Allies in War, Not in Perspective

"The remarkable military progress of the war in Afghanistan has bought the United States breathing room on the global public relations front," writes political science professor Peter Feaver. "But in the crucial theater of European public opinion, the war on terror is far from won. Indeed, if President Bush is serious about extending the conflict beyond Afghanistan, he will need all the PR help he can get to persuade our European allies to stay on the bandwagon." Feaver examines the differences between European and U.S. coverage of the war, concluding that "the American media has presented a balanced picture of the war," while the European press has been "far more negative."