The US Can’t Win
The PR war that is. The stories before the war about Shock and Awe collectively made the world stop and think Damn! I still think Shock and Awe was mere propaganda to scare the bejesus (beallah?) out of the Iraqis. The press had said initially Shock and Awe began, but did it really? The answer is no. I don’t think anything we’ve seen is of the magnitude that Shock and Awe would have been. If the US went into Shock and Awe mode on day one, what would be happening now? Here’s my speculation:
· The war would have likely ended after only a couple of days with a little bit of cleanup guerilla fighting and occupation.
· There would have been massive civilian casualties and collateral damage.
· There would be no infrastructure left in Baghdad after it was done and the remaining people would have suffered.
· The world would be calling the US brutal murderers.
The US military has been doing some rather unconventional things in this war. They’re not bulldozing bunkers (which is effective but results in massive casualties). They’re not bombing the hell out of everything, they’re surgically using missiles.. They’re letting Iraqi media stay on the air (because the towers are on top of a hospital, according to a talking head on FoxNews). They’re leaving the infrastructue in place for future use. So the US is taking steps to make this a kinder, gentler war. The result? The world news apparatus is still accusing us of brutality. It’s to be expected.
Since we’re not using Shock and Awe, the results will likely be:
· A longer, more drawn out war.
· A longer period of US occupation (thus further infuriating fanatics).
· More US and coalition casualties.
· The world would be calling the US brutal murderers (but this is to be expected).
Regardless of the more humanitarian tactics used, one factor won’t change. The world media will not be kind to the US.
