This very interesting article came out a couple of weeks ago, but lo and behold, it was not plastered all over the main stream media. Is anyone surprised by that? Of course the media had been holding fast in deep anticipation for that moment when they could report the number of soldiers killed in Iraq had hit 4000. For 2 weeks before the number rolled over, nearly every article talking about Iraq had to be prefaced with something like “The war in Iraq is nearing its 4000th death…” or some variation on that. The fifth year anniversary has also fueled a lot of antiwar/anti-military protests across the nation — some protests have even resulted in vandalism to recruiting centers.
For all of the hype and insanity that tends to be at the core of the radical protests, look at what they are accomplishing: they are possibly emboldening our enemy. In reality I think it is fair to say that the antiwar crowd could very well be prolonging the war by hindering progress through their indirect (heck in some cases even direct!) support of terrorists and insurgents. I really do not see the radicals in these groups as antiwar any longer. I see them as anarchists with severe personality disorders. If you don’t believe me, just visit Zombietime for photographic and video proof.
The data in the official paper is somewhat limited. I will admit that, but wouldn’t you think that a reasonable response would be to greatly back off of the antiwar hype until we know whether or not they inflict suffering on our troops? Well, a reasonable person maybe, but the likes of Berkeley Code Pink whackos would never back down, even with proof. That’s why it is vital that we, the pro-troop supporters, have got to make our voices heard. We must be loud, clear, and decided. We can not let our voices of support (for the troops AND for their mission) be silenced or drowned out.
Are Iraqi Insurgents Emboldened by Antiwar Reporting?
Economists say their study, with caveats, finds some linkages
By Alex Kingsbury
US News & World Report
Excerpt:
Are insurgents in Iraq emboldened by voices in the news media expressing dissent or calling for troop withdrawals from Iraq? The short answer, according to a pair of Harvard economists, is yes.
In a paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, the authors are quick to point out numerous caveats to their findings, based on data from mid-2003 through late 2007.
Yet, their results show that insurgent groups are not devoid of reason and unresponsive to outside pressures and stimuli. “It shows that the various insurgent groups do respond to incentives and shows that a successful counter insurgency strategy should take that reality into account,” says one of the paper’s coauthors, Jonathan Monten, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.
The paper “Is There an ‘Emboldenment’ Effect in Iraq? Evidence From the Insurgency in Iraq” concludes the following:
* In the short term, there is a small but measurable cost to open public debate in the form of higher attacks against Iraqi and American targets.
* In periods immediately after a spike in “antiresolve” statements in the American media, the level of insurgent attacks increases between 7 and 10 percent.
* Insurgent organizations are strategic actors, meaning that whatever their motivations, religious or ideological, they will respond to incentives and disincentives.
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Article
Entire Paper in pdf format, here.
Tags: Army, Army Mom Posts, Berkeley, Morale, Terrorism, anti-military, combat, communication, deployment, military, politics, veterans, war on terror by Claire
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