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August 25, 2006
Hizbullah Did Not Win
The way much of the Western media tells the story, Hezbollah won a great victory against Israel and the U.S., healed the Sunni-Shiite rift, and boosted the Iranian mullahs' claim to leadership of the Muslim world. Portraits of Hassan Nasrallah, the junior mullah who leads the Lebanese branch of this pan-Shiite movement, have adorned magazine covers in the West, hammering in the message that this child of the Khomeinist revolution is the new hero of the mythical "Arab Street."
Probably because he watches a lot of CNN, Iran's "Supreme Guide," Ali Khamenei, also believes in "a divine victory." Last week he asked 205 members of his Islamic Majlis to send Mr. Nasrallah a message, congratulating him for his "wise and far-sighted leadership of the Ummah that produced the great victory in Lebanon."
By controlling the flow of information from Lebanon throughout the conflict, and help from all those who disagree with U.S. policies for different reasons, Hezbollah may have won the information war in the West. In Lebanon, the Middle East and the broader Muslim space, however, the picture is rather different.
To read the rest of Amir Taheri's essay, please click here.
Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Elliot Ganz
Posted by Robert J. Avrech at August 25, 2006 09:45 AM
Comments
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This story, and the one preceding it (about the Red Cross hoax), tells me that Israel is not winning, perhaps not even waging, an effective information campaign.
There are three types of propaganda: black, where the source is deliberatley misrepresented as something else (false reports); gray, where the source is not provided; and white, where the source is properly identified. Israel seems to have only used white propaganda--official communiques.
Perhaps the task is impossible, but it is time for some of the best of the IDF to be pulled from their usual specialties and start thinking how to best represent Israel's side, using all assets available and developing assets not currently in the arsenal. Call it an ad campaign if you must, but don't neglect it.
The news media is mere entertainment and editorial commentary now--they are no longer competent to objectively report news. The blogosphere lacks significant influence (and has more than its share of bad apples itself). This can no longer be left to chance.
Certainly, many people on both sides have made up their minds, and probably can't be pulled away from their opinions. But what about the simpletons who haven't figured out their presidential vote three weeks before the election? We see countless news stories about these "undecided" voters every other October. Where their opinion can be counted, Israel should be spending some effort trying to influence it.
Start planning now. There may not be much time before the next round.
Virgil
Posted by: MAJ Virgil Hilts at August 25, 2006 11:02 AM