From November 2002 to May 2003, Steve Tatham worked alongside American
military planners in the Gulf, coordinating the huge media campaign that
foreshadowed and accompanied the eventual invasion of Iraq. From first
hand experience he witnessed how, in advance of the outbreak of
hostilities, the US planned to win over sceptical Arab hearts and minds.
Yet as the campaign unfolded, Tatham, the Royal Navy's public spokesman
in Iraq, saw how differently the British and Americans regarded the
media and how badly journalists from the Arab world, in particular from
Al-Jazeera satellite television, were treated in comparison to those
from coalition nations. His book is highly critical of how the United
States handled its information war. Notwithstanding the best efforts of
well meaning senior US officials, the mounting death toll, both military
and civilian, saw the Americans all but ignore the Arab media