False Flags: From Pirates in the 1720s to Modern Warfare by British Council

英倫聚焦

False Flags: From Pirates in the 1720s to Modern Warfare 假旗行動：從18世紀海盜到現代戰爭撰文及考題設計 British Council 英協教育中心Brian Welter 中譯陳怡君（中央社編譯）

景上有白色骷顱頭的「骷顱旗」，有時骷顱頭下交

irates were criminals at sea who tried to

叉的不是骨頭而是兩把劍。海盜旗的各種差異，

take over other ships to steal whatever they

是為了對其他海盜船標誌來者何人。海盜旗在1720

could and kill whoever tried to fight back. They

年代尤受歡迎，但是海盜真的會升起標識自己是

sometimes f lew a f lag identifying themselves as

壞蛋的旗子嗎？為什麼他們會想要昭告眾人他們

pirates. The famous pirate flag, generally a white

是惡棍？至少有些時候，他們會掛一個和平國家

skull and crossbones with a black background, was

的國旗來隱藏真實身分，這麼做是希望避免驚動

called the Jolly Roger. Sometimes the flag had two

海盜船航行所經過的船隻。當海盜船靠得夠近的

crossed swords instead of the bones. Variations in

時候，就能對毫無準備的受害者發動奇襲，取得有

the Jolly Roger signaled who the pirates were to

利優勢。不只海盜會這麼做，一個國家的海軍有時

other pirate ships. The Jolly Roger was particularly

候也會基於同樣理由掛假旗。

popular in the 1720s. But did pirates really fly a flag

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that identified them as bad guys? Why would they

The term “false flag” thus came to mean “hiding

have wanted to tell everyone they were villains? At

one's real identity” or “hiding who really did

least sometimes they would hide their true identities

something.” Nowadays, “false flag” often refers to

by flying the flag of a peaceful country. They did

a political situation, but with the same idea of disin-

this so as to avoid alarming any boats or ships they

formation. It is no longer pirates at sea who use dis-

passed. When they got close enough, the ship could

information, but governments. How do governments

launch a surprise attack on the unprepared victim,

carry out false f lag events? When a government

thus gaining a strong advantage. Not only pirates

attacks another country, it may try to hide its re-

did this. A national navy would sometimes f ly a

sponsibility. It may try to make it look like another

false flag for the same reason.

country or group did it, creating the illusion that the

海盜是海上罪犯，企圖占領其他船隻竊取物品

real attacker looks innocent. It can then claim to be

與殺害任何反抗者，他們有時會掛上表明自己是

“helping” the situation by sending in its soldiers,

海盜的旗幟。著名的海盜旗，一般來說是黑色背

which it had planned to do long before the violence.

全球中央雜誌 2017.02

本文由BRITISH COUNCIL–全球最值得信賴的英語教學機構–提供，網址：www.britishcouncil.org.tw

海盜真的會升起標識自己是壞蛋的旗子嗎？圖為2013年3月4日德國紐倫堡一名公職人員在抗議事件中，舉著一幅海盜旗。

「假旗」這個詞彙指的是「隱藏某人真實身

better than their enemy so that their citizens will

分」或是「隱瞞所做過的事情」。時至今日，「假

support its actions. Such a government may carry

旗」通常指的是一種政治情勢，和刻意傳播不實

out a false flag event to make it look as if the other

資訊的概念相同，不過利用假資訊的不是海盜而

country attacked first. In 1939, it was reported

是一國政府。一國政府如何執行假旗事件？當一

that Hitler had German soldiers set off bombs in

國出兵他國，可能會企圖規避責任，想要看起來

German territory near the Polish border. He then

比較像是其他國家、或是其他組織所為。真正的

blamed it on the Polish army, who were “attacking”

攻擊者貌似無辜，接著就可以宣稱藉由派兵「協

Germany. This gained Hitler the support of the

助」改善情勢，然而事實上，早在暴力發生以前就

German citizens when he invaded Poland.

已有出兵計畫。

假旗事件也容易引起民眾憤慨。如果一國有意

發動戰爭，會希望自己看起來不像是要為暴力負責

False f lags are also great at getting people

的一方。政府希望在道德上比敵人站得住腳，才能

angry. If a government wants to start a war, it does

獲得人民支持行動，因此政府就會執行假旗行動

not want to appear as the one responsible for the

好讓情勢看起來是其他國家先發動攻擊。1939年，

violence. Governments want to appear morally

希特勒據傳讓德軍在鄰近波蘭邊界的德國領土引

CNA NEWSWORLD

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英倫聚焦

燃炸彈，隨後怪罪波蘭軍隊「攻擊」德國，這讓希

美國政府是否默許了911事件發生，以累積足夠民

特勒在入侵波蘭時獲得德國人民支持。

怨出兵阿富汗？就連羅馬帝國也有一段史事令人

困惑：公元64年著名的羅馬古城大火事件是否出

What's the most important thing about false ﬂags?

