Middle East Review of International Affairs

Volume 8, Number 4, December 2004

 

Iraq's Hostage Crisis: Kidnappings, Mass Media and the Iraqi Insurgency
by Ibrahim al-Marashi ^*

 

Abstract

This article analyzes the use of kidnapping as a tactic by the Iraqi insurgency in its effort to influence Iraqi, Arab, and Muslim public opinion and politics, as well as the international arena. It assesses how this method has yielded important advantages for the insurgents, despite the horror and opposition this behavior arouses in the outside world.

Full Text (PDF, 11 pages, 64.8 KB)

Note *: Ibrahim Al-Marashi (Ph.D. Oxford University) is a post-doctoral fellow at Sabanci University. He was a consultant to the Iraq Analysis Center in New York and a lecturer at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, as well as a research associate at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies.