“She appears to be a girl, but she is actually a flame. “She’s so bright, she can burn your eyes, so look the other way.”

It was June 2016, and bitcoin was a big issue, with investors scurrying for profits.

Ruja Ignatova took the stage in a flowing burgundy gown adorned with black sequins, with beams of light falling on her and Alicia Keys’ “Girl on Fire” playing over the speakers.

“She looks like a girl, but she’s actually a flame.

“So bright, she can burn your eyes – better look the other way,” the speakers yelled in the background as she grinned and thanked the audience at London’s Wembley Arena.

Ignatova nicknamed herself Cryptoqueen and sold her enterprise, OneCoin, as prosperous.

“What a terrific occasion! Over 11,500 people showed up! “You are all amazing!” Ruja Ignatova stated that “in two years no one will be talking about Bitcoin anymore” as investors clapped enthusiastically.

Ignatova vanished from sight sixteen months later, when she boarded a flight from Sofia, Bulgaria to Athens. Since then, no one has seen her.

Ruja Ignatova: Who is she?

Bulgarian-born Ruja Ignatova was born in 1980. She was reared in Germany, where her mother is a teacher and her father is an engineer.

Her family relocated to Germany when she was a small girl, and Ignatova excelled academically and spent her free time studying and playing chess. Her peers described her as reclusive, smart, and ambitious.

Ignatova vanished from sight sixteen months later, when she boarded a flight in Sofia, Bulgaria. Since then, no one has seen her.

Ignatova attended the University of Konstanz in Germany on a scholarship and married a fellow law student there.

There have been allegations that she attended Oxford University in England, but no information on the institution, course, or admittance date has been provided. She received her PhD in private international law from the German University of Konstanz in 2005. It is also stated that she worked for McKinsey & Company.

“She desperately wanted to be rich”

She told people she wanted to be a millionaire by the time she was thirty, and she read money-making books from early in the morning.

After studying European law at Oxford University, Ignatova worked in Sofia as a consultant for the multinational management consulting firm McKinsey&Company.

Her clients respected her and associated with her rise from humble beginnings and strong desire for money. Her fluency in Bulgarian, German, English, and Russian was incredibly useful.

Ignatova placed high importance on appearances, usually attending events in evening gowns, bright red lipstick, and diamond jewelry.

Everything was glamorous and successful. She was obsessed with looks and elegance.

The ten FBI fugitives that are most wanted

Ruja Ignatova is the only woman among the FBI’s top ten most wanted fugitives, which also includes murderers and gang leaders.

She is one of just 11 women on the FBI’s list of 529 fugitives, which has been released since 1950.

Ignatova and her associates duped victims into parting with billions of dollars by falsely claiming that OneCoin would become the “killer of Bitcoin.”

OneCoins were, in fact, useless. Their lies are manufactured with the sole purpose of duping ordinary people across the world into giving them their hard-earned money.

Ignatova vanished in October 2017, but her image has appeared in worldwide media and on the FBI website ever since. Additionally, she is one of Europe’s most sought fugitives.

“Ignatova is believed to be travelling with armed guards and/or associates,” the warrant states toward the bottom. Ignatova may have changed her appearance in some way, such as through plastic surgery.

The FBI categorizes fugitives based on the gravity of their offences and the level of threat.

The cryptocurrency OneCoin was designed mainly to defraud investors.

However, court records show an astonishing story of how Ignatova and Karl Sebastian Greenwood, one of OneCoin’s co-founders, allegedly knew from the start that their ambitious idea was a Ponzi scheme.

According to FBI agents, the OneCoin cryptocurrency was designed to defraud investors.

Greenwood and Ignatova referred to the OneCoin idea as a “nonsense coin” in emails while developing it.

According to the records, in an email to Ruja’s brother Konstantin Ignatov, who also engaged in the scheme and took over OneCoin after his sister went missing, Greenwood referred to his investors as “idiots” and “lunatics.”

In a 2014 letter to Greenwood, Ignatova remarked, “Maybe not perfectly clean or something to be proud of (except with you alone when we make money),” In a 2014 email to Greenwood, she also advised them on how to exit the company if it fails, suggesting that they should “take the money and run and blame this on somebody else.”

I’ve already written more about cryptocurrencies, but to summarize, digital assets such as Bitcoin are governed by a global, decentralized computer network rather than a bank or government. For example, expert crypto miners use data centre servers to generate Bitcoin.

The cryptocurrency market is a volatile and mostly unregulated industry, with experts having conflicting views on its viability.

Future economies, according to Bitcoin proponents, would be constructed on digital currencies valued by user communities rather than central banks. Critics dismiss them as a hoax or, at the very least, highly risky investments.

She carefully prepared and carried out her approach

Ignatova and Greenwood began presenting OneCoin to bankers in New York, Europe, and other regions in 2014. Regarding the accusation, they organised virtual conferences and webinars, asking prospective investors to fund an account that would facilitate the purchase of OneCoin bundles.

According to US prosecutors, OneCoin operated as a multi-level marketing network, with investors earning commissions for referring others to buy Bitcoin bundles. Packages generated income levels ranging from “beginner” to “tycoon trader”.

According to prosecution documents, Ignatova and her accomplices promised buyers a five- to ten-fold return on their investment.

There was frenzied shopping. Investors contributed approximately four billion dollars to OneCoin between the fourth quarters of 2014 and 2016.

According to court papers, US investors donated approximately $50 million.

Ignatova took full advantage of the wild speculation that followed the early days of cryptocurrencies by timing her strategy perfectly.

Unlike other cryptocurrencies, OneCoin was not mined. OneCoin was produced using software rather than a large number of powerful servers.

Prosecutors have obtained an email exchange between Ignatova and Greenwood from August 2014 in which she remarked, “We don’t actually mine, we just tell people shit.”

The value of OneCoin, like that of other cryptocurrencies, was wholly controlled by the firm and was not determined by open market supply and demand.

The concerns initially appeared in 2016

When investors were unable to sell their OneCoins in order to recoup their initial investments, the façade began to crumble in 2016. On the Internet, word spread that the deal was a scam.

The press began to investigate.

Federal investigators from the United States and other countries became engaged.

It’s unclear what happened to Ignatova’s marriage.

However, the FBI claimed that she discovered OneCoin was under investigation after bugging her American boyfriend’s residence and discovering he was assisting a federal probe into her company’s business activities.

The person you trust the most usually betrays you

In October 2017, the US Department of Justice brought charges against Ignatova. The allegations are for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, securities fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracy.

Each of these offences has a maximum punishment of 20 years in jail.

She was also charged with securities fraud, which carries a possible five-year prison sentence.

A federal judge in New York has issued a warrant for her arrest.

2017: All traces of her disappeared

On October 25, 2017, she took a commercial trip from Sofia to Athens. After that, she vanished, putting her business associates in charge of the collapsing corporation.

According to the FBI, she left Athens on a German passport and may have gone to Germany, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Eastern Europe, or even back to Bulgaria.

A $100,000 reward is being offered by the FBI for information that results in her arrest.

Ruja made off with a sizable sum of money. I suppose she’s taking advantage of the fact that you can make a lot of friends with money.

Her partners were arrested

Not so fortunate were her partners. After being detained in July 2018 at his Koh Samui, Thailand, home, Greenwood was extradited to the United States.

He entered a guilty plea to wire fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering in December of that same year. He is being held and could spend twenty years in prison on each of the three charges.

Konstantin Ignatov, Ignatov’s brother, was taken into custody at Los Angeles International Airport in March 2019. He was on a business trip to the US and was getting ready to take a plane back to Bulgaria.

Subsequently, akin to a scene from a movie, he was shackled by five large guys dressed in suits and led to an interrogation room where he was repeatedly questioned about his sister’s disappearance.

Ignatov entered a guilty plea, and the punishment ought to be given.

OneCoin is no longer in operation, and its website has been taken down.

However, its creator, a long-dressed woman adorned with dazzling jewels, managed to get away from the law.

The location of the crypto queen is still unknown more than five years after she disembarked from a plane in Greece.

China’s Strategy for Global Digital Dominance.

“Public opinion warfare,” “psychological warfare,” and “information warfare” are all terms that describe the same overarching strategy that the 50 Cent Army represents: the attempt to influence online discourse and perception.

