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The Public Diplomacy Blog is intended to stimulate dialog among scholars, researchers, practitioners and professionals from around the world in the public diplomacy sphere. The opinions represented here are the authors' own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School.

WAR OF IDEAS: INSURGENT CHANNEL COMING TO A SATELLITE NEAR YOU
JAN 10, 2007 - 4:40PM PDT
Posted by Lawrence Pintak
All posts by this author

(Cairo) -- A controversial TV channel that is the voice of Iraq's anti-American insurgents look set to launch another front in the propaganda war against the U.S. The head of al-Zawraa, which airs footage produced by the Islamic Army of Iraq, says he has finalized a deal for the channel to be distributed on three European satellites, including one seen by American viewers. The move comes as U.S. officials are pressing Egypt to stop transmitting the channel via its Nilesat satellite. Al-Zawraa is a television version the now-infamous jihadi websites, featuring non-stop videos of attacks on U.S. troops, alleged American atrocities and behind-the-scenes footage of insurgents preparing operations, all carrying the logo of the Islamic Army of Iraq, a key Sunni Muslim insurgent group said to be comprised of former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party. In a telephone interview from his headquarters in Damascus, Mishan al-Jabouri, a former member of Iraq's parliament and the public face of the channel, said al-Zawraa will soon be carried "on three satellites from European countries." But he would not say which ones. "In the right time you can know ... because we are really afraid of American pressures. But after we transmit [from Europe] there will be no fear anymore because we will be on the air." Al-Zawraa began transmitting graphic images of anti-American violence via satellite after the Iraqi government closed down a much more muted version of the station around the time Saddam was sentenced to death in mid-November. Since then, according to al-Jabouri, his teams in Iraq have sporadically managed to feed video to Cairo "through SNG," which apparently refers to the same kind of portable satellite dishes used by television news teams to transmit their material from the field. He says the material is recorded on a "server" in Cairo, then forwarded to Nilesat. "And it keeps transmitting even if we are not transmitting from Iraq," he adds. Much of the footage is shot on inexpensive video cameras and cell phones. The Bush administration has so far failed to convince Egypt to pull the plug. But al-Zawraa's apparent deal for European distribution is insurance. "If the Egyptians submit to U.S. pressures, the Europeans will not," says al-Jabouri. So far, repeated "unofficial" requests by the U.S. embassy in Cairo, ostensibly on behalf of the Iraqi government, have fallen on deaf ears. Last week, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters it was his "understanding" that "the broadcasts had ceased" and that "at least in the immediate term, the Iraqi government's concerns have been addressed." But McCormack obviously didn't check with anyone who owns a satellite dish in the Middle East, where the broadcasts continue uninterrupted. U.S. efforts to silence al-Zawraa are complicated by regional politics. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's critical comments about the Saddam execution and the U.S. over the past week underline an increasing tendency on the part of his government to distance itself from Washington and identify more closely with Sunni Arab interests. The Egyptian media has given…... FULL TEXT
 
Read Comments (4) | Add Your Own

Read Comments:

Tom Scudder on January 11, 2007 @ 2:43 am:
SNG: Satellite News Gathering

Alan J. Simpson on January 12, 2007 @ 2:22 pm:
US Diplomats should realize It’s the old rationale for having TV cameras in public places, if you are legal and honest in your activities then no TV coverage should cause you concern. Let them send up all the TV they want, but just as TV Marti beams propaganda to the seagulls, this will find no audience in America or Europe besides the faithful already watching the web sites. Instead of blocking it welcome it for fear and opposition gives their criticism legality.

Tarry on September 5, 2009 @ 3:24 pm:
I could never understand the war between the USA and Iraq though read a lot of literature (http://www.ebook-search-queen.com) connected with this problem. To my mind using TV is not the best way to influence the course of events in their relationships.

Janne on September 5, 2009 @ 3:29 pm:
I could never understand the war between the USA and Iraq thoygh I read a lot of literature (http://www.ebook-search-queen.com) connected with this topic. To my mind using TV is not the best way to influence the course of events in their relationships.

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