Page 217 - Mass Media, Mass Propoganda Examining American News in the War on Terror

Doctrines of Media and State 207

me he had decided to sell his house in Jordan, and go to Iraq and form a militia
in order to kill American soldiers. His story is symbolic of the Iraqi people as a
whole because many were in favor of the occupation when it came to getting
rid of Saddam Hussein; but after almost a year and a half of lacking consistent
access to fresh water, electricity, jobs, adequate health care, schools, and secu-
rity, many Iraqis believe that they are worse off now than before the war. Most
pwple I have encountered believe that the occupation has been a total disaster,
and they just want the U.S. to leave Iraq. The resistance is much stronger now
than it was a year ago; it has much more breath now that Iraqis are so fed up.I4'

Kindy's observations are critical in that they reveal a crucial distinction ignored
in mainstream media reporting and editorials: namely the assertion that support
for the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's dictatorship does not necessarily trans-
late into support for a prolonged American occupation. Highlighting the lack of
Iraqi consent to the continued occupation is crucial when debating the "promo-
tion of democracy" in Iraq (at least if democracy is based fundamentally upon
the public consent).
Consideration of prospects for democracy promotion should also be contin-
gent upon an understanding of American public opinion, which is also largely
opposed to the Bush administration's plans for a long-term occupation of Iraq.
Consider the following public opinion polling results:
In September of 2004, 54 percent of Americans asked indicated that
U.S. troops should be brought home from Iraq within the next year; The
preference was repeated a year later, when in November 2005,63 percent of
Americans polled said they favored "bringing most of our troops home in
the next year," as opposed to only 35 percent who said U.S. troops should
remain in Iraq until a stable government is set
By August of 2005, 57 percent of Americans questioned thought that
the war in Iraq had made the U.S. "less safe from terrorism."143
Most Americans also reacted skeptically to the reliance on the Ameri-
can military power in promoting democracy abroad. In one opinion poll re-
leased in September 2005, 74 percent of Americans questioned said that the
goal of overthrowing Iraq's dictatorship and "establishing democracy" was
not a sufficient reason for going to war, while 72 percent said the experi-
ence "made them feel worse about the possibility of using military force to
bring about democracy in the future."'44
Most Americans feel, contrary to the propaganda of the Bush adrnini-
stration and media, that the Iraq war was unnecessary. In a poll released in
June of 2005, only 37 percent of Americans approved of Bush's handling of
the Iraq war, while 61 percent felt that the war was moving in the wrong di-
rection. During that same month, only 42 percent of Americans surveyed
said they thought the war was worthwhile. In a poll published in April 2006,
67 percent of respondents said they thought that the Iraq war was a war of
choice, rather than one of necessity.'45
Finally, most Americans oppose U.S. long term plans in establishing
military bases in Iraq. Another study released in April 2006 found that only
27 percent of those asked supported keeping permanent U.S. military bases