China is not alone in using this tactic; several international organisations and governments have faced accusations of such tactics, albeit to varying degrees.

I know you are singing “Candy Shop” to yourself and immediately thinking about American rapper 50 Cent. You already know that Nutella is the best, and while I adore music and candy, this is a story about much more essential things.

I believe Generation Z understands trolling, but for those of us who are older, please allow me to define the phrase. and especially in relation to social media.

Trolls

The term “trolls,” derived from a fishing strategy used by cyber thieves to identify victims, refers to those who use their freedom of expression online.

Trolling is the deliberate upsetting of others through online posts or comments.

It also refers to the act of purposefully insulting someone by making a disparaging remark online.

Trolling is a sort of cyber bullying in which someone posts unpleasant or harassing comments on social media with the purpose of dehumanising or degrading the target.

Trolling has a significant influence on victims’ mental health, with worry and despair being some of the results.

Trolls thrive on attention.

What if the government employs trolls?

I believe you have already seen or received several GIFs or personal comments on social media.

They usually go by pseudonyms like “tz_briley_554”, “leonid142908,” or “truth-seeker54,” but if you look closely, they don’t have any followers.

However, with closer examination and more enquiry, you will discover that this question is not that harmless.

This tale is about “trolls” from China

Internet trolls from China are a more powerful force than most people realise, and they continue to play an important role in the CCP’s aim of acquiring influence in global discourse.

The “50 Cent Army” is a group of state-sponsored Internet pundits believed to number between 500,000 and two million.

The story behind the moniker, which claims that the government donates 50 renminbi cents for every pro-China post, has long been debunked.

The Chinese national army is summoned to take part in endless parades and public celebrations at every major public event in China. I believe you have witnessed at least one Chinese military march.

However, there is another type of army operating on the internet.

Wu mao, which translates to “50 cents” in Chinese, is a common slur online, and official state media has recognised the existence of government operatives posing as ordinary, patriotic internet users.

Every year, Chinese authorities publish 448 million fraudulent comments on social media.

They are not the only ones dealing with it, either.

It has long been suspected that the Chinese government employs up to two million people to covertly insert a significant number of false texts, including pseudonyms, into a steady stream of social media posts, making them look to be the true ideas of ordinary people.

Let us be clear from the start: the “50 cent army” is not, as the stereotype suggests, a group of young Chinese people typing furiously in their parents’ rooms and basements; rather, it is a group of government bureaucrats who work long hours to fill positions purportedly held by regular citizens in unrelated fields such as taxation or sports management.

These state-paid operatives usually work full-time, participate in ongoing debates and initiate new ones, write articles and posts to influence public opinion, and receive daily instructions from authorities. They may arrive before the news is released and, on occasion, respond to the occurrence.

These are not the typical trolls.

They mostly fill the internet with reasonably hopeful posts, rather than discussing imprisoned dissidents or maritime disputes.

According to the analysis, there are very few positions held by members of the 50c party in the Chinese government that are subject to criticism or debate.

According to the study’s authors, the enormous clandestine operation’s purpose is to continually redirect public attention, alter topics, and encourage the public to support the incumbent government.

Similar tactics for manipulating public opinion are used in Russia, and American officials are also familiar with them. In the United States, presidential candidates routinely accuse one another of utilising online troll armies throughout the campaign.

Hillary Clinton fans openly boasted about their admiration for social media pundits who would ‘quickly reply to severe criticisms and phoney stories’ with $1 million.

Public opinion redirected

Public opinion shift is not a fresh notion. It is a public policy that is implemented by other countries in addition to China.

In truth, 50 Cent’s army is just a platoon of a much larger propaganda machine.

All those encouraging posts reflect the milieu that bans most Chinese citizens from legally accessing social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, as well as news organisations like Bloomberg and The New York Times.

While pro-government posts from 50 Centres may divert viewers’ attention, other sections of the Propaganda Department work hard to filter out content that some find objectionable or contains specific keywords.

When the “50 Cent Army” initially formed in the early 2000s, it dominated online debate in chat rooms, message boards, and comment areas beneath articles.

Their techniques may appear out of date, given that many millennials are continuously connected to the Internet via their watches and phones.

Weibo, a popular Chinese social media tool, has enabled everyone to converse online in real-time.

Disinformation and influence campaigns

Currently, the bulk of observers regard the “50 cent army” as an oddity on the Chinese Internet, more entertaining than useful.

However, as the CCP continues to aggressively spread propaganda on foreign social networks, its trolls pose a severe threat to global political stability, economic security, and personal safety.

The truth is that party-affiliated trolls are no longer just an irritant, and their attacks are likely to grow in size and frequency.

Understanding their size, strategy, and goals will be critical to creating a successful response as the CCP expands its public opinion campaign to encompass overseas audiences.

First, contrary to popular thought, the CCP is significantly more involved in shaping Chinese public opinion online.

The CCP has assembled an army of over twenty million part-time “network civilisation volunteers” as well as two million paid commentators, with the objective of amplifying content that supports its rule.

The majority of the volunteers are college students who were assigned by the censorship bureau to oppose “negative” information in their spare time, such as reporting on human rights violations, the COVID-19 pandemic, and feminist activism.

They are young but educated, with an average age of only nineteen, and are willing to defend the party’s doctrine against those who disagree with it.

China’s “50 Cent Army” spent the first ten years of its existence primarily attempting to influence how the general population perceived social and political concerns specific to China.

Social media platforms continue to be their primary source of information in China

However, in recent years, the CCP has begun to rely on its army of trolls to launch consumer boycotts of international corporations doing business in China, as well as harassment campaigns against foreign researchers.

Finally, trolls are just one component of the CCP’s wider propaganda machine, which is being built to expand China’s influence in global discourse.

Chinese trolls have recently appeared on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, even though early interviews with the so-called “50 Cent Army” indicated that they were rarely, if ever, published on international social media platforms.

They have begun scaling the significant Wall more frequently with Beijing’s permission, speaking out on issues of significant importance to the Chinese government.

Their specific purpose is to influence foreigners’ attitudes on topics such as COVID-19 history, politics, and economics.

After hearing this story, do you have a different take on social media comments?

Do you feel Facebook is more than just sharing stories with family and friends, Instagram is more than just beautiful images, YouTube is more than just interesting videos, and Twitter is more than just news and its accuracy?

I recall my father saying as a kid, “Walls have ears.” This was not in reference to secret police spying on everyone and each citizen; rather, it was in reference to your own neighbour spying on you.

Later, when I applied to military school (high school), my grandfather took me for a long stroll, and he was a scary guy for many; after all, he was the No. 2 boss of the Secret Police in ex-Yugoslavia, as I discovered when war broke out 5 years later.

He informed me that I should stop mailing mail, sending postcards, and doing anything else with mail right now.

I questioned him, “Why is that?” As you may recall, there was no email, Tinder, LinkedIn, or Facebook in 1986. We used mail.

He simply stated that “they see all” and “they read all,” and that anyone who believes they are foolish for writing codes or foreign phrases is mistaken.

In 1987, I was told the same thing in military school: cease writing; we’re checking all letters.

STASI, the East German secret police, took this to new heights, and this piece serves as a reminder of how it was done in East Germany, how much intelligence was collected, and how counterintelligence was distributed.

STASI at Postal Facilities

In post offices, the Ministry of the Interior had its own divisions where mail was opened methodically.

The Stasi mail inspection began in 1950, the year the ministry was created, and ended in the fall of 1989, due to the Peaceful Revolution.

Full-time In the GDR letter distribution offices known as “Stelle 12,” Stasi employees sorted the letters based on specific criteria.

Sorted goods were couriered to Stasi office buildings and opened with steam.

The data that was sent via letters has most likely been “removed,” and any questionable content has been copied or even maintained in the original.

Foreign currency was also earned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which garnered 32.8 million marks between January 1984 and November 1989. However, during this period, money was stolen and letters were destroyed.

Original letters from seized mail are still available today as part of national security files on the sender or receiver in question.

When mail was opened discreetly and used against the sender or recipient in court, a type of pseudo-legality emerged. In a forged letter, Deutsche Post told the affected parties that their letters had been held up due to an alleged violation of postal regulations.

Parcels were also searched and some items seized, including radio cassettes and recorded music, which were unlocked and occasionally used to record intercepted phone conversations, with the help of customs and Stasi agents stationed there.

