Xinhua
24 Mar 2023, 05:44 GMT+10
CAIRO, March 23 (Xinhua) -- U.S. military invasion of Iraq 20 years ago was largely framed in news media to meet strategic objectives, and the skewed media narratives continue to hide many truths, said an opinion piece published on the website of Al Jazeera on Monday.
In the article titled "How U.S. propaganda won Iraq's 'battlespace'," the columnists said the United States has utilized information operations as tools of wars since World War I.
During the U.S. invasion of Iraq, in addition to "dressing up battlefield events in polite language," the U.S. propaganda also "invented targets and set operational objectives."
The U.S. mission in Iraq defined victory as "the winning of Iraqi and American hearts and minds," and the media was enlisted as a force multiplier in the exercise of soft power, it said.
"Perception management" became a strategic priority for the U.S., which involved "carefully crafted press conferences and press releases as well as the selective leaking of information," and journalists within military units "helped control the perspective from which Americans viewed the conflict, with the experiences of U.S. soldiers foregrounded and those of Iraqis relegated to the background," it added.
U.S. information operations "exaggerated the threat of enemies or even invented one altogether," it noted, adding few Americans are aware of how many Iraqi civilians were killed alongside the so-called insurgents, most of whom saw themselves as defending their homeland from an aggressive invasion and occupation.
The success of U.S. propaganda on the Iraqi war is reflected in Americans' attitudes about the invasion. The fact that the war was illegal under international law "drew little comment in the mainstream press," and the violation of Iraqi sovereignty, as well as numerous war crimes committed there, "were simply filtered out of media coverage and political discourse," said the opinion piece.
Ultimately, the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq proved calamitous for Iraqis, with over a million civilians killed. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of American soldiers were also deceived into fighting an unjust war, and 4,500 paid with their lives, it said.
However, till now, 20 years after the war, no politicians or military planners have been held to account, it stressed.
Get a daily dose of Middle East Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Middle East Star.
More InformationDUBLIN, Ireland: Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said that Intel's new factory in Co Kildare will play a "strategic" role in ...
LONDON, UK: This week, the Global Financial Centers index showed that New York remains the world's leading financial center, with ...
LONDON, UK: This week, Adidas' newest running shoes, the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1, went on sale for US$500. Worn ...
© Provided by Xinhua The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement has been a key driving force for the kingdom's export ...
ABUJA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Sunday pledged to oversee a thorough housecleaning of the country's ...
BANGKOK, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's business sentiment improved in September due to increased confidence in the manufacturing sector, while ...
JAKARTA, Indonesia - According to Asian diplomats and the Philippines' president, Southeast Asian leaders have decided that Myanmar will not ...
NEW LONDON, Connecticut: Video footage taken deep in the Pacific Ocean provided the first detailed view of three World War ...
CUSTER STATE PARK, South Dakota: As part of an annual effort to maintain the health of the species, which has ...
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan: Uzbek authorities said a powerful explosion on September 28 at a warehouse near Tashkent's airport killed one person ...
TALLAHASSEE, Florida: The Florida Lottery said this week that the second-largest lottery winner in U.S. history has come forward to ...
LONDON, UK: This week, the Global Financial Centers index showed that New York remains the world's leading financial center, with ...