The Role of Internet News Reporting in Creating and Maintaining Popular Perceptions of the Contemporary Enemy in Afghanistan By Shareif Mahmoud, P.Eng, PMP A Major Research Project submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS In CONFLICT ANALYSIS AND MANAGEMENT Recommended: Matthew A. Lauder, MA, MPhil Academic Supervisor Accepted: Fred Oster, PhD Program Head, MA Conflict Analysis and Management Approved: Alex Morrison, MSC, MA Director, School of Peace and Conflict Management ROYAL ROADS UNIVERSITY August 2010 © Shareif Mahmoud, 2010 Library and Archives Bibliothèque et Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de l’édition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-65928-1 Our file Notre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-65928-1 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non- L’auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant à la Bibliothèque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par télécommunication ou par l’Internet, prêter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des thèses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, à des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non- support microforme, papier, électronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. 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Abstract An exploration of the potential effects of enemy imagery in Canadian Internet news reports about the conflict in Afghanistan on the Canadian audience’s perception of the Canadian Forces contemporary enemy, the Taliban. This paper proposes a model for Internet emnification by integrating the results of a content analysis of Canadian Internet war reports with traditional systems thinking. Table of contents The Role of Internet News in Creating and Maintaining Popular Perceptions of the Contemporary Enemy in Afghanistan Abstract .......................................................................................................................................i Table of contents ...................................................................................................................... ii List of figures ...........................................................................................................................iv List of tables .............................................................................................................................. v 1.0 Background: Canada in Afghanistan .................................................................................. 6 1.1 The Taliban .......................................................................................................................8 1.2 Canadians and the Taliban............................................................................................. 15 2.0 Project overview ................................................................................................................19 2.1 Research questions......................................................................................................... 21 2.2 Operational terms........................................................................................................... 22 2.3 Hypothesis...................................................................................................................... 24 2.4 Sponsor........................................................................................................................... 25 2.5 Structure of the paper..................................................................................................... 26 3.0 Project media framework ..................................................................................................29 3.1 Canadian Internet news: war reporting on Afghanistan ............................................... 31 3.2 Media effects on audiences ........................................................................................... 36 3.3 The dynamics between media and public opinion........................................................ 43 3.4 The Internet as a source of news in Canada .................................................................. 47 4.0 Quantitative research: enemy imagery in Canadian Internet news .................................54 4.1 Methodology .................................................................................................................. 60 4.2 Data sources ................................................................................................................... 65 4.3 Quantitative findings ..................................................................................................... 70 5.0 Qualitative analysis: enemy imagery in Canadian Internet news ....................................82 5.1 Qualitative analysis: the contemporary enemy in Afghanistan .................................... 95 5.2 Cross-lagged correlation interpretation ....................................................................... 101 6.0 Attribution Theory application to the problem space ....................................................108 6.1 Attribution processes and enemy imagery .................................................................. 111 6.2 Attribution and the process of enmification................................................................ 116 6.3 Attribution and Internet war reporting ........................................................................ 122 7.0 MRP model......................................................................................................................131 7.1 Defining the model problem space ............................................................................. 135 7.2 Identifying and modeling problem space systems ...................................................... 138 7.3 Comparing the model to reality ................................................................................... 144 8.0 Recommendations ...........................................................................................................149 8.1 Assumptions and an agenda of change ....................................................................... 150 8.2 Implementing change ...................................................................................................164 8.3 Conclusions .................................................................................................................. 175 References .............................................................................................................................178 ii Appendix A: Content analysis protocol sheet ......................................................................192 Appendix B: Panel cross-lagged correlation results ............................................................197 Appendix C: Problem space systems root fefinitions ..........................................................198 iii List of figures Figure 4-1. Quantitative collection method .......................................................................... 61 Figure 4-2. Public opinion question 1 – “Would you talk to the Taliban?”......................... 68 Figure 4-3. Public Opinion Question 2 – “Do you support the Afghanistan mission?” ...... 69 Figure 4-4. Content analysis enemy imagery........................................................................ 72 Figure 4-5. Content analysis enemy themes by percentage identified ................................. 77 Figure 4-6. Cross-lag correlation (CLC) example ................................................................ 78 Figure 5-1. Contemporary enemy in Afghanistan in themes and words............................ 100 Figure 6-1. Attribution process for IED strike against Canadian Forces .......................... 113 Figure 6-2. Attribution process for acid attack against Afghan schoolgirls ...................... 114 Figure 6-3. Attribution process for Taliban election threats............................................... 115 Figure 6-4. The role of attribution and enemy imagery in enmification ............................ 118 Figure 7-1. Rich picture of MRP problem space ................................................................ 136 Figure 7-2. Problematique: MRP problem space issues ..................................................... 137 Figure