In general, postal inspection delays were limited to twelve hours. Deutsche Post might then begin delivering letters on a regular basis. In the case that shipments were considerably delayed, the postmark date was hidden.

Department M

Department M employees replaced the envelopes, franking them as necessary, and carefully sealed the unsealed letters.

As a result, a worldwide stamp collection was specifically constructed.

The XIX’s main department, which oversees intelligence and communications, granted special search warrants. Large warrants with names, addresses, and writing examples, where needed, were included. Employees of Department M compared this data to the letters that were sent.

The so-called M-file was created concurrently with this operation.

Links uncovered during the check between the sender and the receiver are documented alphabetically and reinforced with the assistance of the police registration registry.

“Detect any hostile activity”

By the end, the Stasi had 10 departments managing this problem, up from three at the start.

The evolution indicates the increasing importance of postal control during the GDR’s 40-year existence. The political structure, as well as the Stasi’s aim to “know everything” and retain total control, had an impact on this.

Department M was tasked with regulating postal correspondence in this specific situation to “detect any hostile activity and prevent dangerous consequences.”

Their output was significantly limited during the popular uprising of 1953, the construction of the East Berlin Wall in 1961, and the détente policy in the late 1960s.

During the 1950s, Department M’s postal inspection activities were initially focused on three goals:

• Seeking documents critical of the GDR in West Berlin and the Federal Republic.
• Documenting the overall mood of the GDR population.
• Detecting an attempted escape from the GDR.

In the 1960s, technical tool development, intelligence analysis, and operational activity all became more essential.

During the 1970s, Department M’s work was shaped by greater East-West exchanges.

Postal surveillance was geared toward discovering “negative” or “hostile” influences from the West, notably escape and emigration movements.

The management system’s effectiveness was improved further by utilizing new technology solutions. Due to improvements and the transfer of duty for postal and customs investigations in the 1980s, Department M was tasked with managing complex postal inspections.

The fact that the department has been overseen by the district since 1982 demonstrates its growing importance. Minister Erich Mielke was responsible for his own management.

From the beginning of 1989 to the end, four officers who began their careers in the MfS in 1950 and 1951 managed Department M. Major General Rudy Strobel founded Department M and oversaw it for nearly 25 years, from 1965 to 1989.

Postal Inspectors

From a few dozen in 1950, the number of Stasi workers performing postal inspections climbed to almost 2,200 in the GDR by 1989.

Department M and its ancillary services employed 639 people as of 1953. The workforce grew to over 900 individuals by the start of the 1970s, and to over 1,200 nearly 10 years later.

The most significant increase occurred between 1983 and 1984, when mail customs investigations were placed under Department M.

Department M has an extremely high percentage of women. In 1989, the percentage of women in the Stasi as a whole was around 16%, but in Department M, it was more than 20%.

Deutsche Post Operational School

Improving the control and search system required constant personnel training and specialization. Department M employees were also educated to operate a postal vehicle, provide telex services, and act as postal workers at the Deutsche Post operational school, which is located in the Berlin district headquarters.

Some employees became KV electronics technicians or completed the professional test to work with postal and newspaper traffic.

Staff members attended several technical schools to upgrade and maintain Department M’s technological facilities.

Air and refrigeration engineers were trained in Glauhau, while paper technology engineers were educated in Altenburg.

Deutsche Post ran a technical school in Leipzig where Stasi employees were trained as postal and newspaper engineers.

Additional courses were taken at other colleges and universities, such as the Engineering College for Device Technology in Dresden, the Humboldt University of Berlin for Criminology, the Karl Marx University of Leipzig for Physics, the Economic University of Berlin-Karlshorst, and the GDR Institute of Customs Administration “Heinrich Rau” in Berlin.

It was planned that mail from other countries would be available in Russian, English, French, and, starting in 1980, Polish. Intercepted correspondence contained information from GDR sympathizers to Poland and from Poland about the Solidarity trade union movement.

The effort aimed to uncover and disrupt postal connections with foreign secret services, with a particular emphasis on battling Western secret agencies.

The director’s March 1989 report, headlined “Current knowledge of the functioning of the imperialist secret services in the postal communication system,” laid the groundwork for the larger search for secret service letters, particularly from NATO members.

To avoid potential attacks on the Stasi by Western secret agencies, a thorough search for records relevant to the internal security of the Stasi and other armed institutions of the GDR was conducted.

In addition to the MFA, top-level state leaders should be “protected,” particularly against explosive and dangerous mail.

Staff of Department M were expected to maintain strict confidentiality, especially when working with Deutsche Post staff. As a result, they sat together in a private group in the cafeteria, attempting to minimize their encounter with “normal” postal personnel.

The Ostbahnhof in East Berlin, which the MfS designated as the “Caesar” plot facility, served as the site of formal relations with railway mail departments and shift managers. Officers on Special Assignments (OibE) were a further tool in the conspiratorial postal control system.

An Additional Dimension

Department M’s activities in 1989 were governed by special political framework conditions that were visible in 1988 but took on increased significance in 1989.

Department M’s 1989 work plan reflects this growth. Its primary objective was to repress and intercept “political-ideological diversion” (PID) propaganda.

This was justified, among other things, by the manner in which current “events in the Soviet Union and some other socialist countries” and the political underground (PUT) and their primary “exponents”—that is, the opposition scene and its spokespersons—as well as the emigration and escape movement—met.

Department M paid special consideration to the so-called “hostile legal grounds” in this case.

The press offices of Western correspondents accredited in the GDR, particularly those from NATO countries, as well as Western embassies and consulates, are so designated.

The postal inspection of these establishments aimed to uncover evidence of “hostile activities” directed at the GDR.

During this time, the Stasi’s primary responsibilities included gathering information about the GDR’s political and economic realities, encouraging people to leave and relocate, and putting an end to high-profile events that the Stasi deemed unfriendly to the GDR.

Goal: 90% of all domestic mail should be opened.

Finally, the job required further enhancement of the subsequent control’s technical examination techniques. The goal of automating the hot steam opening is to achieve a 90 percent opening rate for the “home” and “outgoing” mail programs, as well as 50 to 60 percent for all “incoming” mail.

This was a chronic violation of fundamental rights.

Departments from “fraternal bodies” were routinely switched with relevant departments for later takeovers, whether in the Soviet Union, Poland, or Czechoslovakia.

During these discussions, in addition to discussing new technological approaches for covertly reading and analyzings letters, addresses were shared and mail was collected.

This was the condition during the Cold War.

So, to what extent do you believe email is controlled and monitored these days?

Every type of mail? Or ?!

This was the statement they kept reciting to us in school, and I’ll never forget it.

I guarantee you that I didn’t give it much thought at the time—who thinks about history in school? —and I didn’t take the comment seriously.

Based on my life experiences, I’ve concluded that many things repeat themselves without our knowledge.

Don’t get me wrong: they don’t repeat themselves, but have we learned anything from the past?

Unfortunately, it appears we are not.

History is a fantastic teacher, providing everlasting lessons about politics, pride, and power.

Dictators

Few historical events and stories are more captivating than the rise and fall of tyrants.

Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler, and Benito Mussolini—all of whom appeared unbeatable in their heyday—achieved extraordinary heights of power before plunging into disgraceful ruin.

What motivated these leaders to pursue military glory?

How could these ‘all-powerful’ leaders lose the faith of their own people? Above all, what were the critical elements that led to their downfall?

Autocrats and Authority

Napoleon’s climb to power

In the latter stages of the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte, a French military and political figure, rose to prominence.

With strong military vigor, he conducted successful campaigns in Europe and Africa, earning the esteem of the French people.

Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of France in 1804, capitalizing on his popularity and the country’s volatile political situation.

During his reign, significant administrative and legal reforms were implemented, many of which are now the foundations of modern legal systems.

However, Napoleon’s never-ending military campaigns, particularly his disastrous invasion of Russia in 1812, depleted French resources and lives.

His reign ended in 1815, when he lost the Battle of Waterloo. Napoleon, who was forced into exile and eventually imprisoned by the British, left a mixed legacy of dictatorship, revolutionary administrative change, and horrible combat.

Mussolini’s Rise to Power

Benito Mussolini, the father of fascism, ruled Italy as a dictator for more than two decades.

