In class last week we watched the documentary Control Room which follows the rise of the news network Al Jazeera during the beginning of the Iraq war. It was truly fascinating, scary, informative and enlightening. I highly recommend anyone who is interested in the nature of media and/or the Middle East and American foreign policy to check it out. Rather than summarize it for those of you readers who have not seen it, I will just express elements that I found most enlightening. I was truly shocked to hear (and see on tape) that the U.S military had, in fact, bombed an Al Jazeera office building in Baghdad, killing an Arab news correspondent. I am no conspiracy theorist and I am definitely a supporter of the military, but seeing this act of violence against a CIVILIAN news source (yes, independently run from Qatar, and non-governmental) was truly a despicable act by America. I understand that stuff happens during war but the excuse used by the U.S government was that it was located in a war zone and maybe they shouldn't be there, does not fly with me... Located in a war zone, yes, but is it acceptable to become a target for very specifically directed missiles, no. This was no accident, no case of a misguided missile, as earlier in the film they speak about the accuracy of their missiles and targets to help avoid collateral damage despite it being more expensive because they care. Clearly there was, and I'm sure still is, a fear of spin being put on any Arab media that vilifies America. This is a legitimate concern, but, running the risk of sounding more liberal than I tend to swing, I say maybe if we had better reasons for being there in the first place we wouldn't be so scared of what was shown. There would be less to hide.
In the chapter Selling the War of his memoir Mission Al Jazeera, Marine Lieutenant Josh Rushing speaks to just this. He was the military correspondent to Al Jazeera and was the main military voice featured in Control Room. In my opinion he represents everything the U.S army is and should be about. He reflects on the shortsightedness of the common American viewpoint without discounting the legitimate reasons for being there. In the documentary, although in the beginning he came off as just another ignorant jarhead, he managed to bring balance to hearing the views of Al Jazeera workers who expressed frustration with America's tactics and defended America when the reasons given were valid. He ended up leaving the Marines after his time and joined Al Jazeera. The growth and "smart" open mindedness you see with this man is my argument against any anti-military viewpoints. They are not all brainwashed killers who are racist towards Arabs as some people will have you believe, in fact I believe Lt. Rushing represents the ideal soldier in the U.S Military and I am sure there are many more like him. I hope the Military recognizes that as well.
That isn't to say that I blindly follow what our military does, but if you watch the film, you see the struggles Rushing deals with in opening his mind and realizing that Al Jazeera has a valuable point of view and in no way is an organization dedicated to fouling the image of America in the ME. In this circumstance we were not at our best in any way and Al Jazeera spoke the truth on that more than any other news network would. Truth and free press is a value that has been promoted by the U.S. We need to put that value into practice, even if we run the risk of allowing over-exposure to events that make us look bad. The media can provide a check to keep the U.S following honorable practices, and bombing the media to scare them out of showing what's happening is anything but honorable. The Arab audience of Al Jazeera is an untapped resource of over 50 million for the U.S. By sharing information and working with Al Jazeera as they have tried to do with us, America can provide a context for the images that may be misconstrued on their own. That is honorable, a promotion of our values and is within our interests.
This whole thing may just be me rambling, but let me close on one point. I love my country. I have never felt more thankful to be an American than when I was in Egypt and watched people rally and fight for the rights I have lived with my whole life and taken for granted. I support the legitimately altruistic actions by the U.S and also those that are to protect our interests but feel it is my obligation as an American to question the authority when values and actions do not line up. Out of respect for what the U.S stands for, I believe we should all question the actions taken and if those questions are answered with legitimacy, we may support such actions, and if not, we have exposed them. It is one of the blessings that have been granted to us by our country, and these freedoms should not be squandered, nor silenced.
In the chapter Selling the War of his memoir Mission Al Jazeera, Marine Lieutenant Josh Rushing speaks to just this. He was the military correspondent to Al Jazeera and was the main military voice featured in Control Room. In my opinion he represents everything the U.S army is and should be about. He reflects on the shortsightedness of the common American viewpoint without discounting the legitimate reasons for being there. In the documentary, although in the beginning he came off as just another ignorant jarhead, he managed to bring balance to hearing the views of Al Jazeera workers who expressed frustration with America's tactics and defended America when the reasons given were valid. He ended up leaving the Marines after his time and joined Al Jazeera. The growth and "smart" open mindedness you see with this man is my argument against any anti-military viewpoints. They are not all brainwashed killers who are racist towards Arabs as some people will have you believe, in fact I believe Lt. Rushing represents the ideal soldier in the U.S Military and I am sure there are many more like him. I hope the Military recognizes that as well.
That isn't to say that I blindly follow what our military does, but if you watch the film, you see the struggles Rushing deals with in opening his mind and realizing that Al Jazeera has a valuable point of view and in no way is an organization dedicated to fouling the image of America in the ME. In this circumstance we were not at our best in any way and Al Jazeera spoke the truth on that more than any other news network would. Truth and free press is a value that has been promoted by the U.S. We need to put that value into practice, even if we run the risk of allowing over-exposure to events that make us look bad. The media can provide a check to keep the U.S following honorable practices, and bombing the media to scare them out of showing what's happening is anything but honorable. The Arab audience of Al Jazeera is an untapped resource of over 50 million for the U.S. By sharing information and working with Al Jazeera as they have tried to do with us, America can provide a context for the images that may be misconstrued on their own. That is honorable, a promotion of our values and is within our interests.
This whole thing may just be me rambling, but let me close on one point. I love my country. I have never felt more thankful to be an American than when I was in Egypt and watched people rally and fight for the rights I have lived with my whole life and taken for granted. I support the legitimately altruistic actions by the U.S and also those that are to protect our interests but feel it is my obligation as an American to question the authority when values and actions do not line up. Out of respect for what the U.S stands for, I believe we should all question the actions taken and if those questions are answered with legitimacy, we may support such actions, and if not, we have exposed them. It is one of the blessings that have been granted to us by our country, and these freedoms should not be squandered, nor silenced.
No comments:
Post a Comment