World Terrorism & Security
posted November 29, 2004, updated 10:30 a.m.

'They hate our policies, not our freedom'
Quietly released Pentagon report contains major criticisms of administration.
by Tom Regan | csmonitor.com

Late on the Wednesday afternoon before the Thanksgiving holiday, the US Defense Department released a report by the Defense Science Board that is highly critical of the administration's efforts in the war on terror and in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

'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 favor 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 Pentagon released the study after The New York Times ran a story about the report in its Wednesday editions.

The Defense Science Board, reports Disinfopedia, is "a Federal advisory committee established to provide independent advice to the Secretary of Defense."

'The current Board is authorized to consist of thirty-two members plus seven ex officio members': the chairmen of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Policy, Ballistic Missile Defense Advisory Committee, and Defense Intelligence Agency Science and Technology Advisory Committee. 'Members, whose appointed terms range from one to four years, are selected on the basis of their preeminence in the fields of science, technology and its application to military operations, research, engineering, manufacturing and acquisition process.'

China's Xinhuanet reported that the board's report criticized the US for failing in its efforts to communicate its military and diplomatic actions to the world, and the Muslim world in particular, "but no public relations campaign can save America from flawed policies." The report also takes the administration to task for talking about Islamic extremism in a way that offends many Muslims.

In stark contrast to the cold war, the United States today is not seeking to contain a threatening state empire, but rather seeking to convert a broad movement within Islamic civilization to accept the value structure of Western Modernity – an agenda hidden within the official rubric of a 'War on Terrorism,' [the report states].
MSNBC notes that the report, in a comment that directly goes against statements made by President Bush and senior cabinet members, says the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have united otherwise-divided Muslim extremists and given terrorists organizations like Al Qaeda a boost by "raising their stature."

In fact, Wired News reported the board as saying, the US has not only failed to separate "the vast majority of nonviolent Muslims from the radical-militant Islamist-Jihadists," but American efforts may have "achieved the opposite of what they intended."

Al Jazeera reported Thursday that the board called for the creation of a strategic communication's "apparatus" within the executive branch and "an overhaul of public diplomacy, public affairs and information dissemination efforts by the Pentagon and State Department."

If we really want to see the Muslim world as a whole [the report states], and the Arabic-speaking world in particular, move more toward our understanding of moderation and tolerance, we must reassure Muslims that this does not mean that they must submit to the American way.

As columnist Thomas Freidman of The New York Times wrote Monday in an opinion piece, the lack of planning and a 'clear channel of communication to the Muslim world' means that the US is losing the PR war to people that "saw off the heads of other Muslims."

Wars are fought for political ends. Soldiers can only do so much. And the last mile in every war is about claiming the political fruits. The bad guys in Iraq can lose every mile on every road, but if they beat America on the last mile – because they are able to intimidate better than America is able to coordinate, protect, inform, invest and motivate – they will win and America will lose.

The New York Times reported last Wednesday that although the board's report does not constitute official government policy, it captures "the essential themes of a debate that is now roiling not just the Defense Department but the entire United States government."

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1129/dailyUpdate.html

The fact that this might come as a shock to many Americans who knelt down good and savoured every drop of this "they hate our freedom" garbage that Bush has been serving up for 3 years is just a sorry state of affairs.

Oh so they hate our policies and not our freedom you say?

Congratulations. You pass stage one of your Masters in Obviousness. You may stand up now.

OK, so we are changing our policies then? And Bush will admit he's been totally wrong? I knew the day would arrive. Well, gotta go take my pink elephant out for some skydiving...

And it was Clinton before him. This is the mindset of most of America. The truth is, when a politician says "our freedom" in the context of terrorism, he means policy. And he knows he means policy.

Why dosen't the pentagon shut up because they haven't said anything with an ounce of truth since they tried to tell us it was a plane that hit the building. Well a ton of lies before that too.

So why don't they get rid of the inbedded journalists. Turn off all the media, blow the fuck out of the Arabs and turn on the t.v. again like nothing happened. The public will lap it up and everybody will be happy.

bwahahahaha nice one man, christ yer too much sometimes!

i get it so we are not fit for the truth? Funny how this works. They mean policy but they say freedom...why not just say policy in the first place?

