Section[ Appendix - The 8 Strategic Pillars
Title[ Pillar 8 - Strengthen Public Understanding of Coalition Efforts and Public Isolation of the Insurgents
Strategic Pillar Eight
Strengthen Public Understanding of Coalition Efforts and Public Isolation of the Insurgents
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE: Widespread understanding in Iraq, the Arab world, and international
arena of Iraq's successes in building democracy, prosperity, and security. Violent extremism is
discredited within and outside Iraq. A professional and informative Iraqi news media has taken root.
Status: Successes in Iraq's political and economic development are overshadowed in the international
media, including popular pan-Arab outlets, by a relentless focus on terrorist and extremist violence and a
misleading spotlight on the disagreements among Iraqi politicians. This has contributed to an inaccurate
and unbalanced view of developments in Iraq among many international audiences and within Iraq itself.
Since the fall of Saddam, hundreds of new independent media outlets have sprung up in Iraq. Their
presence is a testament to the vitality of a free press, but their quality is often uneven and their level of
professionalism could be improved. Together with our international partners, we are working to promote
civic understanding and enable Iraq's public and private media institutions to flower.
The United States is helping Iraq achieve this objective by pursuing the following lines of action:
- Communicating with the Iraqi public through information programs and civic education
campaigns
- Providing technical assistance and training to support a free, independent, and responsible
Iraqi media (including television, radio, and print) that delivers high-quality content and
responsible reporting throughout Iraq
- With our international partners, working to help the Iraqi Government develop the ability
and capacity to communicate with its citizens in a professional, effective, and open
manner
- Encouraging Iraqis to participate in the political process, including the referendum on the
constitution and national elections in December 2005, through a wide variety of civic
education and public communications tools
- Informing Iraqis about the progress of reconstruction, security, and infrastructure on the
national, regional, and local level
"America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling. Our goal instead is to
help others find their own voice, to attain their own freedom and to make their own way."
-President George W. Bush, January 2005
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