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Yes, the Taliban has changed -- it's gotten much better at PR
Source: Washington Post
Yes, the Taliban has changed — it’s gotten much better at PR
By Tanya Goudsouzian August 22 at 5:50 PM
Tanya Goudsouzian, currently with TRT World in Istanbul, is a Canadian journalist who has covered Iraq and Afghanistan for more than 15 years.
The United States is seeking peace with the Taliban. Negotiations in the Qatar capital of Doha could shortly yield an agreement between the two sides that will set a schedule for the gradual withdrawal of U.S.-led forces from Afghanistan. Afghans are watching with apprehension as they wonder whether such a deal might allow the long-feared Islamist militants to regain power.
The Taliban who are taking part in the talks seem starkly different from the fanatical primitives who drew the world’s attention in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Eighteen years ago, the headlines focused on public executions in sports stadiums, bans on music and television, and the deliberate destruction of archaeological treasures. Women accused of adultery were stoned to death, and girls were imprisoned behind family walls.
Today, by contrast, Western media are presenting stories about young Taliban fighters playing cricket, hugging government security forces during religious festivals and raising normal families. Even Afghans themselves are expressing surprise at the sophistication of the insurgent negotiators. Afghan women who recently joined discussions in Doha marveled that the Taliban delegates sat across from them and engaged in direct dialogue, unthinkable in the recent past. They spoke of receiving gifts that reflected traditional Afghan warmth and hospitality.
Yet there is good reason to question the substance behind this apparent transformation. Along with presenting its members as shrewd negotiators, the Taliban is also selling a public image as a more modern, less conservative movement ready to take over the governance of Afghanistan. Often touted as “Taliban 2.0,” its emissaries have refined their public image and their public relations.
Leveraging (some say “weaponizing”) social media is a primary focus of this effort. The Taliban Cultural Commission employs Facebook and Twitter to broadcast messages in multiple languages. It issues communiques and spreads disinformation on WhatsApp, Viber and Telegram. As The Post’s Sharif Hassan recently noted on Twitter: “(the) Taliban’s trolls are more visible on twitter (sic) these days. They are defending the insurgents online, whitewashing their misdeeds and attacking journalists who report facts they dislike.”
-snip-
By Tanya Goudsouzian August 22 at 5:50 PM
Tanya Goudsouzian, currently with TRT World in Istanbul, is a Canadian journalist who has covered Iraq and Afghanistan for more than 15 years.
The United States is seeking peace with the Taliban. Negotiations in the Qatar capital of Doha could shortly yield an agreement between the two sides that will set a schedule for the gradual withdrawal of U.S.-led forces from Afghanistan. Afghans are watching with apprehension as they wonder whether such a deal might allow the long-feared Islamist militants to regain power.
The Taliban who are taking part in the talks seem starkly different from the fanatical primitives who drew the world’s attention in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Eighteen years ago, the headlines focused on public executions in sports stadiums, bans on music and television, and the deliberate destruction of archaeological treasures. Women accused of adultery were stoned to death, and girls were imprisoned behind family walls.
Today, by contrast, Western media are presenting stories about young Taliban fighters playing cricket, hugging government security forces during religious festivals and raising normal families. Even Afghans themselves are expressing surprise at the sophistication of the insurgent negotiators. Afghan women who recently joined discussions in Doha marveled that the Taliban delegates sat across from them and engaged in direct dialogue, unthinkable in the recent past. They spoke of receiving gifts that reflected traditional Afghan warmth and hospitality.
Yet there is good reason to question the substance behind this apparent transformation. Along with presenting its members as shrewd negotiators, the Taliban is also selling a public image as a more modern, less conservative movement ready to take over the governance of Afghanistan. Often touted as “Taliban 2.0,” its emissaries have refined their public image and their public relations.
Leveraging (some say “weaponizing”) social media is a primary focus of this effort. The Taliban Cultural Commission employs Facebook and Twitter to broadcast messages in multiple languages. It issues communiques and spreads disinformation on WhatsApp, Viber and Telegram. As The Post’s Sharif Hassan recently noted on Twitter: “(the) Taliban’s trolls are more visible on twitter (sic) these days. They are defending the insurgents online, whitewashing their misdeeds and attacking journalists who report facts they dislike.”
-snip-
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/08/22/yes-taliban-has-changed-its-gotten-much-better-pr/
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