Misleading Pictures, Genuine Conflict: Iran, Photoshop, and What It All Means

Last week, Iran made waves by test-firing missiles that could easily reach Israel, as well as any other Middle Eastern state, some East Asian states, and several European states (this map shows the range of some of the tested missiles).   U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that Iran should “get on the right side of the international community” by worrying about the incentive package offered to Iran for the suspending of its uranium enrichment program instead of “about threats against America or threats against America's allies."  The Iranian defense minister responded that the missiles are “just for defensive purposes,” paradoxically stating that "our missiles will not be used to threaten any country” and “they are only intended for those who dare attack Iran."

The situation with Iran is somber and politically charged, and the image of four missiles soaring skyward made many front pages.  While the issue and reason for concern are genuine, the New York Times noticed that the image is not.  The third missile from the left, it seems, is a digitally enhanced combination of the missiles on its right and left.  Why the fraud?  The supposed original photo shows that one of the missiles seems to have failed- a fact which would tarnish this image of Iran’s military might.  We cannot be certain that this was the reason for the fraud, and commenter Nate suggests some other possible motivations.  He proposes that someone may have thought the additional missile made the image 33% scarier, or that “they thought it really tied the composition together, which, I have to say, it actually does.”

Less than a week since the distribution of the fake, propagandists outside of Iran are firing back, and they are using the same ammo of choice: Photoshop.  Parodies of Iran’s fake include a transposed kitten batting at a missile, Uncle Sam snatching one out of the air, and Wile E. Coyote hiding under an umbrella as a storm of missiles rains down on the test site.

Besides being funny, these parodies illuminate an interesting link between technology, information, and conflict.  Not only do everyday citizens have access to participate in international conflict from the safety of their home-offices, they have also ushered in an era where passive aggressive retaliation is easy and almost instantaneous.  Furthermore, especially in the case of the parodies, the perpetrators are individual citizens of a global community- uncentralized, uncommanded, and unaccountable.

These themes echo the current trend of non-state actors’ participation in conflict, and they challenge the international community to find new ways to respond to the challenge presented by dispersed access to information and technology. When facing this challenge, policymakers must remember that individuals are not passive recipients of information; rather, they are thinking, reacting citizens who will use technology as an outlet for participation.