How about some non-US spin on General Petraeus leaving Iraq? Ajazeera is a good place to start. Here’s a video discussed by Juan Cole this morning. Instead of the happy talk of victory that the US media would spin, Juan Cole quotes a more realistic statement by Gen. Petraeus himself:
‘ In a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Sunday, Petraeus said experience in Iraq shows it will take political and economic progress as well as military action to tackle increased violence in Afghanistan. “You don’t kill or capture your way out of an industrial strength insurgency,” he said.’
Click on the YouTube and watch the heavies! There’s quite a bunch there. Also, what sounds to Juan Cole (and me) like realistic reporting. Worth a three minute watch.
Tags: afghanistan, ajazeera, general petraeus, Iraq, juan cole
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September 16, 2008 at 9:38 am
Aileni Noyle
You know, Mardé some of that footage reminded me rather horribly of Pathé and other last war reporting. It is creepy.
Aileni.
September 16, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Mardé
Hi Aileni. I’m not familiar with Pathé or the last war reporting you refer to. Do you have any links? Or, can you tell me about it?
September 17, 2008 at 4:31 am
Aileni Noyle
All the cinema reporting was very strident and full of propaganda - not that we realised that at the time. Well, I suppose adults did.
If you can find historical sites covering WW2 no doubt some old footage will be used.
September 17, 2008 at 9:29 am
Mardé
I just watched the Aljazeera video again and can’t see where the propaganda is. The information they give is not wild or extreme in any sense, in my opinion. In fact, I find their analysis and video shots quite realistic. Juan Cole presented that video because of its realistic assessments, unlike much of US media. He has a long discussion of this in the link I give.