Using the Media in the Proper Cultural Context to Win Iraqi and US Hearts and Minds in Support of Operation Iraqi Freedom

摘要

Media sources (newspapers, magazines, television programs, radio broadcasts, etc.) are not capable on their own of winning the hearts and minds of a population. The media is simply a tool that delivers heart-changing and mind-changing ideals (such as the greatness of democracy and respect for minority rights) and information (such as the positive results of the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq). This paper presents the author's tool for analyzing the process of communication between the media and populations. When communicating, there is a messenger (the U.S. Government (USG) or U.S. military), a message or idea (the goodness of democracy or the success of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)), and a receiver (the Iraqi or U.S. population). The message is delivered by a conduit (the media) and is filtered through a cultural context as it travels to the receiver. The cultural context of Iraq needs to be taken into account when using the media to advance ideals and information that will make success more likely for U.S. and coalition forces. The USG and the military must use the media to combat the poisonous ideals being communicated by insurgents in Iraq who use terrorist tactics against coalition forces and noncombatant civilians. By understanding the cultural context that the insurgents manipulate to garner support in Iraq, the USG and the military will be able to use the media to win the hearts of the Iraqi people. There are two groups of hearts and minds who the USG aims to win to affect the success of OIF: those of the Iraqi people and those of the American people. The primary role of U.S. military commanders in Iraq should be to use the media to directly win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people. The secondary role of commanders is to provide objective information about OIF to the USG and the American people while depending on the political branches of the government to use that information to win the hearts and minds of the American people.