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Pentagon advisory panel: US alienating world's Muslims
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| Superstar |
The US is losing "the war of ideas" in the Islamic world, a Pentagon advisory panel has warned.
A report by the Defence Science Board says America's public talks of bringing democracy to Muslim nations is seen as "self-serving hypocrisy".
It says if the US wants Muslims to move towards its understanding of tolerance, it must reassure them this does not mean submitting to "the American way".
The report urges Washington to change its approach urgently.
However, it says that improving public relations is not enough.
"Muslims do not hate our freedom, but rather they hate our policies," the report says.
"The overwhelming majority voice their objections to what they see as one-sided support in favour of Israel and against Palestinian rights, and the long-standing, even increasing, support for what Muslims collectively see as tyrannies, most notably Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan and the Gulf states.
"Thus, when American public diplomacy talks about bringing democracy to Islamic societies, this is seen as no more than self-serving hypocrisy," the report says.
It adds that the US-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq has actually raised the stature of radical enemies of America.
"US actions appear... to be motivated by ulterior motives, and deliberately controlled in order to best serve American national interests at the expense of truly Muslim self-determination," the report says.
'Information campaign'
It describes US public diplomacy as being in crisis and urges the creation of a strategic communications apparatus within the White House.
"The information campaign - or as some still would have it, 'the war of ideas' or the struggle for 'hearts and minds' - is important to every war effort," the report says, referring to the US-led war on terror.
The BBC's Nick Childs at the Pentagon says the report may not be official policy, but it does highlight many concerns in official circles in Washington about how the US government can communicate its messages abroad.
The Defence Science Board is made of civilian experts appointed by the Pentagon, and offers the department advice on scientific, technical and other issues.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4040543.stm |
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| Kzwei |
Thank you, Defense Science Board. heres more
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Terror war seen hurting U.S. in Muslim world
Radicals gain new stature, Pentagon advisory panel saysThe Associated Press
Updated: 3:38 p.m. ET Nov. 24, 2004WASHINGTON - The U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq have created a shared anti-American cause among otherwise-divided Muslim extremists and raised the stature of the radicals in the eyes of ordinary Muslims, a Pentagon advisory panel says.
The report by the Defense Science Board concludes that the government must urgently change its approach to understanding and communicating with the Muslim world. It says U.S. public diplomacy is in crisis, and neither the White House nor Congress has done enough to fix it.
At the root of the problem, the report says, is a fundamental misunderstanding of why many Muslims are hostile toward the United States. They �hate our policies,� not our freedom, it said.
�Pervasive atmosphere of hostility�
The report cites a �pervasive atmosphere of hostility� toward the American government that has intensified since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the U.S. responses to them.
�The dramatic narrative since 9/11 has essentially borne out the entire radical Islamist bill of particulars� against the United States, the report said. �American actions and the flow of events have elevated the authority of the Jihadi insurgents and tended to ratify their legitimacy among Muslims.�
The report, first disclosed by the New York Times in its Wednesday editions, is available on the Pentagon�s Web site. It is among a series of reports produced last summer by the board, a group of nongovernment experts who advise the secretary of defense on a range of issues.
Among the board�s recommendations is that the government reorganize its strategic communications efforts so policy makers can improve their understanding of global public opinion and communicate U.S. policy decisions and actions more effectively to the rest of the world.
�To win a global battle of ideas, a global strategy for communicating those ideas is essential,� the board�s chairman, William Schneider, Jr., wrote in a memo introducing the report.
Rumsfeld spokesman welcomes report
Bryan Whitman, a spokesman for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, said Wednesday the report will �stimulate debate and add to the existing body of ideas� about how the Defense Department communicates.
�While there have been no decisions regarding the recommendations, the Pentagon will not deviate from its guiding principle of making information available in a timely and accurate manner,� he said.
The problem, as described by the report, is not so much the availability of information as a failure generally to understand how people in other parts of the world, particularly Arabs, perceive U.S. policies and actions.
�In the eyes of Muslims, American occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq has not led to democracy there, but only more chaos and suffering,� it said. �U.S. actions appear, in contrast, to be motivated by ulterior motives and deliberately controlled in order to best serve American national interests at the expense of truly Muslim self-determination.�
Saudi Arabia cited as example
The report cited as an example Saudi Arabia, a longtime U.S. ally and birthplace of Osama bin Laden. A large majority of Saudis believe the United States is trying to weaken Islam, the report said.
�In other words, Americans have become the enemy,� it said. �It is noteworthy that opinion is (strongest) against America in precisely those places ruled by what Muslims call �apostates� and tyrants � the tyrants we support. This should give us pause.�
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aha so much for being safer from TERROR:rolleyes:
hopefully good changes will come of this report so as we can help avoid another Iraq
Report Link |
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| ShadoWolf |
| Muslims are alienating me by their actions. |
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| TheVrk |
| to me, its obvious the US is alienating them.... |
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| josh4 |
| sometimes I feel like TA tries to alienate me :( |
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| GODLESSCOMMIE |
| What just a minute here! You mean they don't like being bombed, or shot?, or being threatened? OR being stacked into human pyramids?.... Nah your just pulling my leg, teh towel heads love it! (deep down they miss the crusades badly) |
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| hardcore trancer |
| quote: | Originally posted by GODLESSCOMMIE
What just a minute here! You mean they don't like being bombed, or shot?, or being threatened? OR being stacked into human pyramids?.... Nah your just pulling my leg, teh towel heads love it! (deep down they miss the crusades badly) |
in stupid American right there :rolleyes: |
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| occrider |
| quote: | Originally posted by hardcore trancer
in stupid American right there :rolleyes: |
sarcasm ... |
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| Q5echo |
| quote: | Originally posted by hardcore trancer
in stupid American right there :rolleyes: |
yeah that one just WHOOOOSHHH right over your head |
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| DJ Tom |
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| erdega |
previous clinton adminstration tried to please muslims in middle east by actively supporting terrorist campaigns of so called muslims in the balkans against the serbs and in russia against russians but this administration is very different in it's approach as it deals with middle east exclusively as the source of much of worlds problems. Unfortunatelly results haven't been positive for bush administration as it got unnecessarly involved in iraqi quagmire. Pictures like this don't help either.
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