PSYOP: Post- 9/11 Leaflets: Operation Enduring Freedom

by Giovanni Carmine, Christoph Büchel (Editor)

In the spirit of Taliban , this artist's book on military "psychological operations" collects over 120 propaganda leaflets that have been dropped by the U.S. Army on Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as other similar material. It offers unique insight into the intense and varied strategies in play in a chaotic Middle East.

144 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2006

Reviews

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty eye opening read. Made up primarily of reproductions of leaflets dropped into Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11, it was particularly interesting to see how various cultural soft spots are used in US propaganda. The excerpt from the Air Force manual on the subject, that serves as the books introduction, is a particularly useful guide for picking apart the intentions, and mechanisms, in each of the leaflets.

My one real gripe with the book, however, is that about a third of the leaflets remain untranslated. The authors offer no explanation at to why they were unable to translate all of the items, and it seems to me if they could get someone to translate some they ought to have been able to translate all of them.