The Impact of Strategic Communication on Victory and Defeat in Iraq: 1998-2006
Abstract
Globalization has necessitated an increasing reliance on the U.S. ability to influence international affairs to preserve and advance our national interests and national security. As societies become more integrated, diplomatic, economic, and informational ties among nations strengthen and expand, increasing the interdependence among nations. This change has been largely positive, but it has introduced new challenges in interrelationships. Interdependence has made it more difficult to conduct unilateral action to resolve a dispute between two parties, and to some extent has necessitated multilateral, collective solutions to problems. This collectivism, in turn, requires that activist nations must maintain the ability to influence the decisions of international partner nations. This paper analyzes the role that strategic communications played from 1998-2006 in America's ongoing military intervention in Iraq. It presents an overview of strategic communications, reviewing its fundamental components, major U.S. stakeholders, and their roles. Next, it presents senior policy makers' communications in support of military operations and reconstruction policies and assesses their impact on the strategic, operational, and tactical environment. Finally, it offers conclusions about the correlation between strategic communications and long-term outcomes for the United States related to its intervention in Iraq. The author contends that poorly conducted strategic communications supporting Iraq operations from 2003 to present has led to a national and global skepticism towards U.S. ambitions, diminished her ability to act, and reduced her role as a world leader, ultimately producing the likelihood of strategic defeat. Despite recent progress and growing optimism in Iraq, increasing U.S. domestic support, and a sense that a successful end to American military involvement is within sight, strategic victory in Iraq requires more than achieving the stated military ends.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 03, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA530072
Entities
People
- Brian J. Wald
Organizations
- National Defense University