Mussolini, who took power in 1922 as a result of the March on Rome, gradually undermined democratic institutions and imposed one-party rule.

His ambitions were to restore the Roman Empire through widespread censorship, persecution of dissent, and emphasis on Italian nationalism.

During World War II, Mussolini chose to support Hitler, a decision that led to his demise as well as military defeats and public disgrace.

Mussolini was held when the Allied invasion of Italy began, but German soldiers eventually released him. He tried to flee when the conflict changed against the Axis powers, but Italian partisans caught him and executed him in 1945.

Mussolini’s era was marked by harsh militarism, authoritarian leadership, and catastrophic wars, leaving Italy in ruins and dishonoring his legacy.

The oppositional rise of Hitler

Following the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany experienced a catastrophic social and economic catastrophe, during which time the legendary tyrant Adolf Hitler of Nazi Germany ascended to power.

Many Germans were captivated by his compelling speeches and promises of racial purity and national renewal, which led to his appointment as chancellor in 1933.

Hitler swiftly emerged as the dominating power, transforming the democratic Weimar Republic into the totalitarian Third Reich.

His expansionist mindset and aggressive foreign policy precipitated World War II, while his severe anti-Semitic sentiments precipitated the Holocaust, which resulted in the murder of six million Jews.

Hitler’s decision to strike the Soviet Union marked a sea change, resulting in an expensive, long-lasting war that Germany was unable to win.

Hitler committed suicide in his Berlin bunker in 1945, as the Allies closed in. Everyone agrees that his legacy is one of extreme prejudice, cruelty, and genocide.

How it went wrong for them

The above summaries show that their stories have a common topic.

We are left with timeless lessons about power, politics, and the dangers of hubris from the regimes of Mussolini in Italy, Hitler in Germany, Napoleon in France, and others.

This story’s key themes include their ambition for military glory, their decrease in popular favor, and, eventually, the reasons that contributed to their collapse.

An fixation with military triumph

Military conquests were commonly used to demonstrate authority and control throughout periods of autocratic rule.

For example, during the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte rose to prominence due to his military abilities.

His victories earned him credit, cemented his prestige, and laid the groundwork for his eventual coronation as emperor.

However, Napoleon’s disastrous Russian campaign marked the beginning of the end because of his insatiable desire for conquest.

One can draw parallels between Adolf Hitler and this.

Many saw his early successes in World War II and the development of the German Reich as signs of a coming renaissance.

Mussolini, on the other hand, envisioned a new Roman Empire as a means of attaining military might.

However, their excessively ambitious military achievements backfired, causing widespread hardship and eventually leading to their downfall.

A significant fall in public trust

Despite their early popularity, these leaders eventually lost the faith of their own people.

The French people could no longer tolerate Napoleon’s never-ending military campaigns, which cost countless lives and priceless resources.

Mussolini’s grandiose ambitions were dashed when Italy lost the Second World War, enraging a disillusioned people.

Hitler’s strong militarism, homicidal crimes, and the horrors of total war caused by his ambitions eroded public support for him.

Maintaining popular support during a dictatorship is often a tough balancing act.

Propaganda, fear, and psychological warfare can keep them running for a while, but as conditions worsen, public support dwindles.

This underscores a basic paradox: autocrats can rise to power by riding the wave of public feeling, but they inevitably fall out of favor when they lose touch with the needs and wishes of the people.

Mussolini, Hitler, and Napoleon were all removed from office, albeit in very different ways.

Napoleon’s disastrous campaign against Russia and military overstretch accelerated his demise.

Similarly, Hitler made a terrible error of judgment by attacking Russia, violating the conditions of the non-aggression treaty.

This resulted in a war that was ultimately lost on multiple fronts.

It was an unusual situation for Mussolini.

His own Grand Council ousted him, and Italian partisans later executed him.

His reliance on Nazi Germany and military losses revealed his lack of control over Italy’s future, which played a significant role in this predicament.

The collapse of these monarchs can be traced back to their vanity.

They overestimated their opponents, inflated their military superiority, and, most importantly, neglected their people’s will.

Their lofty goals and separation from reality played a significant role in their demise.

What lessons can we learn from history?

Have today’s presidents learned anything from history or the past regarding contemporary events?

Perhaps I see things differently because of my upbringing, because of all the circumstances I’ve encountered in the fifty years since attending military school, because of war, because of economic possibilities, or because it just appears that way to me?

Lessons for the current world – Leadership lessons

Mussolini, Hitler, and Napoleon all achieved power by appealing to public emotions and capitalising on socioeconomic issues.

However, they lost popular support when they began to disrespect their citizens’ needs and wellbeing, ultimately leading to their destruction.

Overzealous ambition played a role in the downfall of these great leaders.

Hitler’s ambition for racial purity and worldwide control, Napoleon’s never-ending military conflicts, and Mussolini’s vision of a new Roman Empire all had disastrous consequences.

Most notably, these dictators shared a common propensity known as hubris, which caused them to overestimate their own powers while underestimating their opponents.

Dictators usually exploit social differences, create fear, and use these characteristics to maintain power.

However, by instilling resentment and opposition, these techniques may sow the seeds of their destruction.

Politicians that promote harmony, tolerance, and social cohesion, on the other hand, are more likely to maintain a consistent level of support.

Ultimately, the fall of Mussolini, Hitler, and Napoleon is a sobering reminder of the hazards associated with unchecked authority, military boldness, and disrespect for popular opinion.

Their experiences show that a foundation of fear, ignorance, and violence is unsuitable for long-term leadership.

Rather, leaders who are sensitive to the needs and aspirations of others can persevere.

Though history does not repeat itself, it does rhyme, and these historical lessons remain applicable in our day and age.

Leadership Lessons

• Those in positions of responsibility should avoid lofty aspirations that can overwhelm and bring them down.
• Practical strategies that blend aspiration and reality often yield superior long-term results.

• To sustain support and trust, leaders must behave in the best interests of their constituents.
• Today’s leaders should prioritize fostering social justice, riches, and peace over conquering new areas to achieve true honor.

• We must maintain self-awareness and humility, own our limitations, learn from mistakes, and be adaptable.

In a few weeks, an amazing event will unfold, testing the limits of age, resilience, and the human spirit. At 51, I plan to return to the boxing ring, not just as a fighter, but as a symbol of steadfast dedication and proof that the unthinkable can be made possible.

This is more than simply a struggle; it represents a lifetime of overcoming hardship, learning from experience, and the unwavering pursuit of personal perfection.

My experience as a warrior and intelligence operator has been anything but routine.

Each punch thrown in the ring carries the weight of lessons I learnt in the most difficult situations imaginable.

I am a man who values the expertise of mentors and teachers in achieving goals over the frequently meaningless advice on what those goals should be.

My comeback to boxing in the master’s amateur category was a deliberate decision, a message that age is only a number when it comes to achieving one’s goals.

For me, boxing is more than just a sport; it is a discipline that requires controlling one’s ego, fighting inner demons, and tackling phobias square on.

It is about demonstrating, not telling, how to win against the odds.

This fight is my canvas, and every action in the ring will be a stroke that conveys my message: that with drive, guidance, and courage, the impossible may become a reality, but not necessarily in the way one expects.

This event is more than just a personal milestone; it is a beacon for everybody who has ever doubted their abilities because of cultural restraints such as age.

It is a call to action for anyone who has put their aspirations on hold for practical reasons or the passage of time.

As we prepare for this remarkable exhibition of daring and ability, let us remember the substance of his message: it is never too late to achieve your ambitions, and the ultimate measure of victory is the fortitude to pursue them.

This fight is more than a match; it’s a story about life, resilience, and the unbreakable human spirit.

The only true boundaries are those we impose on ourselves.

True Cold War story: Because the British did not trust his wife, the most efficient Russian spy was able to depart.

Because British intelligence misinterpreted the intriguing features of his ex-wife’s comments as jealously, they ignored a message that may have revealed one of the most experienced Soviet operatives, Harry Houghton.

Money was wasted

Harry Houghton, who worked in the Royal Navy’s scientific research lab for undersea warfare on the island of Portland, is the focus of this story. Ethel Gee, Hutton’s sweetheart, was also employed at the base as a secretary.

According to Russian Foreign Intelligence Service data, Hutton and Ji delivered over 17,000 sheets of secret documents to Moscow.