I would agree that this report falls in to the "master of the obvious" category. The only news is that it is coming out of the department of defense.

And you "my side can do no wrong" people are really becoming tiresome. Guess what, you're both wrong, how's that?

--PunkDavid

"Freedom" tests better with voters. And PS - freedom and democracy? Both strong social policies in the US.

No one's lying, they're spinning. It's what they do. They're politicians. Being surprised or amused by this is like being shocked dentists pull teeth.

No, being surprised that so many ppl are a-ok with being mislead...opps, i mean spin is what shocks me.

It 'tests' better. Your silly rationalizations that you hold so dearly to like a teddy bear also amuse me

CW is correct.

And this type of thing is not new nor unique to the latest administration.

The policy is freedom and freedom is the policy and has been for a very long time in the US. It obviously means freedom in the purest sense of the word, but it also means serving our needs and interests as well. This is not a Bush thing or even merely a republican thing, but an American thing.

The key is to offer alternatives to the policy, or make changes to it that offer better solutions.

Oh come on

I agree with you, and certainly Clinton or Kerry or any democrat is no better, but this administration took the "freedom and democracy" ball and ran backwards with it. Way backwards. To say that all politicians are spinning liars and then voting for the guy who is defines the meaning, you are just giving into hypocrisy.

CW voted for kerry?

Oh wait, I'm a cynical bastard. Bush and Kerry were EXACTLY the same, and Kerry's policies would have been no different. So then I'll just vote for Bush, just because I could have a beer with him, maybe do a line of coke. The world sucks, screw the environment. Pot heads are idiots. Look I'm being a dick because I have the right to. 99%.


I see what you are getting at and I am not amused. Your usual entrapment tricks are getting real old, real fast.

you should go see a dr about getting that stick out of your ass, unless of course you enjoy it there

i dont post on here to try to amuse you, or because i think others will think im some kind of cool kid cause i can rack up my post count, and i dont try to entrapt people, let alone pot heads who it is to easy to do so if i did

dont like what i post, dont respond to it, its that simple, but you have some ungodly like ability to say how things dont bother you but you always feel the need to comment on them at the same time, so either admit it bothers you when people post things that dont line up with the way you think, or just stfu and dont bother with it, its that simple

I never said or implied it's only Bush. I really hate that argument that ppl use to dismiss points. "well golly, the other side does it too!!!" wtf??? are we 5 years old again??? 'but mommy, he started it!!!'

I'm not registered as a democrat, i never voted for clinton and had bush not had the nomination i would not have voted for kerry, either. So I could care less if both sides are doing it. I could care less what clinton, carter, kennedy...did in their terms because they are not currently in office. There's no point to sit and point out what they did way back then.

Sorry, to me a politician, no matter what party they belong to, saying 'theyhate our freedom' when they really mean 'they hate our policies' is pure bullshit and misleading. We're talking about a country where some ppl can't diferentiate between someone's character on tv or a movie and the actor, after all.

It's all of our faults for electing ppl who mislead us like this knowingly. 'freedom tested better than the truth' fuck that! Hey, didn't Bush criticize gore for using polls and tests in 2000?? I guess it's only wrong when it's the other side doing it.

Like I said, i could care less what party does it, either way it's wrong and these ppl who can't be straight with us have no place running our country.

Thing is, what "he knows he means by it" is less relevant than what people think he means by it. I'm willing to bet many Americans really believe that it is their ability to vote, choose their education or watch porn on Tuesday mornings that pisses Islamic nations and their peoples off.

Not the fact the policies engender cultural imperialism, or support some dictatorships and not others, or blatantly only pursue justice for human rights in countries with commodity wealth, or displace without much regard an entire nation to accomodate Zionist tendencies.

Etc.

No doubt Bush gets this (he's stupid... but he's not that stupid), but so many American people don't get it. Why face up to a more gruessome reality when a less gruessome one is being offered to you?

maybe you should see a dr about yer split personalities...you quoted and argued with yourself here and jsut put glorified versions name in it

ding ding ding we have a winner! you summed it up nicely

I don't need to agree with the second part of that to agree with the first... which is absolutely spot on.

Thing is... which politician in his right frame of mind in the US will say "hey our country is fucked!!"

Can you say political suicide?