Afghanistan ; the power of media and propaganda, persuasion, deception at work..

Media's role in propaganda, shaping the minds and influencing the attitude of masses on a given issue at a given time has reached at its highest level ever seen in the history of mankind together with thousands of professional writers in various social platforms and blogs. Getting into the minds of people to manipulate, distract, deceive, persuade, mobilize and act in a way that the message sender is intended to, have become so professional with the use -more so abuse - of important issues with the rhetoric and focus-determination, almost an instant positive feedback is being received from the masses. 

Issue of  Taliban capturing the power in Afghanistan and the instant focus on women rights with calls for worldwide action has been so far -at least initially- the most successful example of media's propaganda and persuasion role. 

The specific focus on "Taliban Monster" and future of woman was a means of distracting the attention specifically from the defeat of US and evacuation, concealing the real guilty, or chief partner in the crime for the destruction of country and the history of the evaporation of woman rights in that country,  the role of US played in evaporation through organizing training and funding the jihadist since 1980s and in the process, changing the Afghan society, more like sending them to the middle ages as was in the case of Libya, Iraq.

The foundation for the rhetoric, deception and persuasion is ever-ready in our age of information technology. If one makes a search on internet for the data on worse countries with woman right violation, any informed person will easily catch the fact that the statistics are biased and excludes (or at best not on the top list) the worse countries associated with US  from the list in almost all cases. They mostly include the countries that is against US-EU or fighting against US-EU backed countries. This background statistical information helps the media propaganda, its deception, persuasion, and mobilization. 

Media started with an outcry that the future of women rights now is at risk since the Taliban has the power now. This is followed by the outcry of liberals focusing on  Talibans gaining of the power and connecting to the women rights and by calling worldwide action against Taliban in this reference.

The first question comes to the mind that where were the media and these Liberals (nevermind the common knowledge that this country has one of the worst woman rights violations) when Saudi scientists announced that they had determined women were mammals but not humans.? 

Being silent for ages against one of the worst country in women rights, no public cry, persuasion or mobilization attempts were made before or after this assumed comment. Although power of money went into action denying it to be correct, what matters is that the Liberals have seen this a "step forward" , or more in Jane Austin of Women’s Liberation Action Network words as reported “This is a great leap forward for women’s rights in Saudi Arabia".  Jillian Birch, a spokeswoman at Amnesty International considers the comment progressive and says; “This verdict shows the incredible progress the women’s rights movement has made in the past 50 years,” “Finally, women will no longer be simply considered as objects without souls, but as full-fledged mammals, with the same rights as other animals of their species such as camels and goats,”

The question is not whether the "verdict" was correct or false, the question is the attitude of liberals to a such women degrading phrasing in positive way while they cry out for action for Afghanistan -without even seeing anything but based on assumption not action- regardless of the fact that the assumption has merits.

They have been silent against the slavery in Libya -again another country sent to the middle ages by the same-  where woman and men are sold like commodity..

They have been silent in regard to the most middle east countries that has good relations with US-EU but worse woman's rights records in the world.

Yet somehow, all of a sudden, the second day of Taliban, as US evacuating, the outcry for the women rights becomes the headlines as well as calls for worldwide action?

What is the real message and what is being distracted and what facts are concealed?

The hidden - yet latent blunt- message  is that "US invasion was protecting the woman rights and was guarantor of it, now US is leaving, the woman rights will be abolished.."

Which woman rights? Afghanistan had women rights between 1950s up to early 80s till the US funded, trained, organized jihadists took the power. Women of Afghanistan lost their gained rights..Since then there was no woman rights per say in Afghanistan, continued to be worse with the US invasion..

That's why tying up and connecting the issue of woman rights with the victory of Taliban over US and its "world bank" staff president his government, army is at best a blunt hypocrisy.

Media and paid writers have done a great job in mobilizing the liberals and even some left groups in hiding the factual history. Liberals who have not moved a finger, or spared a word for the ongoing worse woman right violations in Saudi Arabia and others, overnight became the champions of women rights and called for worldwide action against Taliban- without mentioning that they were also funded and organized by US.

Intended and historically well worked latent effect of the message is US invasion is good, once it leaves everything goes bad..

The other message is related to the "face saving" practice of US through extensive use of media. This usually is carried out by minimizing the importance of what has happened or is happening, and thus concealing the fact of "embarrassment" due to defeat ..

A day before and earlier Government officials and Biden was saying live on TV that there is no way that 75,000 men Taliban could beat 300,000 strong government forces with an air force. Coincidently next day Taliban surrounded Kabul, and US decided to evacuate. Thus, early on the media's task has become the "face saver" , and soon after "turning the defeat into victory"..

So media together with professional writers on press and blogs started the "campaign of women rights championship " and calls for action against Taliban has made. Intended message was received by worldwide liberals, and all the recent history of Afghanistan has been forgotten, all the initial ties with Taliban have been erased from the memories..The sole Issue of Taliban and expected horrible women right violations overshadowed all the facts associated with Afghanistan, Taliban and its history..

Inevitably, Liberals and slave minded people absorb the media propaganda with its intended message. However critical minded people see the cheap propaganda and intended messages attached to it. They would say, "although Taliban is as bad as the Saudis and other puppet regimes, that by itself  cannot erase the fact that the event was a recall of Saigon and the women rights in Afghanistan- like the rest- was a victim of US support of Jihadist and a by product of invasion. It is impossible to wash off the dirty hands related to the suffering of woman in Afghanistan and erase the memory of Saigon from the minds that reappeared in a different form.

Aside from politically and practically wrong, It is hypocritical and counterproductive for the leftists in general, and leftists of countries going through a women rights crisis in particular to embrace the such propaganda and participate in the chorus of liberals. Leftists approach to the issues and subjects in comparison with the interests of involved, with the assessment of its historical development - not in isolation but directly connected-, not based on the assumption but based on the concrete conditions and situations in general and in particular, always with the feet on the real ground. 

Erdogan A

August 2021

“The days of the Taliban are over. The future of Afghanistan belongs to the people of Afghanistan. And the future of Afghanistan belongs to freedom.” – George W. Bush, 2006