Reality of the Iraqi Islamic State?

For those interested in al-Qaeda's declaration of an Iraqi Islamic State, and the reported march through Ramadi of al-Qaeda fighters, here are a couple of al-Jazeera screenshots I swiped from a jihadi forum celebrating the public demonstration:

A couple of things to note:  there was such a rally, it was covered on al-Jazeera, and there were not a lot of people watching or participating.   All of which makes it look like something of a media stunt.

Yasir Abu Hilala, al-Jazeera's Jordan bureau chief, writing in today's al-Ghad, concludes that "the reality is that this is media war, nothing more."  Al-Qaeda has never had the substantial presence in Iraq attributed to it by the United States, but it has successfully magnifed its own importance through clever use of various media forms.  This is one more instance of al-Qaeda's savvy media strategy, he argues.  Abu Hilala also places the tape in the context of intra-Qaeda struggles, taking seriously resentment that bin Laden chose al-Masri instead of an Iraqi leader;  and offers a devastating comparison between the "Iraqi Islamist State" and the "Green Zone State"... neither, he argues, is really a state and both testify to the absence of any real state in Iraq today.  (UPDATE - Badger gives a fuller translation of Abu Hilala's piece here)

Comments

[Jonathan Versen]

When I hear administration talking points regugitated on US cable teevee I occasionally wonder if the cable TV news people even believe their own hype.

For example, I remember there was a moderately big to-do on FoxNews about a new al-Q video on the morning of Friday 9-29 about how they wanted to create a Sunni separatist state, but it all got washed away and forgotten by Mark Foley's resignation later that same day.

[Craig]

Al-Qaeda has never had the substantial presence in Iraq attributed to it by the United States, but it has successfully magnifed its own importance through clever use of various media forms.

Yeah... Al Qaeda is a terrorist group. That's what they do, eh? :P

This man talks as if there are people who believe Al Qaeda is an military force or something.

Abu Aardvark, sometimes I wonder what points you are trying to prove, with your posts? It seems like you are stating the obvious and expecting people to dispute it?

Kind of funny that an AL Jazeera asshat is complaining about teh exagerrated importance of Al Qaeda in the media, anyway. That alone made it worth the read :)