自羅馬皇帝尼祿之手，以接管羅馬城土地來建造

We really never know if an event that makes people

新宮殿？即使要為大火負責的人不是尼祿，但他

war-hungry is actually disinformation. Did the U.S.

將結果嫁禍給基督徒，讓民眾的怒氣轉移到基督

government, for example, know about Japan's attack

徒、使得許多基督徒慘遭殺害。

on Pearl Harbor, and let it happen anyway, so that Americans would support war? Did the American

Hund reds of years ago, land was the most

government allow 9-11 to happen so that people

important thing to own. Rulers tried to expand

would get angry enough to attack Afghanistan?

the lands they governed. In the industrial age, the

Even Roman history is confusing. Did the emperor

wealthiest people owned factories. Governments

Nero start the famous fire of Rome in the year 64

worked with factory owners to build railroads,

AD so that he could take over city land to construct

highways, and factories. More recently, people who

new buildings? Even if he wasn't responsible, he

knew the secrets of ﬁnance grew rich. Governments

wound up blaming Christians. The citizens got

tried to control things through money and banking.

angry at the Christians – and killed many – instead

In the current age, the internet age, information is

of getting angry at Nero.

king. Powerful governments ﬁght information wars

對於假旗事件最重要的事情是什麼？我們確

against each other. They also run disinformation

實永遠不會知道，讓民心向戰的事件是否為假資

campaigns inside their own country. False f lag

訊。舉例來說，美國政府是否早知道日本會偷襲

events are powerful ways to inf luence political

珍珠港，因此就讓它發生、好讓美國人支持參戰？

events, as long as people reading the news don't question what they are reading. So where will the next false ﬂag event take place? Watch the news and ﬁnd out! 在幾百年前，土地是最重要持有的資源，統治者企圖擴張領土。在工業時代，最富有的階層擁有工廠，政府和工廠老闆合作來建造鐵路、公路和廠房。到了近代，了解金融祕辛的民眾致富，政府企圖透過金錢與銀行業來控制事物。於今這個網路世代，資訊為王，有權力的政府互打資訊戰，也會在自己國內打不實資訊的宣傳戰。只要看新聞的民眾不曾質疑他們所接收的新聞，假旗事件就會

日本偷襲珍珠港，導致美國加入第二次世界大戰，是否是「假旗事件」？可能永遠也無法得知。圖為美國夏威夷珍珠港的亞歷桑納號紀念館。

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全球中央雜誌 2017.02

是影響政治事件的有力方式。下一場假旗事件會在那裡發生？看新聞去了解看看！

本文由BRITISH COUNCIL–全球最值得信賴的英語教學機構–提供，網址：www.britishcouncil.org.tw

Key Words skull and crossbone 骷顱畫（由骷顱頭與交叉的大腿骨組成） – a skull is the bones of the head; the two crossbones are long leg bones crossed in the shape of an X. variations in 差異 – diﬀerences in

morally 符合道德地 – to behave good or right construct 建造 – build wind up 結果是 – end up the industrial age 工業時代 – the time when factories and railroads were built

villains 惡棍 – bad guys launch 展開 – tart, do navy 海軍 – the ship-based branch of the military disinformation 惡意傳播的不實資訊 – information

雅思考試粉絲團： www.facebook.com/ielts.testcentre

or news that is deliberately wrong

finance 金融 – money-management, especially by banks

雅思考試模擬試題 IELTS questions

I. What would be the best heading for each paragraph? Paragraph Paragraph 1 ___ Paragraph 2 ___ Paragraph 3 ___ Paragraph 4 ___ Paragraph 5 ___

Paragraph Heading a. War b. Different Kinds of Pirate Flags c. In the Age of Big Data d. Famous Events – False Flags? e. False Flags at Sea f. Hiding the Truth g. Financing False Flags

II.True, False, Not Given: Write • True if the statement is true according to the reading, • False if the statement is not true according to the reading, • Not Given if the statement's information cannot be found in the reading. 6. Pirates used false flags against other countries' navies. 7. Pirates who wanted to surprise their enemy would not fly the Jolly Roger. 8. Nowadays, false flags are easy to prove. 9. Christians were responsible for the fire in Rome in 64 AD. 10. Hitler used a false flag event to support his attack on Poland. Answers:1.e CNA NEWSWORLD

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2.f

3.a

4.d

5.c

6.NG

7.T

8.F

9.NG

10.T