Pedagogical Uses 2: The Gulf, the Media, and the Classroom — the C-SPAN Advantage

52FUm & History, Vol. XXII, Nos. 1 & 2, February/May 1992 Pedagogical Uses 2: The Gulf, the Media, and the Classroom -the C-SPAN Advantage Edward E. Piatt The onset of "Operation Desert Storm" marked the first occasion when evening news watchers could observe the opening salvos of an armed conflict as they occurred. Viewers of the seven o'clock news (CNN) on January 16, 1991, were undoubtedly as startled as the correspondent in Baghdad when the first bombs and cruise missiles detonated on targets in that city. The backdrop of tracers, anti-aircraft fire, and explosions had not been pre-programmed for inclusion in the broadcast. From that point onward, the media, and television in particular, provided extensive coverage of armed conflict as it occurred. In addition to accounts on the regular commercial channels, two non-traditional t.v. networks - CNN and C-SPAN ~ offered round-the-clock coverage of every significant aspect (and many insignificant ones as well) of the military operations. CNN, with Peter Arnett in Baghdad, gave us a perspective on the war as it appeared in the targetted country. C-SPAN provided the "official" U.S. perspective in the form of presidential statements, speeches, and press conferences, congressional committee hearings and floor debates, and military briefings both from Washington and Riyadh. Much of the coverage was retained on videotape and is available for use in teaching and research. Two aspects of C-SPAN coverage make it especially useful as a teaching tool for classroom instructors . First, C-SPAN has a very liberal copyright policy with regard to use of its materials in the classroom.1 As long as the materials are intended for educational purposes in the classroom, material can be taped from the C-SPAN channels without prior permission, edited as necessary, and retained permanently for later viewing. Second, the Public Affairs Video Archives at Purdue University has recorded all C-SPAN televised materials since 1987. The staff processes the materials, prepares quarterly catalogs, creates computer retrieval systems for locating specific programming quickly, and prepares tapes ordered by interested professors. The cost for this excellent service is remarkably low, and a variety of memberships in a related Academic Consortium are available.2 The quarterly catalogs are especially useful, since they list all new holdings by subject matter headings, personality names, Congressional committee, organization, and events. With all this assistance, identifying relevant tapes to create a case study becomes an easy matter. Edward E. Piatt is Professor ofPolitical Science at Indiana University ofPennsylvania where he teaches courses on American Foreign Policy and Politico-Military Strategy. Pedagogical Uses 2: The Gulf, the Media, and the Classroom 53 Creating a Persian Gulf Case Study For American Foreign Policy and Politico-Military Strategy courses, a dualpurpose case study can be put together emphasizing different aspects of the war. The foreign policy element begins with historical background, then picks up events on August 2, 1990, with the invasion of Kuwait, assesses U.S. and U.N. diplomatic activity, and carries through the beginning of the air war on January 16, 1991 (the "Desert Shield" phase). The politico-military element uses some of the same information as background then concentrates on the military build-up to defend Saudi Arabia, the change of mission in early November, the conduct of the air campaign, and the ground warfare phase which terminated hostilities. A variety of official documents can be pulled together from several sources to provide a "reader" on the Persian Gulf. U.S. State Department "Current Policy" and "Foreign Policy Outlines" provide background materials, including speeches by various presidents and secretaries of state, and other State Department officials. A good starting point is 1971, when U.S. interest in the Persian Gulf was heightened as the British withdrew their military forces from the region. Other State Department documents illustrated the evolution toward our "Twin Pillars" policy, the Iran-Iraq war, and the approaching clash with Iraq. Congressional Research Service information packets were very valuable sources of information. Two packets in particular - "The Iran-Iraq War: Implications for U.S. Policy," and "The Persian Gulf War" ~ provided excellent studies on different aspects of U.S. policy.3 A chronology of events in the latter...