Slashdot Mirror


Is Stratfor a "Joke"?

daveschroeder writes with an opinion piece that seems to differ from the usual thinking on the Wikileaks release of Stratfor emails: "Max Fisher writes in The Atlantic: 'The corporate research firm has branded itself as a CIA-like "global intelligence" firm, but only Julian Assange and some over-paying clients are fooled. [...] The group's reputation among foreign policy writers, analysts, and practitioners is poor; they are considered a punchline more often than a source of valuable information or insight. [...] So why do Wikileaks and their hacker source Anonymous seem to consider Stratfor, which appears to do little more than combine banal corporate research with media-style freelance researcher arrangements, to be a cross between CIA and Illuminati? The answer is probably a combination of naivete and desperation.'"

5 of 211 comments (clear)

  1. Is Slashdot a "Joke" ? by billcopc · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That's a pretty wafer thin opinion piece. Sure, Stratfor seems like a mess, but I think the most telling aspect of this whole fiasco is that we actually believe an intelligence company could be so moronic. That says a lot about the public's perception of government intelligence, or lack thereof, if imbeciles like Stratfor are actually being paid to provide services.

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    -Billco, Fnarg.com
    1. Re:Is Slashdot a "Joke" ? by ackthpt · · Score: 5, Insightful

      That's a pretty wafer thin opinion piece. Sure, Stratfor seems like a mess, but I think the most telling aspect of this whole fiasco is that we actually believe an intelligence company could be so moronic. That says a lot about the public's perception of government intelligence, or lack thereof, if imbeciles like Stratfor are actually being paid to provide services.

      What more effective cover for the deadly efficient than the guise of a disorganised clod?

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  2. Counter-counter-counter spin by tpotus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ... is what this article is.

    1. Re:Counter-counter-counter spin by Desler · · Score: 5, Insightful

      How is it spin? The guy quotes articles and facts that are easily verified to show that Stratfor is not what it has been claimed to be by a well-known media whore. The only spin is coming from people who can't stand that Wikileaks could be blowing this out of proportion.

  3. If it's a joke... by micheas · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Can we stop writing checks to them with tax payer money?