The "Information Operations" War in Iraq

"Bush planners appear to have left television off the
initial [bombing] target list because they wanted to use it to
administer Iraq immediately after the war and to limit the
damage to civilian infrastructure. Reports from Iraq, however, suggest that the American
restraint was seen by many Iraqis as an indication of Mr.
Hussein's resilience, undermining the allied message that
his days were numbered. There are, in fact, two parallel battles underway. One is
the intense assault American forces are mounting to set
themselves up for a drive to Baghdad to overthrow the
Saddam Hussein regime. The other, and equally critical, is
the struggle to secure the support of Iraqi citizens. The
military has a name for its campaign to win over the Iraq
population It is called. 'I.O' for 'information
operations.' The problem is that during the initial days of
the war Mr. Hussein's 'I.O.' has been beating the allied
'I.O.' "