Bush, George W. - Apparatus of Lies - Saddam's Disinformation and Propaganda 1990-2003.pdf

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Apparatus of Lies FINAL.doc
APPARATUS OF LIES
SADDAM’S DISINFORMATION
AND PROPAGANDA
1990-2003
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Apparatus of Lies
Saddam’s Disinformation and Propaganda
1990-2003
Table of Contents
Executive Summary .................................................................................... 4
Crafting Tragedy ......................................................................................... 6
Iraqi Co-Locations of Military and Civilians. Then… .............................................................7
…And Now................................................................................................................................... 10
Case Study: The Amiriyah Bunker-Shelter............................................................................ 12
Exploiting Suffering.................................................................................. 14
Blaming Sanctions for Regime Failure................................................................................... 14
Case Study: Baby Funerals ...................................................................................................... 16
Depleted Uranium Scare............................................................................................................ 18
Medical Facts on Iraqi Chemical Weapons Exposure......................................................... 18
Exploiting Islam......................................................................................... 20
The Hajj Shakedowns ................................................................................................................ 21
Oppression of Shi’a Muslims ................................................................................................... 22
The Gulf War: Lies About Non-Muslim Militaries in the Middle East................................ 23
The Gulf War: Lies About Conflicts between Muslim and Western Allies....................... 24
Corrupting the Public Record.................................................................. 25
Self-inflicted Damage................................................................................................................. 25
False Man-in-the-Street Interview ............................................................................................ 26
Censorship................................................................................................................................... 25
Covert Placement ....................................................................................................................... 26
Case Study: The Al-Fahd Forgery ........................................................................................... 28
The Gulf War: False Claims of Victory................................................................................... 29
Conclusion: The Lies Continue............................................................... 30
Bibliography .............................................................................................. 31
Endnotes.................................................................................................... 33
2
“It is not a lie when you are ordered to lie.”
– a senior Iraqi biological weapons official
3
Executive Summary
In December 1998, when U.N weapons inspector Dr. Richard Spertzel became exasperated by
Iraqi evasions and misrepresentations, he confronted Dr. Rihab Taha, the woman the Iraqis
identified as the head of their biological weapons program and asked her directly, “You know
that we know you are lying. So why do you do it?” She straightened herself up and replied, “Dr.
Spertzel, it’s not a lie when you are ordered to lie.” 1
Dr. Taha’s brief reply is one symbol of a highly developed, well disciplined, and expertly
organized program designed to win support for the Iraqi regime through outright deceit. This
elaborate program is one of the regime’s most potent weapons for advancing its political,
military, and diplomatic objectives. In their disinformation and propaganda campaigns, the
Iraqis use elaborate ruses and obvious falsehoods, covert actions and false on-the-record
statements, and sophisticated preparation and spontaneous exploitation of opportunities. Many
of the techniques are not new, but this regime exploits them more aggressively and effectively –
and to more harmful effect – than any other regime in power today.
In the weeks ahead, as the international community seeks to enforce UN Security Council
resolutions and disarm the Iraqi regime, governments, the media, and the public are urged to
consider the regime’s words, deeds, and images in light of this brutal record of deceit.
Apparatus of Lies discusses the lies that Iraq has used to promote its propaganda and
disinformation in four broad categories:
• Crafting Tragedy: To craft tragedy, the regime places civilians close to military equipment,
facilities, and troops, which are legitimate targets in an armed conflict. The Iraqi regime
openly used both Iraqis and foreigners as human shields during the Gulf War, eventually
bowing to international pressure and releasing them. It has also placed military equipment
next to or inside mosques and ancient cultural treasures. Finally, it has deliberately damaged
facilities and attributed the damage to coalition bombing and has attempted to pass off
damage from natural catastrophes, such as earthquakes, as the result of bombing.
• Exploiting Suffering: To exploit suffering, Saddam blames starvation and medical crises –
often of his own making – on the United Nations or the United States and its allies. This is
such an effective ruse that the Iraqi regime actually causes or actively ignores hardship and
then aggressively exploits the Iraqi people’s suffering. For the last few years, the Iraqis have
aggressively promoted the false notion that depleted uranium – a substance that is relatively
harmless and was used for armor-piercing munitions during the Gulf War – has caused
cancers and birth defects among Iraqis. Scientific evidence indicates that any elevated rates
of cancer and birth defects are most likely due to Iraqi use of chemical weapons.
• Exploiting Islam: Experts know that Saddam Hussein is a non-religious man from a secular
– even atheistic – party. But to exploit Islamic sentiments, he adopts expressions of faith in
his public pronouncements, and the Iraqi propaganda apparatus erects billboards and
distributes images showing him praying or in other acts of piety – all while the regime
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