Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Video Hits: WashingtonPost.com has a powerful video on how Al Qaeda is using the Internet for propaganda purposes, showing videos of attacks on U.S. and other coalition military targets. Be warned, the video shows actual footage of troops being attacked by roadside bombs. These are the images the terrorists are broadcasting to other Muslims to glorify their successes.

It seems the video-element of each attack is as critical as the attack itself. Without promotion of the death and destruction, the attacks lose value to the terrorists, because few people would know about them. Replaying an attack continuously makes the event more powerful. It inflicts fear in others and, I suppose, helps recruit other terrorists.

This is what our enemy is doing. Yet when the United States engages in wartime propaganda, our media ridicules us.

The Washington Post had previously published an article claiming that the U.S. military had exaggerated Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's role in Iraq in order to drive a wedge between Iraqis and this foreign-born Al Qaeda terrorist. The lead paragraph states this is meant to somehow tie the invasion of Iraq to the 9/11 attacks, but nothing else in the story supports that statement.

In reality, there's nothing to exaggerate. Zarqawi has led a deadly terrorist assault on Americans, Iraqis, and other coalition forces. He works with Osama Bin Laden, often communicating directly with him (usually crying for help). And the U.S. military has put a $25-million price on his head. No amount of propaganda could make the man seem worse than he is in real life.

Not only that, but Powerline notes that many Iraqis have grown tired of Zarqawi's troublemaking and have attacked his terrorist group and have provided information on terrorist activities. Nurturing Iraqi anger against someone who wishes them harm makes perfect sense.

The propaganda is aimed at Iraqis and others in the Middle East, not Americans. Yet American publications treat our propaganda like it is some sort of a scandal. It's not. It is perfectly legitimate. It has worked throughout history, and it can work again. Our enemies know this, why don't we?

Let's show some more of that Zarqawi blooper reel.