This realisation, in itself, was described in various quarters as a wake- up call for the US and its image in the wider world.
Having woken up at last to the need to conduct an information war, and on the principle that it is far better to know your enemy if such a ‘war’ is to be won, we need to understand the main themes of anti-American propaganda prior to the attacks, not least because they are sufficiently deep-rooted to provide fertile ground today for refutations about America as ‘a force for good in the world’.
The principal source of anger is, of course, US support for Israeli ‘state-sponsored terrorism’ against the Palestinians.
Although Bin Laden is a comparatively recent convert to this cause, he fully understands how effectively this resentment can be translated into support for his ‘jihad’ against the west.