There were higher-level orders, outlines of the center’s most important research, specifications of English port defensive systems, and detailed battleship weapon reports.

There were more details about the “Dreadnought” nuclear submarine, sonar stations, and submarine defence systems.

In 1956, Alice Hutton began to have reservations about her marriage. She thought something was wrong in 1952, when Harry dropped a wad of money in front of her and scattered them around the room.

As she gathered the fluttering notes, Alice realised she had £150 in her hands, which is equivalent to almost £6,000 today.

Alice also noticed some brown-wrapped document bundles on her husband’s desk. When she opened one of the documents, she saw a “top secret” stamp.

“You know too much!”

Then Alice noticed a small camera beneath the steps of the house. According to his wife, when Hutton learned about it, he stayed mute and did not respond to her scathing words.

According to the evidence shown thus far, Harry repeatedly beat her and attempted to murder her.

She also claimed that her husband drove her to the Portland Bill rocks and attempted to push her off the cliff on one occasion.

“I have to get rid of you,”

he proclaimed while he was heavily intoxicated.

 “You know far too much.”

Alice attempted to notify Harry’s management about his strange behaviour.

She informed a personnel officer at a military base in 1956 that her husband was distributing critical information to people who should not have it.

Her statement was conveyed to MI5. They covered up the incident in accordance with military installation management’s advice.

They claimed that Hutton had an affair and split from his wife in 1955, before divorcing a year later. The police eventually concluded that Ellis “made the statements under the influence of emotions and out of pure malice.”

“It is not excluded that all these accusations could be nothing more than the reaction of a jealous and embittered woman.”

He was arrested

Harry Hutton was eventually captured. Michal Goljenjewski, a Polish secret service agent who began secret work for the CIA before fleeing to the United States, revealed it.

In April 1960, Goljenjewski stated that communist Poland was seeking a candidate to work in the office of the British naval attaché in Warsaw. When the agent returned to Britain, the Soviet foreign intelligence service established contact with him.

A background check determined that the man was most likely Harry Houghton. He worked at the British embassy in Warsaw, but was recalled before the end of his term due to excessive alcohol consumption.

The MI5 investigation determined that Houghton began working with the Poles in 1951, most likely at his own initiative.

The British Naval Service decided that the sensitive papers provided by Hutton allowed the USSR to build a new generation of submarines. They were significantly less visible on NATO countries’ radars.

For nearly ten years, Hutton collaborated with the Polish and Soviet secret agencies.

The documents also show that the MI5 service acknowledged that “there is a high probability that they could have discovered Hatton four years earlier,” and that they solely listened to his wife’s comments.

MI5 arranged for Hatton to be traced after discovering he was an enemy secret service agent. As a result, the counterintelligence service saw extraordinary success.

Lovers and James Bond

MI5 was successful in exposing not only Hatton and his mistress, Ethel Gee, who was also a spy, but also other members of the “Portland Spy Network,” including an undercover Soviet foreign service agent named Conan Molodog, who lived in England under the alias Gordon Lonsdale.

A wiretap of Lonsdale’s home revealed that he lived the life of James Bond. In England, a Soviet spy became a successful businessman, constantly switching ladies and expensive automobiles.

Lonsdale was caught while carrying a rucksack containing confidential documents from Ethel G. Leontina Cohen, a British surnamer known as Kroger, and Morris, two other members of the “Portland Spy Network,” were also arrested that day.

They enabled Moscow to receive previously gathered classified intelligence.

It turned out that their small home in a remote part of London was full of spy equipment.

A radio transmitter, a microfilm printer and reader, a lighter with a secret compartment, encryption codes, and seven passports were discovered buried in the floor during the search.

The Cohens each earned 20 years in prison, Hatton and Ethel Gee received 15 years, and Maladog-Lonsdale received a 25-year sentence.

The “Portland Spy Network” revelation drastically affected MI5 activities.

The British Secret Service found for the first time that its adversaries were not only KGB officers acting under diplomatic cover, but also people impersonating Western nations.

Covert intelligence personnel assumed false identities, but their genuine documents and histories were seamlessly integrated into American and British culture.

It was very hard to count such agents.

Negotiations with MI-5

Hutton was 56 years old, and Ji was 47 when they were arrested.

Ji’s letters suggest that she still had feelings for Hatton. “My dear Harry” was the first line of every letter she sent him. “The short time I spent with you was the happiest period of my life,” she said in one of the letters.

The duo was under pressure as they served their sentences.

Mail between agents in prison reveals that Houghton even suggested Ji negotiate with the counterintelligence agency in exchange for a reduced sentence.

Ji, on the other hand, responded by labelling the MI5 officials who read their letters as scoundrels and claiming she would not “scrutinise” it.

Hutton even made the decision to meet Ji once. She then gave another admonition to be quiet: “Don’t discuss anything with them.”  Ji reprimanded Harry for being cowardly and inconsistent, stating, “If not, I’ll have to do another sentence.”

This couple’s story has a happy conclusion. Following their release from prison in 1970, they married shortly thereafter.

Following their exchange for British secret agents, Maladoi and the Cohen couple, both Soviet secret service officers, moved to the USSR.

In the end, will love triumph?

It was a vicious circle. The Soviets refused to believe that the Americans were bluffing; in turn, the Americans suspected that the Soviets were bluffing, even if they did not believe the Americans were doing so.

How did a regular military rehearsal come dangerously close to causing a nuclear exchange?

These days, it’s hard to escape seeing at least one piece about war or military drills in the news. And that nothing here is entirely fresh or unknown—we’ll be back around fifty years earlier.

The world was unintentionally on the point of nuclear Armageddon in the fall of 1983.

There was a sudden possibility that the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, which had been more of a tense standoff than actual conflict, may erupt into full-fledged combat.

This imagined disaster was based on a routine NATO military exercise known as Able Archer 83.

However, what was Able Archer 83?

Cold War Tensions

Much of the second half of the twentieth century was determined by the Cold War, a long period of geopolitical warfare between the United States and the Soviet Union. This conflict was marked by political squabbles, economic competition, military alliances, and a dangerous arms race.

The defeat of Nazi Germany enabled the winners to focus their attention on one another as competitors. The United States dropped atomic bombs on Japan in 1945, and the Soviet Union tested nuclear weapons in 1949, initiating the arms race.

By the early 1980s, the Cold War had become increasingly unstable. The 1970s détente, which included some diplomatic cooperation and a reduction in tensions, was followed by a severe downturn in USSR-US relations.

In response to the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, the United States resolved to increase pressure on its Cold War adversary.

Following his inauguration in 1981, US President Ronald Reagan took a harsh stance towards the Soviet Union.

During his president, the military budget was significantly increased, the Strategic Defence Initiative missile defence system was created, and new nuclear intermediate-range missiles (Pershing II and land-based cruise missiles) were deployed in Europe.

Tensions rose in significant part due to the introduction of these new armament systems.

The Soviets were especially concerned about the Pershing II missiles, which could strike sites within the USSR in minutes, perhaps destroying the USSR’s ability to fight in the event of an unexpected invasion.

NATO and the Warsaw Pact, the Soviet Union-led military alliance in Eastern Europe, conducted regular military drills in this volatile environment to prepare for a possible fight.

Able Archer 83: A Military Drill

Between November 7 and 11, 1983, NATO conducted a command exercise known as Able Archer 83.

It was one of several NATO exercises known as Autumn Forge 83, which took place in the autumn of 1983.

The exercise’s purpose was to simulate a period of increasing hostility between the Warsaw Pact and NATO, culminating in a planned nuclear strike.

The exercise, led by the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) at Casteau, Belgium, included all of Western Europe as well as some NATO member states.

The primary players included the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, West Germany, and other NATO countries.

Able Archer 83 is designed to look highly lifelike. It included participation from heads of state, radio silence, and a new, unique architecture for coded communication.

It simulated a nuclear-armed DEFCON 1 scenario, which is the maximum level of preparedness for a potential attack.

The planned exercise involves five stages:

1. Alert
2. Deployment
3. Combat
4. Nuclear war
5. Aftermath

During the drill, NATO soldiers simulated switching from conventional to nuclear battle.

Panic in the Soviet Union

The Soviet Union’s response to Able Archer 83 was based on a deep concern that NATO, led by the United States, would launch a surprise nuclear strike.

