Selling War: A Critical Look at the Military's PR Machine

by Steven J. Alvarez

In the spring of 2004, army reservist and public affairs officer Steven J. Alvarez waited to be called up as the U.S. military stormed Baghdad and deposed Saddam Hussein. But soon after President Bush’s famous PR stunt in which an aircraft carrier displayed the banner “Mission Accomplished,” the dynamics of the war shifted. Selling War recounts how the U.S. military lost the information war in Iraq by engaging the wrong audiences—that is, the Western media—by ignoring Iraqi citizens and the wider Arab population, and by paying mere lip service to the directive to “Put an Iraqi face on everything.” In the absence of effective communication from the U.S. military, the information void was swiftly filled by Al Qaeda and, eventually, ISIS. As a result, efforts to create and maintain a successful, stable country were complicated and eventually frustrated.


Alvarez couples his experiences as a public affairs officer in Iraq with extensive research on communication and government relations to expose why communications failed and led to the breakdown on the ground. A revealing glimpse into the inner workings of the military’s PR machine, where personnel become stewards of presidential legacies and keepers of flawed policies, Selling War provides a critical review of the outdated communication strategies executed in Iraq. Alvarez’s candid account demonstrates how a fundamental lack of understanding about how to wage an information war has led to the conditions we face the rise of ISIS and the return of U.S. forces to Iraq.

 

Genres: War

384 pages, Hardcover

Published March 1, 2016

Reviews

[Rachel Brune · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a military journalist who served in Iraq from 2003-2004 and again from 2005-2006, I can say this book is the kick in the pants to the military PAO profession that it needs, and that will likely be ignored because it doesn't sugar coat the truth. A valuable insider's-eye view on the world of military press liaising and the challenges facing those Soldiers tasked to tell the Army story, this book is also well-written and funny as hell. I highly recommend it!

[Steve Swanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book has moments where it gets a bit academic. It is heavily researched. But even with some yawn worthy pages, it is a really good book that shares a side of military operations I knew very little about. I was surprised at how much goes on behind the scenes. I didn't know the services had PR personnel. The title caught my eye in the bookstore as did that creepy picture. This isn't a stereotypical war memoir and I can see where this guy's way of thinking met with resistance. It is a very good read and one that captures quite effectively the madness of the Iraq war.

[Steven Miller · Rating 1 out of 5]

Though I agree with the underlying idea of this book--that the military's public affair apparatus is not very good--this book does nothing to address the problem. Alvarez' attempt to offer solutions to the problem gets lost in his self-aggrandizement.

This book is really a memoir of his year in Iraq. The first 250 pages is a collection of stories of bombings, mortar and rocket attacks, and encounters with Iraqis and U.S. leaders; stories that all of us who were there at that time have. Then one chapter critiques--appropriately but not effectively--the world of military public affairs. The next chapter reverts back to memoir where he lists all of the top journalists that he interacted with. Finally in the epilogue the truth behind this book comes out: Alvarez feels like he wasted a year of his life in Iraq.

Most of the rest of us do, too. There is nothing new or valuable in this book.