Book Review: Picturing Afghanistan: The Photography of Foreign Conflict, by Paul Verschueren

Abstract

Picturing Afghanistan: The Photography of Foreign Conflict. Paul Verschueren. New York: Hampton Press, 2012. 214 pp. $49.50.Photography of war has been a theme throughout recorded history of photojournal- ism. Beginning with photographers like Matthew Brady, continuing through Eddie Adams and Robert Capa, and presently through James Nachtwey, photographers have been documenting complexities of war for nearly two hundred years. In his book Picturing Afghanistan, Paul Verschueren expands discussion of war photography beyond photojournalism into realms of public affairs, psychological operations (PSYOP), press, and photo book, ultimately showing there are no strong boundaries between photography used in warfare and photography about war. The most important point he makes, however, occurs early in book: All modern wars are 'wars of images.' Despite some focus on weaponry, soldiers, and economics, it is images that bring war to breakfast table and living room. The war in Afghanistan was no exception.Throughout book, Verschueren discusses concepts such as agenda-setting power of photography with people who have no direct experience of depicted real- ity; framing; perception of elements within messages; attention-getting power of photography as confirmed through eye-tracking studies; and even future of newspapers and their increased use of photography for telling stories with more and bigger photos. He clearly documents changes in photography, including inte- gration of amateur and professional photography that changed coverage of modern wars, especially Afghanistan, the first war of videophone.The author clearly advances discussion of war photography, particularly in light of discussion of PSYOP-propaganda. He accurately and clearly notes that pho- tography has been an important instrument of propaganda since American Civil War and that visual propaganda continued throughout Afghanistan conflict, blur- ring lines between media coverage and pure propaganda. Moreover, he discusses problem with blurring such lines in which pictures present a sanitized view of war, displaying no direct violence, virtually no damage, and almost no wounded or dead. He gives numerous specific examples, including Department of Defense and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) images as well as coverage of women and children intended to create empathy among readers and viewers.Through analysis of European newspapers-all important shapers of public opin- ion, Verschueren shows that media outlets framed conflict in Afghanistan in ways similar to those in public affairs and PSYOP at least partially because media outlets increasingly depend on provided images. He expands relationship between media coverage, public affairs, and PSYOP by discussing close relationships that form when photographers are embedded with military combatants for between ten and thirty days, something that began after Gulf War. While he says such close contact resulted in more coverage of conflicts, it came with a price, narrowing scope of coverage as photographers relied on military officials and mission for stories, failing to cover both sides of conflict and sometimes struggling with close, interpersonal conflict they had with warriors. …