Increased hostility in the early 1980s, prompted by Reagan’s belligerent words, and the recent stationing of Pershing II missiles in Europe, capable of reaching Soviet territory in minutes, intensified this concern.

Operation RIaN (Raketno-Jadernoe Napadenie, or “nuclear missile attack”) was a massive intelligence-gathering operation aimed at identifying preparations for a nuclear first strike.

The Soviet leadership was so afraid about a surprise strike that they launched it. Agents stationed worldwide were tasked with keeping an eye on the individuals who would decide to launch a nuclear strike, the military and technical personnel who would carry out the attack, and the areas from which the attack would originate.

Initially, the Soviets believed Able Archer 83 to be a normal drill. However, as the exercise progressed and featured genuine elements such as additional coded messages, radio silence, and a simulated DEFCON 1 crisis, fear among the Soviet intelligence agency grew.

Soviet nuclear forces in East Germany and Poland were prepared for a counterattack, including nuclear-armed planes ready for immediate departure. Soviet military and intelligence organisations were placed on high alert.

It’s disputed to what extent the Soviet Union was on military alert, but the anxiety was palpable.

Nonetheless, despite the concerns, the Soviet leadership remained cautious. They did not want to start a nuclear war due to a misunderstanding.

They were keeping a close eye on things, looking for any new signs of escalation. The Soviet leadership withdrew its soldiers, and the current situation ended when Able Archer 83 was completed on time.

Implications

The Able Archer 83 incident had a considerable impact on Cold War dynamics, impacting both long-term approaches to arms control and war avoidance, as well as immediate military and diplomatic efforts.

Both parties acted quickly to diffuse the situation. The risks of misunderstanding and misinterpretation have risen to the forefront, particularly in the United States.

When it became evident that the Soviet Union feared a NATO first strike, military actions were altered, including the de-escalation of war games.

The episode influenced President Reagan’s language and outlook on the Soviet Union. Reagan also began to emphasise the importance of communicating and negotiating with the Soviet Union.

Able Archer 83’s near miss served as a reminder of the importance of arms control in preventing conflicts from escalating into full-fledged wars.

This paved the way for further negotiations on arms control treaties, culminating in the 1987 signing of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which prohibited the two countries from using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and missile launchers with a 500-ballistic-missile range on land.

The experience served as a harsh reminder of the inherent dangers of the nuclear arms race. This raised the prospect that, even if neither side intended it, misinterpretations and computations could accidently result in nuclear war.

Until the end of the Cold War, this information spurred the superpowers to be more vigilant and communicative.

Declassified Documents

The whole story of Able Archer 83 has slowly emerged, thanks in part to the gradual release of previously classified NATO and Warsaw Pact documents.

According to a British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) report from 1990, the Soviet Union saw the practice as a cover for a real strike. The US government declassified a detailed study on Able Archer in 2015, revealing that the incident was more deadly than previously assumed.

The severity of the Soviet retaliation to Able Archer 83 is a major point of debate.

According to some accounts, nuclear warheads were being loaded aboard aircraft in East Germany and Poland, indicating that the Soviet Union was indeed preparing for nuclear war.

Some argue that, despite their fears, the Soviets responded in a careful and cautious manner rather than panicking.

Instead of a Conclusion

The episode influenced both sides’ policy towards de-escalation and diplomacy, making it a watershed moment in the Cold War.

The experience served as a wake-up call for both countries, emphasising the dangers of misinterpretation and the potential for escalation in a nuclear-armed world.

Have we woken up?

While your eyes are hooked to the TV screen, mobile device, or tablet, and you are enjoying watching content generated by “average Joe turned celebrity from America (list is too long),” individuals you respect are robbing you of your money, dreams, and desires.

You are probably wondering how.

This article is for those of you who are living other people’s dreams by paying their extravagant lifestyles through fraud, lies, and scam.

Let me question you directly: is it preferable to remain anonymous nowadays or well-known, such as influencers?

We were all compelled to live in isolation at some point throughout the pandemic. And, once again, now that we have made everything possible for ourselves and have opened our lives to everyone, both professionally and emotionally, I feel that privacy will become the new luxury.

Are you familiar with Chiara Ferragni? For the past few days, an Italian influencer has dominated the news, and not in a good manner.

But let us proceed in chronological sequence.

Chiara Ferragni: Who exactly is she?

Chiara Ferragni is an Italian blogger, entrepreneur, fashion designer, and model whose website The Blonde Salad has worked with fashion and cosmetics companies.

She methodically crafted her immaculate character as a millennial favourite and fashion and cosmetics symbol over the course of fifteen years. She even had a global modelling contract with the cosmetics company Lancome.

Her personal fortune is estimated to be 19 million euros, she owns three businesses, and she has tens of millions of social media followers.

Chiara Ferragni is a well-known social media specialist in the globe today. Many firms today use it for more than just access to the outside world.

While still living in Milan, she established The Blonde Salad, a personal lifestyle blog that immediately became a “hit place” for all things fashion-related. More than 11 million followers worldwide follow the travels and exploits of the most well-known European influencer with a global following who is enthusiastic about fashion, nine years after she changed her life into a blog with style advice.

Turning a passion into a job

This Cremona law student turned her hobby into a job. As one of Instagram’s most popular users, she epitomises a generation of women who feel that nothing is impossible and use social media to communicate who they are and what they want.

She also launched the Chiara Ferragni Collection e-shop, an online store where she sells her own clothing. Her brand is now a significant component of over 300 retail outlets from Paris to New York.

She celebrated the opening of the first three flagship stores in Milan, Shanghai, and Chengdu in September 2017.

Today, she has over 30 million Instagram followers and has acquired millions of dollars by avoiding privacy at all costs.

She is a board member of the leather goods company Tod’s SpA, in addition to owning her own clothes brand and digital marketing firm.

According to her PR firm, “Chiara Ferragni is one of the most influential figures in the Italian fashion, media, and business world and uses her influence every day to make the world a better place.”

Hubris retaliated

All of that, however, may come crashing down with a single blunder, which Chiara Ferragni is hoping to mitigate with a $1 million donation to protect her dignity.

Ferragni was fined 1 million euros ($1.1 million) last month for falsely claiming on social media that the proceeds from a Pandora Christmas cake bearing her name would benefit a Turin hospital for sick children.

Because the present was paid for in advance prior to the promotion, the sale had no influence on the cost of the gift. Balocco, the company that organised the Christmas cake marketing, was also fined for deceptive business practices.

Ferragni, on the other hand, was allegedly paid a million euros for the effort.

Chiara Ferragni, an Italian, collaborated with the company Balocco to develop a Christmas cake featuring her surname. Even though the cake was just about 3.5 euros, it was sold for nine euros.

The proceeds from the sale were donated to the Regina Margherita Paediatric Hospital in Turin in order to help children with bone cancer.

The cake was scheduled to be auctioned off in November 2022, but according to worldwide media, Chiara won a million euros in a charity initiative, and the cake’s manufacturer donated 50,000 euros to the hospital prior to the auction.

“Chara Ferragni’s management companies, TBS Crew and Fenice, earned over a million euros from that company without having to pay anything to the hospital.”

Fenice was fined 400,000 euros, while TBS Crew was fined 675,000 euros.

According to the Italian Competition Authority, Balocco, which has its headquarters in north-west Italy near Turin, was fined 420,000 euros.

The government said that the three companies were guilty “of applying an unfair commercial practice by advertising Pandora Pink Christmas, designed by Chiara Ferragni, suggesting to consumers that their purchase would contribute to the donation” .

The prosecution initiates the procedure

At the request of the National Agency for the Protection of Market Competition, the Italian State Attorney’s Office filed a complaint against her for preklan fraud and consumer deception.

This was owing to the combined introduction of the popular Christmas delicacy Pandoro into the market by the Italian maker Balocco and Chiara Ferragni, who misled shoppers into believing that a portion of the sales earnings would be donated to charitable causes.

Especially to the research team at the Regina Margherita Special Hospital in Turin, which treats malignant bone diseases.

The market price for comparable products was only 3.7 euros, but the Christmas cake was marketed for a far higher price per slice, 9 euros.

During the investigation, the prosecutor’s office was able to show that the hospital got a one-time donation of 50,000 euros from the firm prior to the product launch, and that no money from the cake’s sales was transferred to the hospital’s account.

