In order to win the war against terrorism, the war for democracy, or whatever you want to call it; the United States has got to evaluate its use of the media as its most important weapon of choice. As van Ham mentions, our enemies are becoming media gurus, using satellite tv, video and mobile technology, and websites as a means to get their messages across in the most efficient way possible. Revolutions are begun and sustained through these media tools, allowing people to tune in and out to the messages they want to believe.
What's interesting however, is that the means is not necessarily the most important part of this battle. It has all become one big cyber race for the hearts and minds of the public... the more people you can reach with a credible message, the higher you rank. Yet this perfect formula of media and message is one to be discovered.... at least for the benefit of the United States. As the means of global media and IT connectivity change, we must understand these new patterns in order to have a leg up on influencing the "international political climate." If technology and media is a contributing factor driving foreign policy, there must be guidelines put in place on how the government will understand and interpret the spread of this news and information.
Media is such an important tool to understand because it determines what issues the public will focus on and deem most important. It plays a role in the shaping of all politics, a form of social power that the US must master in order to be a relevant participant in today's international power struggle.
Sources:
van Ham, Peter. "Media and Globalization." In Social Power.
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