Post a Comment On: Internal Monologue

With screw-ups like this, is it any wonder we're faring so poorly in our multitude of taks in the Middle East?
Al Hurra television, the U.S. government's $63 million-a-year effort at public diplomacy broadcasting in the Middle East, is run by executives and officials who cannot speak Arabic, according to a senior official who oversees the program. That might explain why critics say the service has recently been caught broadcasting terrorist messages, including an hour-long tirade on the importance of anti-Jewish violence, among other questionable pieces.(HT: C&L) Ouch. I think this is kind of symbolic of all our efforts in Iraq: We make some ham-fisted attempt to win hearts and minds, appoint a bunch of people who don't know what they're doing to run it, and then discover our efforts have been infiltrated or co-opted by those who wish us ill.