Why Foreign Propaganda Targets Americans — and What They’re Preparing Us For

By Vincent Cordova · Posted: September 5, 2025
Assisted with ChatGPT – Using AI for Positive Change

When a foreign government spends millions to shape what Americans see, hear, and believe, it is never by accident. Propaganda is not entertainment. It is not harmless. It is preparation.

Recently, Israel’s government reportedly signed a $45 million deal with Google and YouTube to push state-sponsored propaganda into American feeds, particularly around Gaza. The question is: why? Why spend that kind of money to align the minds of U.S. citizens with a foreign government’s agenda?

The answer is simple: because controlling American perception controls American power.

Securing Political Cover

Israel’s military and political strategy is inseparable from U.S. support. Every year, billions of American taxpayer dollars fund Israel’s military. Every year, the U.S. uses its veto power at the United Nations to shield Israel from accountability.

But this support depends on Americans tolerating it. If too many citizens object — if protests grow, if Congress feels pressure, if elections begin to swing — then Israel’s most important lifeline is at risk. Propaganda is the shield against that risk.

By saturating platforms like YouTube with curated narratives, Israel ensures that enough Americans remain neutral, distracted, or supportive — keeping Washington’s political cover intact.

Protecting Billions in Aid

The United States provides Israel nearly $4 billion annually in military assistance. For perspective, that’s more than the U.S. gives to most other countries combined.

If Americans began to question why our schools, hospitals, and infrastructure struggle while billions flow overseas, political pressure could mount to reduce or condition that aid.

Propaganda ensures those questions don’t gain traction. It reframes the issue — not as taxpayers funding foreign wars, but as America “standing with an ally.” It’s not about truth. It’s about protecting the money pipeline.

Controlling the Global Narrative

Internationally, Israel faces growing criticism for its policies in Gaza and the West Bank. Human rights organizations, foreign governments, and even global courts are questioning whether collective punishment and blockades violate international law.

Here’s where the U.S. matters: Washington has the loudest voice in global affairs. If Americans turn against these policies, so will their representatives. And if the U.S. withdraws support, Israel loses the ability to dismiss international pressure.

That’s why targeting Americans is so important. By controlling how the U.S. public understands Gaza, Israel indirectly controls how the world responds.

Silencing Dissent at Home

Propaganda is not just about what people believe. It’s also about what people don’t do.

If Americans believe famine reports are “lies,” they won’t protest.
If Americans believe humanitarian groups are “terror-linked,” they won’t support them.
If Americans believe critics are “anti-Israel” or “anti-American,” they won’t question the narrative.

The less dissent on U.S. streets, in classrooms, and in Congress, the freer Israel is to pursue its policies — without the friction of American outrage.

Preparing Us for the Next Step

Propaganda is never just about today’s story. It’s about preparing people for what comes next. And what could come next?

Regional War: If Israel escalates conflicts with Iran, Lebanon, or Syria, U.S. involvement becomes more likely. Propaganda ensures Americans are psychologically prepared to support it.
Economic Entanglement: U.S. weapons manufacturers, contractors, and energy firms profit heavily from alignment with Israel. Propaganda keeps Americans from questioning why their economy is tied to foreign wars.
Normalization of Influence: If Israel succeeds in colonizing American minds with its agenda, it sets a dangerous precedent. Other governments — allies and adversaries alike — will see the path forward: buy the minds, and you buy the country.

The Constitutional Line

This is where we must be crystal clear: foreign governments have no constitutional right to American freedoms.

The First Amendment protects speech for the people — not foreign states.
A government paying to flood U.S. platforms with its agenda is not exercising “free expression.” It is conducting an influence operation.
To call this “free speech” is to distort the Constitution itself and betray the very freedoms generations of Americans fought to protect.

Propaganda Is a Security Threat

Propaganda from a foreign government — whether an ally or an adversary — is not just unethical. It is a national security risk.

It bypasses democracy and implants foreign agendas directly into U.S. society.
It erodes trust in institutions, dividing Americans against each other.
It influences elections and policymaking without transparency or accountability.

Allowing it is no different than leaving our borders unguarded. It makes the American mind a battlefield — and corporations like Google are selling the weapons.

What Must Change

Ban Foreign Propaganda Buys — U.S. companies must be prohibited from selling ad space to foreign governments for political messaging.
Mandatory Transparency — If a foreign government communicates on U.S. platforms, it must be clearly labeled: “This message is funded by the Government of [X].”
Public Oversight — Citizens, not corporations, must oversee foreign influence campaigns, with the power to block deceptive or manipulative content.
National Security Recognition — Propaganda should be recognized as a form of warfare, not a harmless ad.

The Bigger Picture

This is not just about one deal. It is about whether Americans still own their own minds.

When foreign governments use U.S. companies to colonize our thinking, and when those companies profit from the deception, we are no longer sovereign. We are subjects — managed, distracted, and steered by interests that do not represent us.

We must confront this reality now. Because the longer we allow it, the deeper the influence runs. And the more we forget what truth looks like, the easier it becomes to accept propaganda as reality.

It’s time to demand truth over profit, sovereignty over manipulation, democracy over propaganda.