Home pagePress CenterIn the Media Jon Alterman, director of CSIS's Middle East Program, published an op-ed in the Financial Times, "A Propaganda War that Can Be Lost in Translation."
In the Media | Detail
Jon Alterman, director of CSIS's Middle East Program, published an op-ed in the Financial Times, "A Propaganda War that Can Be Lost in Translation."
In an earlier age, the conflict in Lebanon would have been fought differently, not only on the battlefield but also in the public mind. War used to be a remote affair and government propagandists enjoyed a virtual monopoly over what the public knew of their enemies. Precious few academics had expertise in remote regions of the world and their sympathies lay far more with their governments than with the people those governments fought.
In this changing world, however, the elites who once enjoyed a virtual monopoly over useful knowledge about other societies are swiftly losing ground. Outside the government offices and faculty clubs they have long called home, a universe of bloggers, bootleg translators and self-appointed experts are ascendant.
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