Desperate Housewives in Saudi Arabia

Wikileaks has done it again! Wikileaks has released many damaging documents pertaining to war and foreign policy, but this time the document that I am most interested is about American television. An article you can read by clicking here says that Wikileaks recently leaked a document stating that America is using its television to persuade Saudi teenagers against waging Jihad against secular countries. Read this excerpt below:

"Reruns of shows like "Desperate Housewives" and "Friends" run uncensored on television in Saudi Arabia, giving the average Saudi a glimpse into American life and culture. And like many an American couch potato, these Saudi tube enthusiasts are fascinated by what they're seeing."

When I read this I began thinking about our civil liberties discussions in class. It is obviously not against the constitution to subliminally message teenagers from another country into sympathizing with America, but is it ethical or a violation of civil liberties? When reading this I was reminded of anti-communist TV and propaganda during the Cold War. I thought about how these situations were different, and came to the conclusion that the main difference was that one situation involves American citizens and one does not. Does our nationality as Americans influence us in our discussions of civil liberties?