbook

#92

Post by kergonath »

adammarples wrote: post #4
afavour wrote: post #3

Feels very short sighted, the Factbook is a great example of low cost soft power.

What is this soft power and what can the US do with it?

Having friends means that you can build bases where if you ask nicely, rather than having to invade. It prevents those friends from undermining you in a lot of cases. It makes them help you when you need, e.g. to get your hands on someone plotting attacks against you. It makes them more likely to trade with you under advantageous terms. I am sure you could think about at least a dozen other cases in a couple of minutes.

Soft power is spending pennies to convince other countries to do your dirty work.

Re: CIA to Sunset the World Factbook

#93

Post by pron »

My theory of the current US administration and its support is one of ideological stupidity. Ideological stupidity wishes to see the world as simple. If "classical fascism" made a promise of order in a tumultuous world, the new right makes a promise of simplicity: the world is not as complicated as the experts say. To maintain simplicity, any serious scholarship and study, which invariably points to complexity, is to be expunged.

Re: CIA to Sunset the World Factbook

#94

Post by belter »

regenschutz wrote: post #26

Unfortunate. So many essays that I wrote in school cited The World Facebook as a source. I'm worried that the death of these easily accessible sources will push more and more pupils into relying on Wikipedia or even worse: AI. Being critical of what you see online and finding facts yourself is crucial to digital literacy.

See the positive. At least you would not get a fail on your school essay about Greenland...

Re: CIA to Sunset the World Factbook

#95

Post by MisterTea »

khat wrote: post #83
stinkbeetle wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Truly dark times when we can't even trust the CIA anymore.

The CIA was formed in 1947 and the first known controversy was in 1953. And has a whole list of controversies since then. From giving citizens LSD, wiretapping citizens, to supporting Central American cocaine distribution. And this is where you draw the line on trustworthiness? Lol

That was a joke that violently wooshed over your head. You might need to see a doctor to check for whiplash.

Re: CIA to Sunset the World Factbook

#96

Post by afavour »

some_random wrote: post #37
afavour wrote: post #3

Feels very short sighted, the Factbook is a great example of low cost soft power.

Are we remembering the same Factbook? It had summary statistics for every country and some brief blurbs about their history, climate, economy, etc. Strictly speaking yeah it generated some legitimacy to publish a resource like this and I find it hard to believe the CIA can't scrape a few quarters together to keep it running, but most of it's value is sentimental.

I grew up outside the US. I have a distinct memory of using the Factbook for homework assignments and being told it is a reliable source of information. That shapes people's perceptions of the US and the CIA from a young age.

Re: CIA to Sunset the World Factbook

#98

Post by jfyi »

PlatoIsADisease wrote: post #14
woodruffw wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“Soft power” refers usually to credibility. The point of the Factbook is to be a credible public resource for an entity that would otherwise not have much.

In International Relations, my #1 or #2 hobby, credibility does not refer to soft power. (my number 1 hobby is philosophy)

Credibility is the core currency of soft power, whether one views its ultimate goal as manufacturing consent or fostering genuine cultural attraction. Without that perceived reliability, the indicator "soft" loses it's meaning.

Re: CIA to Sunset the World Factbook

#99

Post by alex1138 »

hk__2 wrote: post #67
alex1138 wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can we please, please not outsource everything to Wikipedia? Many of the editors there are hardly impartial

And the CIA is impartial? ;)

Do please take note of the fact that I did not include "We should trust the CIA" in my comment

Re: CIA to Sunset the World Factbook

#100

Post by GorbachevyChase »

hk__2 wrote: post #65
regenschutz wrote: post #26

Unfortunate. So many essays that I wrote in school cited The World Facebook as a source. I'm worried that the death of these easily accessible sources will push more and more pupils into relying on Wikipedia or even worse: AI. Being critical of what you see online and finding facts yourself is crucial to digital literacy.

At least Wikipedia is supposed to cite its sources, while AIs don’t.

Have you used one recently? The big providers all cite sources if give a research prompt.
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