Defeats dismay Arab media

The Daily Telegraph ^ | April 7, 2003 | Gerald Butt

[MadIvan]

Arab satellite news channels, broadcasting footage of advances by coalition forces on Baghdad, are beginning to question whether Saddam Hussein has put up a proper fight against the allied advances.

Throughout the Arab world there is a mood of disappointment. The initial resistance by Saddam's forces raised expectations that he would put up a tougher fight around the capital.

"Why is he letting the Arabs down now," a Lebanese caller asked a phone-in programme, "when his forces fought so bravely in the south of the country?"

A presenter on the Dubai-based al-Arabiya television network said the Iraqi leader had promised "surprises" that would inflict huge losses. "Why have we not seen the surprises?"

A military expert later wondered why the Iraqi army had not concentrated on attacking the allies' supply lines, rather than moving forces back to try to defend Baghdad. "Saddam's fedayeen should be attacking the trucks carrying food, water and fuel," he added.

"Why didn't Saddam order all the bridges to be blown up along the route to the capital?" another studio guest wondered.

Several Arab newspapers highlight the discrepancy between Iraq's assessment of the war and that of the coalition forces. "The information war is intensifying," said al-Sharq in Qatar. In Jordan, al-Rai asked "where the real truth lies amid the confusion and contradiction of the news reports?" Nevertheless, on its front page the paper's main headline read: "Iraq retakes Saddam airport."

The Lebanese daily al-Nahar went one better, saying that "Saddam led the attack to retake the airport", while Akhbar al-Khaleej in Bahrain said: "We have wiped out the invading forces at the airport."

But other Arab papers adopt a more realistic line, with al-Watan in Saudi Arabia declaring that "the Americans have taken the airport and the Iraqis have retreated into Baghdad".

Kuwait's Rai al-Am assessed the situation in three words: "Baghdad's last stand."

[snankive]

According to the Iraqi Minister of Information, Sadam Husein and his forces have successfully defeated and army of 1 million 8 legged monsters near their interplanetary space base on the the moon and have a very large AK47 pointed back down at earth aimed directly at the Whitehouse so the US forces that are not in Iraq and not at the Airport and nowhere to be seen should immediately give themselves up. His crack dealer is also missing and wants us to know that he is doing everything he can to keep a staight face while in front of the cameras.

Later in the day the Iraqi Minister for Information said today that the 3000 bodies along route 8 into the city and out to the Airport are actors pretending to be dead from shots recieved by the American actor troops of the 3rd ID 30 Kms away in a town he recognizes from the video tape that is not Bagdhad. That the video tape is purely propaganda and that it is all just an illusion. Even the Al Jazeera reporter could not stop snickering. The Minister continued to tell the international press that they had used a couple of kitchen mops to clean up the airport and push the American troops out of the airport and up to the north. The Minister then appeared to do another line of strange white powder and complained about his missing dealer. After offering to take the press out to see the airport to verify his story he became very busy filing blank pieces of paper in a shredder to be able to organize the trip.

In an interview that followed with Al Jezeera ( the station of record) he became visibly upset at a sudden awareness that this station was sourcing some of its news from outside of Iraq. He stormed out of the studio, his clown's nose in his hand.

[GrandMoM]

Sounds like some of the Arabs have been sneaking peeks of Fox News. Al Jizzera and the other AraboFascist media outlets have the US-UK losing...

....you can bet your sweet bibby their watching FOX and it's scaring the HE$$ out of them!!! LOL

[John Lenin]

So far this war has been like a Chuck Wepner, Muhammed Ali fight.

[Don'tMessWithTexas]

Frankly, we are just enjoying the playing of Scotland the Brave. HeeeHeee!

[sweetliberty]

Baghdad Bob says: "Nothing to worry about. We are beating back coalition forces. They are suffering great losses. They are nowhere near Baghdad."

.

[sweetliberty]

"Sounds just like the posters on Democratic Underground"

Hehehe....

[KSCITYBOY]

I guess failure after failure can make a large group of people delusional. They won't make real advances as a society till the deal in facts.

[sweetliberty]

They believe what they want to believe. I don't think that truth or reality figure into it too much.

[sweetliberty]

"They won't do that before the liberals in the US do it -- and you know that ain't going to happen in my lifetime"

Oh, I don't know. Fox reported today that 2/3 of them now support the war and think it was the right thing to do. Of course, we are likely to see that number continue to rise in direct proportion to the president being proven right time and time again. Before you know it, they'll be they'll be taking the credit claiming that it was THEY who forced the president's hand into doing something about Saddam.

[alwaysconservative]

Saddam still might use bio/chem. and make his legions of Muslim admirers wet their panties.

That's what I'm afraid of. I'm happy with our progress, but won't breathe easy until Saddam is dead or imprisoned, and our young people are home again, safe and sound. I fear rejoicing too early, for Saddam usually has something up that smarmy sleeve of his.

[sweetliberty]

"Has anyone noticed how the Coalition Forces have changed the Republican Guards into the Democrat Guards"

.

[ArneFufkin]

Ooooh, it is getting bleak: Kareem Abdul Jabbar just changed his name to Lew Alcindor.

[fightinJAG]

Oh, golly.

This is why I say if we want to take one giant step for freedom in this region, once we have liberated Iraq, let's use some of our billions in reconstruction monies to give a satellite dish and subscription to 500 channels to any Iraqi who wants one.

Sure they will see a lot of crap along with the truth, but that is what freedom of speech is all about. I want to see Fox broadcast with Arabic subtitles!!

[Chirodoc]

Good one!

[nmh]

Psssssst it's just a Hollywood propaganda movie. It's U.S. technolgy that has stopped transmission of saddam insanes "suprises" that are inflicting mass casualities on coalition troops.

[Badger_MI]

The Arabs to use an expression, should take their heads out of the sand they've buried them in for a moment and face reality.

Um, I don't think it's sand they have their heads buried in. I believe they qualify for a genuine "HUB" (Head Up Butt) awards.

[AmericanVictory]

Obviously, the evil of this fascist regime is immaterial.

All that matters is that this monster is an Arab.

Why do our intellectuals give this attitude a free ride?

[maui_hawaii]

Pretty soon, and for the next 20 years, we will start hearing of Elvis Saddam sightings all over the place...

[longtermmemmory]

You tell saddam its time to surrender. Remember what Hitler did to the German general who secretly went to england to talk of peace? The only nice thing is that they allowed him the "honorable way to avoid a court marshal". What was his name...

[Koblenz]

The South African Defence Forces used to have an informal slogan, "30 days to Cairo". Meant that their forces could conquer the entire continent and get to Cairo in 30 days. Maybe a slight exaggeration, but who knows? Anway, it looks as if the Mid East armies are much the same: they've got no capabilities of standing up to well-trained, well-equipped, western militaries. In fact, since the time of the Greeks, western militaries have almost always soundly defeated non-Western armies. There have been a few exceptions, mainly when western armies invaded non-western countries. However, when western armies have been defeated in a battle, they'd regroup and win the next one (e.g., Hannibal's early victories). Western armies have always been better trained, more motivated (fighting for freedom, not some despot usually), and willing to use the scientific method (if a western army lost a battle, the planners would figure out why and modify their attack the next time, whereas non-western armies would blame the gods, the spirits, whatever, and then do the exact same thing the next time).

For a great military history of west vs. non-west, see Carnage and Culture, by Victor Davis Hanson.