IRAQ WAR - LOOKING GLASS NEWS | |
Propaganda in Iraq |
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from khilafah.com
Entered into the database on Friday, January 13th, 2006 @ 20:46:27 MST |
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Last months revelation that the US military was planting "good
news" stories in the Iraqi press exposed the sham democracy the US is trying
to establish in Iraq. The Dec 1st article in the Guardian show how desperate
the US has become: "Faced with suicide bombings, claims of Iraqi death squads, and kidnappings,
the Pentagon has come up with an innovative solution to solving the problems
in Iraq: buying good news. Using defence contractors or intermediaries posing
as freelance reporters, the military has been paying Iraqi newspapers to publish
stories written by a military propaganda unit lauding the US mission."
(1) Feeding disinformation to Journalist is something that the US and the British
have mastered over years of colonial ventures into the Muslim lands "In the Dec. 1 issue of Rolling Stone magazine, James Bamford, one of
the nation’s leading intelligence correspondents, exposes how a Pentagon
contractor called the Rendon Group funnelled alarming disinformation about
Iraqi weapons of mass destruction into the news media, both here and abroad.
The story begins with the C.I.A.-funded creation of the Iraqi National Congress
by Rendon more than a decade ago, as a means to destabilize Saddam Hussein’s
regime…... That crass fabrication, as Mr. Bamford explains, was only the beginning of
"a long line of hyped and fraudulent stories that would eventually propel
the U.S. into a war with Iraq—the first war based almost entirely on
a covert propaganda campaign targeting the media." American taxpayers
paid more than $100 million in secret government contracts that resulted in
lies being "blown back" into our news media." (2) Scott Ritter also exposed how the secret service channel disinformation i.e.
lies to the media to generate public opinion - Scott Ritter’s hearing
at the commons: "Scott Ritter told the British parliamentary enquiry into the death
of Dr. David Kelly that he was recruited by MI6 in 1997 to take part in "Operation
Mass Appeal," to contribute to stories about Iraq's alleged weapons programs
that were being planted in newspapers in Poland, India and South Africa so
that this "information" would filter back to media consumers in
Europe and North America'. He also mentions - MI6's Mass Appeal campaign to
"shake up public opinion" using "single source data of dubious
quality, which lacked veracity." "They took this information and peddled it off to the media, internationally
and domestically, allowing inaccurate intelligence data, to appear on the
front pages." "The government, both here in the UK and the US, would feed off these
media reports, continuing the perception that Iraq was a nation ruled by a
leader with an addiction to WMDs."(3) Why are people so shocked about the Propaganda material used by the
US in Iraq. The declassified documents show that the US has been using propaganda
material in the Middle East since the 1950s. In fact the last colonial masters
of Iraq the British used the same tactics to generate favourable public opinion
regarding the British Occupation of Iraq. Iraq "By the direct subsidization of two newspapers, through special programs
on Radio Baghdad, and through partial subsidization of two anti-Communist
editors, anti-Communist information is being placed in public channels."
(4)
(5) It was revealed recently that the US government is using Muslim Scholars and
religious leaders to spread it’s propaganda, this is nothing new they
did this in the 1950s - "certain prominent anti-Communist religious leaders" to distribute
propaganda brochures. (6) Iran In Iran in the 1950’s the US in collaboration with the Iranian regime
used propaganda material to generate public opinion regarding the US policies
in the area. "To "have the program appear to be an Iranian venture" meant
that "the major portion of the program would have to be in the educational
field, developing knowledge of better agricultural and public health methods.
The Iranian Government would reap the public credit for our program while
our benefit would be realized through helping to raise the standard of living
and thereby a certain measure of political and economic stability would be
the result. In addition, the successful penetration of the country on this
level would ultimately provide a sound foundation for the dissemination of
information about the USA and its policies." (7) The U.S. used many different styles to spreads it’s propaganda –
it used displays and poster and it targeted Schools, Shops and Public buildings.
This was executed by the Iranian government - "sponsored by the Iranian Government and . . . planned and executed
by the Iranian Government in cooperation with the Embassy." (8)
Manipulation of News and Media The manipulation of the news to change the way the reality was perceived is nothing new. Quotes from the declassified document below exposes the manipulation of the news to change the way the reality was perceived, to be the policy of the US government since the 1950’s. This circular was written by Secretary of State Dean Acheson:
Also in another meeting, which was looking at ways to exert influence in the Arab world it was recommended -
Other techniques were detailed in an article on US propaganda activities in the Middle East:
The fabrication and lies which the US and British government have been feeding its own people and the international media is not surprising. They want to report that the Iraqis were asking the US to come and liberated and now they have been liberated the want to report that they are grateful for the liberation. The reality is that the US and British had nothing to offer to the Iraqi people, the freedom and Democracy they profess has been exposed to be a lie. They have been feeding this lie for the last 50 years if not more. The true nature of the US and British foreign policy is that it is colonial in nature and this is what they try to disguise and cover in the clothes of freedom and democracy. The reality of Iraq speaks volumes, they invaded the Country and Occupied, then they systemically went about stripping it of its resources. Then they set the united Muslims of Iraq against one another by instigating a false Shia Sunni divide to divert them from the occupation. Facing domestic pressure at home they start their propaganda campaign to pretend Iraq is progressing. (1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1654661,00.html (2) http://www.commondreams.org/views03/1201-13.htm (3) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3227506.stm (4) http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB78/propaganda%2011 8.pdf (5) http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB78/propaganda%2011 9.pdf (6) http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB78/propaganda%2007 6.pdf (7) http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB78/propaganda%2001 6.pdf (8) http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB78/propaganda%2001 6.pdf (9) http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB78/propaganda%2000 3.pdf (10) http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB78/propaganda%2005 8.pdf (11) http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB78/propaganda%2013 0.pdf |