Money has been spent by the U.S. military and contractors on billboards, pamphlets, TV and radio airtime, and the publication of a newspaper, Baghdad Now, to improve the image of American soldiers, marginalize extremists, promote democracy and foster reconciliation. Baghdad Now, printed in Arabic, consistently portrays Iraq as a country on the rebound, where Iraqi soldiers and policemen are proud of their jobs and the local government takes care of its people. The publication seemingly has everything in it, even fashion pages discussing the latest trends from around the Middle East. The only thing the paper doesn’t have is stories about the 130,000 American troops in the country.

 

Ziyad al-Aajeely, director of Iraq’s nonprofit Journalistic Freedom Observatory, told the Washington Post that the millions spent on printing Baghdad Now is “wasted money,” adding, “Nobody reads this.”

 

As’ad AbuKhalil, a political science professor at California State University, Stanislaus, and author of the Angry Arab blog, said the PR campaigns are ridiculed in the Arab world. “They have a very crude tone and content, and the narrator sounds like Saddam’s own propagandist. The Arabic used also is awkward, clearly translated from English texts most likely drafted in some office on K Street.”

 

Although launched by the Bush administration, President Barack Obama’s team may keep the propaganda campaign going. Richard Holbrooke, special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, told Congress the current administration is working on its own strategic communications plan that will supposedly learn from past mistakes. He also indicated that the U.S. may spend even more money on PR efforts. “This is an area that has been woefully under-resourced,” Holbrooke told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last month.

-Noel Brinlerhoff

 

A High-Priced Media Campaign That Iraqis Aren't Buying (by Ernesto Londoño, Washington Post)