Posted on 07/26/2006 10:18:56 AM PDT by Impeach98
A smiling child is part of the new ad campaign that Kurdistan hopes will bring tourists to the region.
The Iraq We Haven't Seen
The Kurdistan regional government is rolling out a national media blitz this week: "Kurdistan: The Other Iraq," complete with cable television ads, print ads and a national tour by the head of its development office to attract investment and tourism to its northern Iraq region.
"The Other Iraq" -- despite echoes of the pork industry's "the other white meat" ads -- was specifically chosen to counter "the public perception of Iraq as a violent and dangerous place" plunging into civil war with the "peaceful and prosperous" Kurdish region, according to the campaign.
So we see pictures of smiling kids, dancing people, a booming economy. And the campaign emphasizes that "not one American or coalition soldier has been . . . killed in the Iraqi Kurdistan region since" the war began.
...
The ad campaign is the brainchild of veteran Republican public relations firm Russo, Marsh and Rogers, last seen in July 2005 doing PR for the "Truth Tour," a week-long trip to Iraq by conservative radio talk-show folks.
...
Kurdistan, with its 100,000-strong pesh merga militia -- not a bunch you want to tangle with -- has been effectively independent since the 1991 Persian Gulf War. As former diplomat and keen observer Peter W. Galbraith noted yesterday in a New York Times op-ed, "The Iraqi army is barred from the region, the Iraqi flag [is] prohibited and central government ministries are not present."
...
But for now, the beautiful mountainous area -- snow-capped peaks, even -- looks to be just about the safest place in the whole region. They even like Americans there.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
From what I'm reading lately, Kurdistan may get thousands of Turkish tourists soon.
""The Other Iraq" -- despite echoes of the pork industry's "the other white meat" ads -- was specifically chosen to counter "the public perception of Iraq as a violent and dangerous place" plunging into civil war with the "peaceful and prosperous" Kurdish region, according to the campaign. "
Gotta fix this.
""The Other Iraq" -- despite echoes of the pork industry's "the other white meat" ads -- was specifically chosen to counter "the Main Stream Medias leftist agenda of portraying to the American public the perception of Iraq as a violent and dangerous place" plunging into civil war with the "peaceful and prosperous" Kurdish region, according to the campaign. "
Better.
I have been seeing the ads and they are great. Good work. This info needs to get out to the majority of the population, ones that don't have a clue.
I don't think the U.S. or Iraq will feel too good about Turkish troops crossing into Iraqi Kurdistan.
I also think the Turks lost their "high card" in the dispute once they told the U.S. to 'kiss off' during Operation Iraqi Freedom when we wanted to have Coalition forces come through Turkey for the Northern Front. Instead we had to air drop troops and equipment into Kurdistan. The U.S. forces fought along side the Kurdish Peshmerga in taking on Hussein's regime and that further cemented the bonds of friendship.
The U.S. Military is right now building military bases in Iraqi Kurdistan - what many believe will be where U.S. troops will eventually be based to ensure stability in Iraq and the region. I don't think the U.S. military will feel too good about incursions into that area by the Turkish Armed Forces.
Yes, in uniform. The Turks need to be more flexible on allowing their Kurds some autonomy.
Kurdistan - the UN-Iraq..
Me too. The little girl at the very end of "Thank You" is great.
Clever it is! The problem for the Kurds is that they have made the decision to be a part of the greater Iraq... recognizing that while they may yearn for total independence that they have to put that aside and instead accept their place as part of an Iraq that includes the Sunni's and Shiite's - and hope that the two stop trying to kill one another.
So, instead they've (the Kurds) chosen to tell the world about "The Other Iraq" - the Iraq that isn't part of the Baghdad suicide bombings and IED attacks that the media is so fixated on.
It's really quite ironic... for decades the Kurds have been the bastard child of the region, looked down upon by many of their neighbors.
But it is the Kurds who chose to embrace sustainable economic growth, free and democratic elections, friendly relations towards Israel and worked alongside the United States.
Now the Middle East is in turmoil, rampant with battles over terrorism... the Shiites and Sunnis in Iraq are exchanging murderous attacks against the innocent civilian populations of one another, and it's the Kurds who have their act together.
Sweet justice for those who chose to act most responsibly, I think.
Sweet justice for those who chose to act most responsibly, I think.
______
Well said.
Most people would embrace economic growth, democratic elections, etc., if they had the security to make it happen. Fortunately for the Kurds, they were covered by being in the "nofly zone" throughout the 90s, so they were de facto their own country.
It will be hard to get them to consider even a loose federation with Iraq Sunnistan and Shiastan. I'm afraid that there will be war with them either from Turkey (who accuses them of hiding Kurdish terrorists), or a "united" Iraq to the south over the Kirkuk oilfields. So our continued presence may be critical for their survival.
This would be an interesting debate because so many factions in the Middle East have pushed for a very different form of government rule and economic policy. Tyranny, oppression and government corruption seem far too common for an area with such vast natural riches and great historical significance.
"It's time we recognized the nature of the conflict. It's total war and we are all involved. Nobody on our side is exempted because of age, gender, or handicap. The Islamofacists have stolen childhood from the world." [FReeper Retief]
Thank You America PING!!!
Pro-American/Pro-Freedom/Pro-Democracy/Beat-The-Terrorists PING!!!
Sadly, not many will, and a significant percentage of those that do, will think it is BS.
That should be "full disclosure".
I saw one of the commercials today and it was excellent.
However, we certainly are starting to make progress.
Yes, my disclaimer should have read "full disclosure." Thanks for the correction.
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