In order to gain
the support of the public, countries use propaganda. During the Gulf War, Saddam Hussein and
George Bush used propaganda to gain the support of their respective public. Propaganda was everywhere. It was on the radio and television and it
brought the war into millions of homes.
Propaganda was a vital part of the Gulf War because it provided the US
and Iraq with the support of their public.
Propaganda is always geared towards the populace claiming that the other
country is the oppressor. The truth is
often stretched or even fabricated to garner a public outcry for justice. The real truth, however, is very difficult to
distinguish from fiction.
The blame is often pushed to towards the other
country. Iraq claimed that they were the
victims and that the United States was the aggressor. Hussein declared that they had been
victimized by Kuwait. According to Iraq,
they had to pay back money that they did not have and Kuwait was responsible
for the cutback on healthcare and other vital services. Since Kuwait voted against raising the price
of oil, Iraq was unable to receive any revenue.
It was because of this that Iraq invaded Kuwait. The United States claimed that Iraq was the
aggressor. In the American media, Iraqi
tanks were shown to enter a defenseless Kuwait amidst destroyed buildings. The American public was convinced that their
troops were only there to protect and that Iraq was harassing Kuwait. Iraq quickly retaliated with their own
propaganda.
Hussein showed footage of the damage that the
US had supposedly inflicted on innocent people.
Images of a bombed milk factory and a starving child provided the Iraqi
public with enough "evidence" to accuse the US of being a ruthless
military power. The main targets of
propaganda were those that were presumed most innocent: women and children. When women and children are killed, it is not
only hailed as a crime, but an atrocity against the country. The United States also used women and
children in their propaganda. A weeping
woman told the horrific tale of Iraqi soldiers taking babies out of incubators
and throwing them onto the cold floor.
This graphic description surely left a tremendous impact on the American
citizens. The Iraqi's were portrayed as
monsters and the US public felt obligated to do fight against this cruel
force. The US military was now the
protector and the hero of an entire nation.
The United States had the support of millions of people.
The atrocities of war were not the only form of
propaganda used by both Hussein and Bush.
Hussein showed allied pilots that had been shot down and proclaimed that
the allies were not infallible. In fact,
the military was weak and could be defeated with the will of the Iraqi
soldiers. One soldier was even
broadcasted throughout Iraq saying that he was sorry and that what his country
did was wrong. An admission of guilt was
one of Hussein's greatest weapons. The
United States declared that the Iraqi soldiers were so poorly equipped they did
not even have shoes. The soldiers were
seen as peasants so that the American military seemed almost god-like in
comparison; so powerful that they would
change the face of war forever.
Bush and Hussein also claimed that what their
decisions to fight a war would change the world for the better. Hussein claimed that he would form a Pan Arab
nation in which all of the Arab countries would unite to stop the imperialistic
US. This was a great plan because Arab
countries had fought each other before;
peace and unification between brother and sister would surely be an
attractive image for the Iraqi public.
Since the Arab countries are predominantly Muslim, the image of Allah
being on their side was another strong image.
The United States used patriotism as their driving force. Bush claimed that what they were doing was
the moral and right thing to do. Both
leaders used propaganda that would relate best to their public. Bush also claimed change through the New
World Order. If the United States were
successful in their efforts, the world would never have to worry about being
"bullied" around by another country because the US would be their
paladin.
Propaganda is a vital part of war. With the support of the public, war can
continue. Both Bush and Hussein claimed
that what they were doing was the right decision. Iraq maintained that they were being harassed
by both Kuwait and the US and that their retaliation was purely because it was
necessary. The United States claimed
otherwise. Visual representations of the
death of innocent civilians were powerful means of garnering sympathy for both
sides. Each of the armies claimed that
they were the stronger one and that the other one could be easily
defeated. Both Hussein and Bush claimed
that they were fighting for the benefit of the people and to bring about a
better world. Propaganda was a vital
part of the Gulf War because it provided the US and Iraq with the support of
their public. The public is given a very
bias view of the war by the media.
Whether the facts presented were true or a lie, the reality about war is
simple: it is horrible, and excuses cannot mend what a bullet created.
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