Washington’s mind games

The Syrian opposition accused government forces of committing a “massacre” last week. For their part, the government blamed them for spreading violence and creating instability. While the Syrian army and rebel forces battle on the ground, another, perhaps more important, battle is being waged away from the bullets and tanks.

The target is not so much a government compound, a high level official or a rebel hideout. In fact, this particular fight involves no direct confrontation, no casualty in the traditional sense and no domestic backlash. The brain behind the unconventional war is the US, the driving force is the media and the aim is domination of the psyche.

As for the target, it’s everyone; allies, enemies and observers. In recent years, the US has waged large-scale wars. Its tanks roamed the streets of Baghdad and sophisticated airplanes dominated the skies of Kabul. But a more effective, less costly path has been using the dollar as a tool to secure alliances like in Georgia, Ukraine and Serbia. These alliances advanced the interests of the US while undermining Russia.

In Syria, it appears that the US is following the same path. Washington is choosing to indirectly topple the regime by simultaneously sharpening its tone in international boardrooms and supplying money and equipment to the opposition. The US has indeed perfected the art of war by knowing how to fight and achieve triumph without needing to send a single uniform soldier into battle.

It is becoming increasingly clear that victory can be one journalist away. Success can be achieved by placing the right caption at the appropriate place. When it comes to Syria, the US has certainly succeeded in waging and winning the media war.

The US has brilliantly shaken the trust in the ability of the Syrian regime to hold up. The media planted the seeds of doubt, spreading rumours and predictions, which helped lead to division and defection. Ironically and despite major setbacks, the Syrian regime is still intact and arguably effective. The Syrian rebels have thus far been unable to retain control of cities for long. The opposition is publicly divided and lacks strong leadership. However, the media has created an undeniable momentum giving an illusion of strength to the opposition and shaking confidence in the regime.

Key goals

Media converge no longer asks if Syrian President Bashar Al Assad will survive but wonders precisely when he will fall. Last week, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with her Turkish counterpart to set up contingency plans to deal with the situation after the fall of the regime. One of the key goals of the meeting was is to press the psychological war and give the impression that game is over.

Speculations of the fate of Syria after the removal of Al Assad create doubt, chaos, and breeds fear amongst supporters of the regime. It gives the impression that the boat is sinking fast and thus defections inevitably follow. Whether or not the boat is actually sinking is of little importance. What matters is that the passengers and jumping off in fear.

It is interesting to see how different media outlets deliver cohesive coverage and even identical wordings. The Washington Post associate editor and columnist, David Ignatius titled his op-ed ‘Looking for a Syrian endgame’. Time magazine’s cover story on July 21 was titled ‘Syria towards the endgame’. The same week, George Friedman, founder of influential intelligent company Stratford, began an analysis piece on Syria by declaring “We have entered the endgame in Syria”.

The physiological war is gaining momentum and the ‘endgame’ might as well be near, but the real question is, what’s planned after the game?

Dina Khanat is a political analyst and Interdisciplinary Studies instructor at Zayed University.