Remapping traditional understandings of broadcasting and digesting war.

I'm not a fan of Israel's attacks on Gaza. But I am amazed at the IDF's youtube vlog and I think it's a fascinating remapping of how war is fought and groups broadcast and justify their wars. Of course, there are mouthpieces explaining away the attacks but also fresh footage of air assaults.

Most importantly, it's a novel approach to controlling and disseminating information. Let's face it, very few of us can watch the footage and say conclusively what targets are being attacked or what military value they contain. But it doesn't matter. The clips express an intrinsic authority for a Western audience. Sure, many of us question what we see on CNN, but that footage still retains a fundamental authenticity, particularly since the first stage of the US' long war in Iraq (Shock and Awe Part I in 1991). The purpose of the vlog and the clips isn't merely to justify the war, but to participate in the processes of manipulating the currency of "video evidence," technology, and outlets such as youtube to control the discourse of war. Fascinating method.

IDF Vlog