Pentagon in need of a new marketing strategy…

21Jul07

June saw the highest number of attacks against Coalition forces in Iraq since May 2003, according to recently obtained Pentagon figures (via lenin). June saw an average of 177.8 attacks a day, up 46% from last year. Evidently, the whole “hearts and minds” thing isn’t going to plan. That is certainly the view of a new study commissioned by the U.S. military into the ‘marketing’ of the occupation. The report concludes that the Pentagon’s “show of force” branding is not catching on. As the Washington Post explains,

‘In an urban insurgency, for example, civilians can help identify enemy infiltrators and otherwise assist U.S. forces. They are less likely to help, the study says, when they become “collateral damage” in U.S. attacks, have their doors broken down or are shot at checkpoints because they do not speak English.’

Ya don’t say? Who would have thought Iraqis might resist the occupation when they are treated with this level of respect?:

Meanwhile, more than 100 Iraqi oil, economic and legal experts have sent a letter to Iraq’s Parliament urging it to consider their critique of the draft oil law. It seems Iraqis also don’t take kindly to the overt theft of their natural resources – perhaps the marketing study mentioned that, too?

There was a “significant decline” in attacks on civilians in June, an 18% fall from May’s high of 932. Attacks on civilians have always been in the minority, and the recent decline probably reflects ‘a desire by the nationalist mainstream of the resistance to push the takfiri elements to the margins, since they now believe that they can articulate their interests in a post-occupation Iraq’. On which topic, see also this.

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