As a result, she misled consumers with her marketing plan, in which Chiara Ferragni also participated, for which the influencer and the company were penalised. Balocco was fined 420,000 euros, and Chiara Ferragni and the companies she works with must refund any illegally generated earnings (a total of 1.075 million euros) to the public budget.

Numerous consumer organisations filed lawsuits against her, Coca-Cola cancelled a planned advertising campaign, and Safilo, the world’s second-largest eyewear brand, abandoned her.

Ferragni responded to the start of the fraud investigation by saying she fully believed the judicial system and would help them with their investigations. “I am calm because I have always acted in good faith,” she said.

Ferragni hasn’t posted anything on her Instagram account since making a defensive apology and criticising the sentence on December 18.

This is the longest she has been silent online since she began.

Reaction of Italy’s Prime Minister

Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, also covered everything.

“Influencers who flaunt their expensive cakes, skimpy outfits, flaunt their handbags, or even promise people that they will do good things for a small fee are not true role models.”

The Prime Minister, according to La Repubblica, added, “Those who create, design, and manufacture that Italian excellence are the true role models.”

Ferragni didn’t respond to the insults.

Although Ferragni’s demise can be seen as a single setback for the estimated $250 billion influencer economy, it may also serve as a broader warning of shifting tendencies.

Furthermore, Italy is regarded for being a forerunner in predicting changing zeitgeists in fashion and technology. Apple Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. 2021 received record penalties from the Italian regulator AGCM, which also fined Ferrani, for potential competition violations.

Although the judgement was later overturned by a higher court, it marked the beginning of a movement in public and regulatory opinion challenging digital businesses’ dominance.

An attempt to provide clarification

Ferragni’s carefully cultivated reputation, however, has been tainted by the Pandora controversy and her response that the punishment was harsh considering that she was merely wanting to help others.

When the mask fell off, she assembled a team of spin doctors from scandal-plagued Italian blue chips and a famous Milanese law firm to assist her in dealing with a classic corporate image issue.

According to media for one of Italy’s largest luxury companies, the tendency is also shifting in other areas.

Traditional media is restoring fashion companies’ interest. This means that less money will go to influencers and developing media brands.

Artificial intelligence is also a future concern. LVMH’s Louis Vuitton and Hennes & Mauritz AB are among the companies that have already used virtual and AI influencers such as Noonoouri, Ayayi, and Kuki.

Perhaps Ferragni is starting to see the value in having a little more privacy for herself.

I remember standing in front of the local grocery store from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., then my mother from 2 p.m. to midnight, and then my father from midnight to 7 a.m. the next day in order for my parents to buy one kilo of salt, sugar, and coffee, then waiting again the next day for cooking oil, baking powder, some fruit and vegetables.

It was 1982, during the glory days of communism, and we were taught at school to be self-sufficient since the wicked powers of capitalism would smash us.

Have you noticed an increase in the cost of goods?

There are times when I feel like the costs are changing daily.

Is it influenced by the situation of the global economy?

Naturally, it does.

And where is this economic uncertainty coming from?

From an economic and security sense, the world is more concerned with shipping than with the Gaza War.

The Gaza War poses no real threat to international security or world peace.

This assertion is true, even if it appears cynical, aloof, or even ignorant.

Please do not misunderstand me.

Despite its severity, cruelty, and large number of civilian casualties, the battle in Gaza remains, at most, a confined regional issue, with only two major parties battling mostly inside the Gaza Strip.

Other distant powers with clout in the region, from Iran and the United powers to Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and a reunified Europe, are also treading carefully.

From an economic sense, the Gaza War has had no effect on the world economy.

Yemen’s Houthis, who represent a threat to shipping through the strategically crucial Bab el-Mandeb strait between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean—the world’s third-largest choke point for oil supplies after the Strait of Hormuz and Malacca—could upend the delicate informal balance of interests.

Every day, around six million barrels pass through it, the majority of which are destined for Europe.

However, there are indirect costs as well: increased insurance premiums, crew hazard fees, and other expenses because of shipping attacks.

As a result, while the Houthis’ actions in the Red Sea may raise costs for practically everything, beginning with oil, residents of neutral nations stand to gain nothing from the conflict in Gaza.

But first, let us go back to the Cold War era and look at the Suez Crisis.

The 1956 Suez Crisis, which exposed the shifting power dynamics of the twentieth century, was a watershed moment in post-World War II geopolitics.

The Suez Canal, which connects Europe and Asia by joining the Mediterranean and Red Seas, was at the centre of this conflict.

As a result of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s nationalisation of the canal, Britain, France, and Israel initiated a military intervention.

Their goal was to limit Nasser’s growing dominance in the region while also restoring control of the canal.

Global tensions stemming from the Suez Canal

The Suez Canal grew to prominence as one of the world’s most major waterways once it was completed in 1869, opening up faster economic routes between Europe and Asia.

Because of the canal’s strategic importance, the British were able to gain a majority interest in it in the late 1800s.

With the canal at its heart, the Middle East became a geopolitical hotspot by the middle of the twentieth century, as decolonization winds blew over Asia and Africa.

Things began to change dramatically in the 1950s. Gamal Abdel Nasser came to power in Egypt in 1952 after King Farouk was deposed in a coup led by the Free Officers Movement.

What causes contributed to the Suez crisis?

In the years preceding the Suez crisis, events heightened Middle East tensions and laid the framework for the impending conflict.

Along with his rise to power in Egypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser advocated Arab nationalism and a desire to reduce Western influence in the area.

Israel, a key ally in the region, as well as former colonial powers France and Britain, are growing increasingly dissatisfied with his policies and choices.

Although the Baghdad Pact was founded in 1955 by the United Kingdom, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, and the United States to oppose Soviet hegemony in the Middle East, Nasser saw it as a direct danger to his vision of Arab unification.

In retaliation, Nasser later that year secured an arms arrangement with Czechoslovakia, a Soviet satellite nation.

The West’s belief that Egypt was drawing closer to the Soviet bloc strained relations even further.

Concerns about Egypt’s developing ties with communist countries, as well as Nasser’s Cold War neutrality, led to the withdrawal of financial support from both France and the United Kingdom in July 1956.

This decision significantly harmed Nasser’s reputation as well as Egypt’s feeling of pride. Captured and looking for alternative methods to pay for the dam, Nasser took a gamble.

On July 26, 1956, he declared the Suez Canal nationalised. This decision meant that the Egyptian government would receive 100% of the proceeds from the canal’s operations.

Despite widespread support for the canal, the country’s biggest supporters, Britain and France, were outraged by this conduct.

A crisis has begun

The three countries involved in the sophisticated military operation during the Suez Crisis were Britain, France, and Israel, each with its own goals.

Because the proposal was being developed behind closed doors, the parties met in Sèvres, France, at the end of October 1956 to complete it. On October 29, 1956, Israel launched its invasion of the Sinai Peninsula, pushing fast towards the Suez Canal.

Their official rationale was that they needed to combat fedayeen attacks and address the threat posed by Egyptian soldiers in Sinai.

However, the move was part of a bigger plan agreed upon with France and Britain.

Following the Israeli advance, Britain and France issued an ultimatum to Egypt and Israel on October 30, asking a truce and the evacuation of any forces within 10 miles of the Suez Canal.

The ultimatum was designed to serve as a pretext for their participation because the British and French expected Egyptian rejection.

Egypt, as expected, disregarded the ultimatum, and Britain and France launched an aircraft attack of Egyptian soldiers on October 31st.

Over the next few days, a series of airstrikes targeted critical Egyptian infrastructure, including airports, communication lines, and military bases.

On November 5, French and British paratroopers descended from the sky at crucial places along the canal, including Port Said.

The next day, naval forces joined the attack, and together they began to conquer the northern portion of the canal.

The three powers had hoped for swift and decisive military intervention, but they did not receive it.

Egypt faced stiff military and popular opposition. The Egyptians used a scorched earth technique to disrupt the canal by sinking ships and destroying buildings and bridges.

Outrage all over the world

The international community reacted fast to the Suez crisis, primarily condemning Israel, Britain, and France for intervening. Many individuals argued that the military intervention was a clear attempt by colonial powers to reclaim control of the post-colonial world.

