Posted by
Allison on Friday, September 08, 2006 7:46:44 PM
Perception, moreso than reality, shapes our wars. It shapes our willingness to fight. It shapes our enemy's response. Like performance art, the interaction of our viewing of the war changes the experience for us and those around us. Our reactions are part of the battlefield.
Given that, to what extent is the media culpable for our current foreign policy fiasco in Iran and North Korea? What is their and our responsbility? The more Iraq is portrayed as a loss, a tragedy, a quagmire, the more likely we are to lose. The more we portray our efforts as futile, the fewer options left at the negotiation table with Iran and North Korea. The more we show that a superpower is being beaten, the more the world will deny we are a superpower at all. We know this; we even rail against it, shouting that a country at war should behave in a united fashion. But really, what does the press owe the nation?
more to be continued...