Separating Terrain from Terror

On 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand--where rap group G Unit wars in the Middle East--Garnett Lee, of 1up.com, writes:

Despite the association that comes almost reflexively now after seeing so many similar looking settings on news reports, Blood on the Sand neatly sidesteps almost any reference to terrorism. 50 and company just want to get paid after a concert promoter stiffs them.

"Despite" isn't the right word. It's "because".