The fact that the preparation was done behind closed doors and the intervention was carried out under false pretences only added to this image.

Despite its reservations about Nasser and his policies, the US was very concerned about the crisis’s broader implications.

The United States was concerned that involvement might heighten Cold War tensions by bringing Arab countries closer to the Soviet Union.

Furthermore, Britain and France’s actions contradicted the narrative that the US intended to present regarding its support for decolonization and self-determination. To secure a resolution, the US exercised tremendous diplomatic and economic pressure, including threats to withhold financial assistance from the United Kingdom.

The Soviet Union criticised the action as well. The Soviets were legitimately concerned about a possible escalation that may lead to direct conflict with the West, even if they also meant to use the situation to strengthen their influence in the Middle East.

The Soviet Union’s prime minister, Nikita Khrushchev, sent stern warnings to the United Kingdom, France, and Israel, and even hinted at acting on Egypt’s behalf.

The United Nations

The United Nations was a key factor in crisis management. During the General Assembly’s emergency session, there was widespread condemnation of the invasion.

As a result, the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) was founded as the first peacekeeping organisation of its kind, with the task of maintaining the truce and ensuring the withdrawal of foreign soldiers from Egypt.

Many countries, both in the West and in newly founded republics in Asia and Africa, condemned the invasion.

Protests erupted in a few cities throughout the world, including London and New York, highlighting global fury at Israel, Britain, and France’s actions.

The end of the Suez Crisis

Britain and France agreed to a cease-fire at the end of November 1956 in response to diplomatic and economic pressure.

The United Nations played an important role in ensuring the conclusion of hostilities and the following departure of foreign forces.

The United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) was despatched to Egypt to supervise the cessation of hostilities and allow the evacuation of Israeli, British, and French forces.

UNEF remained in the Sinai Peninsula until 1967, acting as a barrier between Israeli and Egyptian forces, and it was critical to the region’s continuing stability throughout that time.

The early aftermath of the Suez Crisis had a tremendous influence on the parties immediately involved.

The crisis saw a significant decline in Britain’s and France’s global power.

The widespread condemnation they faced, as well as their failure to achieve their objectives without American assistance, signalling the end of an era in which European nations could alone dictate the laws of international affairs.

Even though Israel enjoyed some military wins, it was diplomatically isolated.

Nonetheless, the episode highlighted Israel’s security concerns from its neighbours, setting the door for additional clashes in the region.

The aftermath of the crisis was both a cause of struggle and a source of victory for Egypt and Nasser.

Nasser became a hero in the Arab world as he opposed colonial powers and maintained control of the Suez Canal.

However, due to the damage and blockages caused by the battle, the canal was closed until April 1957.

Its reopening symbolised Egypt’s tenacity and the country’s independence.

While I would prefer not to say that history repeats itself, we must, without a doubt, learn from it.

What causes disagreements, conflicts, and economic crises affects everyone on the earth.

He expertly severed a soldier’s leg while playing a surgeon, but no one realised who he was until his image emerged in a newspaper article praising his abilities.

In primary school, we were always taught that “history is the teacher of life.” In retrospect, I see how much I missed the point and how little interest I had in history at the time, but that was a long time ago.

Long before social media platforms existed, there were con artists and scammers.

I’ve talked about influencer fraud before, but around the turn of the twentieth century, one of the biggest con artists piqued the public’s curiosity.

Who was Ferdinand Waldo Demara?

In comparison to other superstars that graced magazine covers at the time, Ferdinand Waldo Demara was not well-known as an actor, astronaut, hero, or politician.

His professional background has been somewhat varied.

Among other things, he was a doctor, professor, jail warden, and monk.

Demara was not a genius. In fact, he dropped out of school without a diploma.

He was “The Great Con Artist,” a beguiling bandit who duped others into thinking he was famous.

I grew quite intrigued in Demara as a man while reading and researching for my podcast. In contrast to other con artists and scammers, he did not steal and lie for financial gain.

Demara desired to advance in rank and infamy

Ferdinand Waldo Demara was born in the little town of Lawrence in the American state of Massachusetts in 1921. Early in his life, he pulled off his first con: he didn’t have enough money to buy chocolate at the neighbourhood candy store, so he deceived the clerks into giving the class free chocolates.

Once he’d felt the adrenaline of a successful scam, there was no turning back.

When Monk Demar dropped out of school in 1935, he lacked the required skills to be successful in the groups that attracted him in. He lacked the patience required to get the necessary certifications, but he craved the status of being a priest, professor, or military officer.

And thus, his life of deception began.

Demara ran away from his home in Lawrence, Massachusetts, at the age of 16, claiming to be of the proper age to enter the Trappist monastic order.

When his parents discovered him, they let him stay since they expected him to eventually give up. Demara stayed with the monks long enough to acquire a hood and a habit, but when he was 18, he was forced to leave because his fellow monks thought he had the proper temperament.

Demara then attempted to join the other orders, but again violated the rules. It was also a ruse he employed several times during his career. He even helped to build a religious university on one occasion.

Life in the military and the navy

He joined the army at the age of 19 in 1941. But, as it turned out, the army was not for him either. He was so dissatisfied with military life that he stole a friend’s name and deserted, eventually joining the Navy.

He worked as a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania under a bogus name and without a degree. He also studied law under a false identity.

Demara was granted permission to pursue medical training while serving in the Navy. Despite passing the prerequisite course, his lack of education stopped him from progressing.

Demara then provided his first set of bogus credentials, claiming to have earned the necessary college credits to get admitted to medical school. He was so pleased with his creations that he decided to seek for an officer’s commission rather than medical school.

After his fraudulent documents were discovered, Demara feigned to be dead and escaped once more.

Demara pretended to be dead and left when his fraudulent papers were discovered.

In 1942, Demara assumed the persona of Dr. Robert Linton French, a former navy officer and psychologist. When he worked at the institution, he uncovered French’s information in an old campus brochure that featured French.

Demara was arrested and convicted for desertion while working as a college lecturer under a French name until the end of the war in 1945.

Due to his exceptional behaviour, he only served 18 months of his six-year term, but he returned to his old ways upon release.

Demara changed his name to Cecil Hamann and enrolled at Northeastern University this time. Tired of the effort and time required to complete his legal degree, Demara earned a doctorate and accepted another teaching position at Christian College in Maine as “Dr” Cecil Hamman in the summer of 1950.

A surgeon who does not have a medical degree

His most famous scam, however, took place on a Canadian ship during the Korean War.

He worked as a surgeon on the battleship HMS Cayuga as Dr. Joseph Cyr.

He only knew about medicine from the text of the ship’s other doctor, whom he had forced to write the norms of practice in case he found himself alone on the ship with no other doctor.

He operated on 19 Korean troops who had been struck by gunfire and shrapnel on one occasion.

‘Dr. Joseph Cyr’ became well-known as a result of his exceptional profession, even reaching the genuine dr. Joseph Cyr.

Even after the fraud was exposed, the Canadian Navy refused to charge Demara.

In order to avoid more scandal and public scrutiny, the Canadian government chose to simply deport Demara back to the United States in November 1951.

After returning to America, word of his exploits spread, and Demara sold the tale to Life magazine in 1952. After returning to the United States, he attempts to spend time living under his own name and reforming his habits of behaviour.

Though he enjoyed the celebrity that came with his “The Great con artist” character, he gradually began to dislike living as Demara, “The Great con artist.”

The prison guard

Demara took on a new identity in 1955 when he began working as a guard at the Texas jail in Huntsville. He was eventually granted command of the highest security wing, which housed the most dangerous inmates.

But after a year of labor, one of the prisoners discovered a Life magazine article and handed the jail authorities Demara’s cover image.

After being apprehended in North Haven, Maine in 1957, he was sentenced to six months in jail.

A con artist’s career is coming to an end

He worked as a chaplain at a hospital in Anaheim, California, for his last employer.

He was exposed there too, but because he became close friends with the management and one of the hospital’s owners, he was let to stay.

He worked there until 1980, when he gave the final anointing to well-known actor Steven McQueen.

Ferdinand Waldo Demara had both of his legs amputated after suffering from diabetes-related heart failure two years prior to his death.

Even though Demara had a really interesting life and never really cared about money, which didn’t inspire him to succeed in anything he did, in the end, a con artist is just a con artist.