Losing the propaganda war

[unhappycamper]

Losing the propaganda war
By Jim Lobe
Oct 9, 2010

WASHINGTON - On the ninth anniversary of the United States military intervention in their country, a report released on Thursday finds that Afghans remain deeply distrustful and resentful of the impact and intent of foreign forces there.

Based on dozens of interviews and focus group sessions in seven provinces in western, eastern and southern Afghanistan over the past year, the report by the Open Society Foundations (OSF) found that Afghans tend to blame US-led forces as much or more than the Taliban for the country's continuing violence and instability.

"This reflects a growing divide between the perceptions of the Western public and policymakers and those of Afghan citizens about the intentions and accomplishments of international forces in Afghanistan," according to the 25-page report, titled "The Trust Deficit: The Impact of Local Perception on Policy in Afghanistan."

Moreover, policy changes adopted over the past year by US and other foreign forces aimed at reducing civilian casualties and protecting the civilian population have not succeeded in reducing local perceptions of Western indifference or even malevolence.

"Overcoming Afghan resentment toward international forces and the Afghan government has been a key concern in the new counter-insurgency strategy, and recent policies have reduced civilian casualties, improved detention conditions, and increased strategic communications in an attempt to win Afghan 'hearts and minds'," the report said.

[msongs]

1. gee being the uninvited occuppier of their country makes them unhappy. who could have guessed? nt

[DirkGently]

2. How many disastrous wars will it take before we get that you can't invade a country into democracy?