[iwar] [fc:WSJ.Europe.-.The.Art.of.War]

From: Fred Cohen (fc@all.net)
Date: 2001-10-16 06:52:53

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From: Fred Cohen <fc@all.net>
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Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001 06:52:53 -0700 (PDT)
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Subject: [iwar] [fc:WSJ.Europe.-.The.Art.of.War]
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Wall Street Journal Europe
October 16, 2001
The Art Of War
Since the U.S. bombing campaign started in Afghanistan, a second front has
opened within the hearts and minds of the Islamic world. The exchanges of
words across the ether are now as critical as exchanges of artillery fire on
the ground in Afghanistan. And if the early skirmishes are any indication,
it will be fascinating to watch the world's most information-saturated
democracy and a theocratic regime that outlawed television waging propaganda
war.
Some have already made much of the challenges facing the U.S. in getting its
message out in the Muslim world. Skepticism greeted news last week that
George W. Bush was considering a broadcast on the Qatar-based Al Jazeera.
And it may well be that the enmity toward the U.S. is strong enough in the
Muslim world that direct appearances by George Bush or Tony Blair will do
little good. But the U.S. doesn't necessarily have to win the information
war in the Arab world, bin Laden seems to be doing a fine job losing it
without any help.
Despite concerns about the U.S. stations broadcasting bin Laden's taped
statements for fear they might include messages to his followers, the
terrorist mastermind's appearances so far have actually done much good by
revealing the failure of his message. That's because the jihad he tried to
stir in Muslim countries across the Middle East and South Asia has failed to
materialize. Relatively small numbers of people have turned out on the
streets to burn effigies, but the broader society hasn't rallied behind the
cause.
So the U.S. cause isn't hurt by the video images of rioting radicals
enjoying their moment in the sun. For moderate Muslims, evidence that only
the radical few who have long threatened their way of life are leading the
bin Laden charge is a cue to dig in and wait for the fury to die down.
Meanwhile, Bin Laden's speech even derailed the natural propaganda working
for him in the Muslim world: conspiracy theories implicating the Israeli
Mossad and others were also squashed when he all but took responsibility for
the attacks.
Of course, the propagandizing of al Qaeda and the Taliban isn't exclusively
targeted at Muslims. Known for mass executions and oppression of women, the
Taliban has of late been lamenting the tragic loss of civilian life during
the missile attacks. Taliban spokesmen have even learned the lingo developed
in recent years by Europeans and others who criticize the U.S., calling it a
"global bully."
But many overt efforts by the Arab world to use the Western media to further
their propaganda campaign in the Arab world are failing as well. Last week,
the story of an Afghan teenager who claimed to have lost a leg in a U.S.
missile attack was picked up by numerous news agencies. Unicef even used a
picture of the 16-year old as part of a solicitation for donations to help
Afghan children. Only there was one problem: the whole thing was a hoax. The
boy later admitted he lost his foot in a landmine explosion.
The control of information in this war is different from any in the past.
During the Gulf War, the U.S.'s most recent full-scale mobilization, the
Internet was still at a primitive stage. This propaganda war will be fought
on many fronts -- from airdropped leaflets to edited videos. But in the end,
the old rules will apply. As Hubert Humphrey once put it, "Propaganda, to be
effective, must be believed. To be believed, it must be credible. To be
credible, it must be true."

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