Silly Syria, Don't You Know How to Run a Propaganda Campaign

I came across this Op-Ed in a Saudi-owned paper out of London, Asharq al-Awsat, called "A million Iraqi victims...Do They Deserve an International Tribunal". It's chalked full of chintzy leftist propaganda (here's a video example that's heavy on the self-righteousness) that uses the Iraq war to make the United States look like the evilest thing since the Mongol Hordes of folklore. Let's take a look.

Badmouthing Blackwater, check:
Human Rights Watch organization (HRW) announced in its recent report of January 31, 2008 that the killing of at least 17 Iraqi civilians by employees of the US- security firm "Blackwater" last September focuses attention on the impunity with which private contractors operate in Iraq.

Getting all sore over torturing a bunch of douchebag terrorists, check:
...the United States is still infringing the fundamental human rights by maintaining secret detention centers abroad, arresting civilians illegally, and justifying the act of torturing them.

Tossing in Hiroshima and Vietnam, check:
They killed civilian Japanese in Hiroshima and millions of Vietnamese peasants.

It's even got a reference to Noam Chomsky in there, which is certain to make over-privileged, college-aged, know-it-alls cream their pants back in the states. Now I don't support torture, the mismanagement of policy that requires Blackwater, or killing civilians, but let's take a look at who wrote this gem. It wasn't young hipsters from a liberal college...it's none other than former Syrian Foreign Ministry of Affairs, Bouthaina Shaaban! I must say, Syria is not drawing a lot of water in this town. What with the whole Ba'ath party image, being in cahoots with North Korea, and that Lebanon fiasco, it's no surprise that people representing Syria's government shouldn't be trusted. Sadly, the article has a tone that shows Ms. Shaaban combed through anti-war memes found throughout the internet to gather research for her propaganda piece. Also, her personal website looks like she's trying to appeal to Westerners (it's in english and proclaims "Welcome to my Virtual Home"), which implies that most Arabs in the region wouldn't be dumb enough to buy her cheesy message. For now, I prefer to get my propaganda from Iranian news agencies. At least their state-run media comes up with original stuff like "Tehrani worshipers rally against Zionist regime crimes".

The next Op-Ed by the Syrian Spokeswoman will be about the glorious rise of socialist paradise, North Korea, and why the US is bad