Post ombudsman Michael Getler, in his weekly column, reviews a report from a Pentagon advisory board. Entitled "Strategic Communications," it deals with the image aspect of the war on terror and the Iraq war. Here are some of its findings, according to Getler:
"American direct intervention in the Muslim World has paradoxically elevated the stature of and support for radical Islamists, while diminishing support for the U.S. to single-digits in some Arab societies." (direct quote from report)
"Muslims do not 'hate our freedom,' but rather, they hate our policies. The overwhelming majority voice their objections to what they see as one-sided support in favor of Israel and against Palestinian rights, and the longstanding, even increasing support for what Muslims collectively see as tyrannies, most notably Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan, and the Gulf states." (direct quote from report)
"Since Sept. 11, 2001, 'American actions and the flow of events have elevated the authority of the Jihadi insurgents and tended to ratify their legitimacy among Muslims. What was a marginal network,' the report said, is now a community-wide 'movement of fighting groups.' "
"The critical problem for American public diplomacy, the section concludes, is 'a fundamental problem of credibility. Simply, there is none -- the United States today is without a working channel of communication to the world of Muslims and of Islam.' "
Let me get this straight - we needed a Pentagon report to figure this out? Isn't this what the left has been saying since before the Iraq war?
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2 comments:
I'd like to point out that the libretarians have been pretty much repeating the conclusion of this report for the last two decades.
"Libretarians"? Is that political theorists whose sign happens to be Libre?
- Ben
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