Weaponising mass distractions

The term Weapons of Mass Destruction, or WMDs, became a household word during the invasion of Iraq in 2003 by the US government under President George W Bush. But it was in 1977 that the UN General Assembly ratified the definition of Weapons of Mass Destruction as “[…] atomic explosive weapons, radioactive material weapons, lethal chemical and biological weapons, and any weapons developed in the future which might have characteristics comparable in destructive effect to those of the atomic bomb ...”

After September 11, President Bush decided to show his machismo to the American public, who, rattled by the horror of what had happened, feared further terrorist threats. First, the US government decided to go after Al-Qaeda supported by the ruling Taliban government and carpet-bombed Afghanistan in 2001. After overthrowing the Taliban, they helped set up a friendly government there, posting US forces to keep the peace. (That the Taliban is back in the saddle in Afghanistan is testimony to the fact that invading a country and then leaving it in the lurch is not exactly a great achievement.)

Unable to track down Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, Bush shifted attention to Iraq on the pretext of looking for Weapons of Mass Destruction, claiming President Saddam Hussein was hiding them. The other Western forces that joined in the invasion came to be known as the “Coalition” in what was termed as Operation Iraqi Freedom, launched on March 20, 2003. Freedom from whom, as the Iraqi leader, Saddam, though termed a dictator, ruled in a way that religion did not dominate and women enjoyed freedom of movement and careers.

What was notable about the Iraq War coverage was that Western forces cleverly included journalists within the military units involved in the armed conflicts. It gave credence to the term, embedded journalism, where all the war reporting was based on the data dictated by the Coalition Forces.

Rageh Omaar, then BBC journalist, who gained fame by reporting as an embedded journalist, later quit, unhappy over the “fraud” being perpetrated on viewers by misleading coverage. No journalist had actual figures of the Iraqis who died towards the end of the invasion and all used the US’ Iraqi Body Count, as opposed to the Lancet Journal, which in its second survey estimated the figures to be upward of 6,54,956. It was left to websites like Media Lens, to draw attention to the Lancet figures and the misreporting, which included lauding Bush, Blair, Rumsfeld as war heroes. Ironically, no WMDs were found but Iraq was destroyed, leading to the rise of terrorism against the West and the xenophobic attitude towards Islam.

So whilst searching for Weapons of Mass Destruction, the US actually employed Weapons of Mass Distraction, due to their inability to capture Osama-Bin-Laden. The invasion was an attempt at redrawing the geopolitical map of West Asia, with control of the oil resources. Twenty years later, the world is still paying the price. Perhaps, India also learnt how to deploy the Weapons of Mass Distraction!

Since the past few months, app users are being flooded with images under the title of Mera Bharat and provocative titles like “These are your Real Heroes,” versus, “These are Invaders”. The text continues, “We don’t need historians to tell us our past. Our past is engraved on stones in our world-class temples,” followed by dozens of glorifying images extolling the rich Hindu past and the need to spread awareness.

With galloping inflation, triggered by the rise in petrol, diesel and cooking gas prices, life has become hard for the common man and the middle class too. You wouldn’t believe it if you were to check most of the television channels, that are practicing another kind of embedded journalism, now called Godi Media -- when you forget objectivity in reporting and cushion the shortcomings of the government.

Before the state elections in 2022, all one heard was the Hijab, with both Hindu and Muslim men in the forefront. Either critiquing or defending the wearing of it. Those who cite the Manu Smriti can rest assured about the support of men of all religions who have internalised the ownership of women. Or else, why is it that women need to be told what to wear?

The problem with the Weapons of Mass Distraction are that they can act as triggers. Irresponsible statements on TV debates and collusion by partisan anchors have resulted in international and domestic protests lately. Weaponising and bulldozing, both with and without using JCBs, can fan violence. Hopefully, the day will dawn when people will ask for the truth and refuse to be distracted.

(The author is an independent writer)