Presidential "Consent Manufacturing Center" initiated in Turkey

Turkish government has initiated a new mechanism under the title "Strategic Communications & Crisis Management Department" which is authorised to "engage in psychological operations, propaganda and consent manufacturing activities as well as to fight against disinformation and manipulative misinformation".

Under the Presidential Communications Directorate, a new unit has been initiated in the past week under the title of "Strategic Communications & Crisis Management Department". According to the publication on the Official Gazette concerning the new unit, it will be responsible for guarding the state's interests through cooperation and collaboration with relevant institutes and organizations, determine Turkey's strategic communications policies, act against "all kinds of manipulative actions and disinformation targeting Turkey."

PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE, PROPAGANDA, MANUFACTURING CONSENT

The Presidential Decree making amendments in the organization of Presidential Communications Directorate was published last Friday on the Official Gazette. According to the amendments, the unit "Strategic Communications & Crisis Management Department" has been introduced underneath the directorate. The department is authorized to: "To detect all kinds of psychological warfare, propaganda, perception operation activities, all kinds of manipulative misinformation and disinformation targeting Turkey and to act swiftly against such activities." In the decree signed by AKP chair & President Erdoğan, the following duties have also been assigned to the "Strategic Communications & Crisis Management Department":

"COOPERATE WITH RELEVANT ORGANS"

"a) To determine strategic communications policies that will be implemented in the national and international arena in cooperation with necessary institutes and organizations when necessary to guard the State's strategic goals and targets within the framework of State's and the nation's interests. b) To initiate cooperation and collaborations with relevant institutes and organizations to conduct strategic communications adn crisis management activities at the national and international arena." The duties and responsibilities assigned to the department has made news readers make the connection to Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky's book "Manufacturing Consent".