Winning the War of Words

Winning the War of Words
Author: Wojtek Mackiewicz Wolfe
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 153
Release: 2008-01-30
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0313349681

Throughout history and especially during contemporary times, presidential rhetoric sets the foreign policy tone not only for Congress but mainly for the American public. Consequently, US foreign policy is actively marketed and spun to the American public. This book describes the marketing strategy of the War on Terror and how that strategy compelled public opinion towards supporting the spread of the War on Terror from Afghanistan to Iraq. The author investigates how President George W. Bush's initial framing of the September 11th attacks provided the platform for the creation of long term public support for the War on Terror and established early public support for U.S. action in Iraq. Mining public opinion data and nearly 1500 presidential speeches over a four year period, the book argues that presidential framing of threats and losses, not gains, contributed to public support for war in Afghanistan, war in Iraq, and President Bush's successful reelection campaign. President Bush's initial framing of the terrorist threat was introduced immediately after the September 11th attacks and reinforced throughout the Afghanistan invasion. During this time period, presidential threat framing established the broad parameters for the War on Terror and enabled the president to successfully market a punitive war in Afghanistan. Second, the president marketed the strategy of preemptive war and led the country into the more costly war in Iraq by focusing on the potentially global threat of terrorism and the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction. President Bush's previous war rhetoric was repackaged into a leaner, more focused format in which the Iraq war became part of the War on Terror, resulting in increased support for the president and a successful reelection campaign. Finally, the author examines the withdraw vs. surge in Iraq debate bringing the book up to date. The book shows the influencing potential of presidential spin and of risky foreign policy in the Middle East, and presents a systematic analysis of how a president effectively pursued a marketing strategy that continues to show an enduring ability to influence public support. Even two years after the Iraq invasion, 52% of Americans believed that the U.S. should stay in Iraq until it is stabilized. This finding bypasses agenda setting explanations, which prescribes issue salience amongst the public for only one year. The large speech database available with the study will also be an added benefit to scholars seeking to teach undergraduate and graduate level qualitative research methods.

Wars on Terrorism and Iraq

Wars on Terrorism and Iraq
Author: Thomas George Weiss
Publisher: Psychology Press
Total Pages: 274
Release: 2004
Genre: Human rights
ISBN: 0415700620

Wars on Terrorism and Iraq provides a timely and critical analysis of the impact of the wars on terrorism and Iraq on human rights particularly internationally, as well as related tensions in U.S. foreign policy.

9/11 and the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq

9/11 and the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq
Author: Tom Lansford
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 386
Release: 2011-11-04
Genre: History
ISBN:

This book analyzes the complex causes and effects of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks both domestically and internationally, and examines the subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The first decade of the 21st century witnessed a watershed of political, economic, diplomatic, and military change as a direct result of the events of September 11, 2001. Through narrative chapters, a chronology of events, biographical sketches of principal players, and annotated primary documents, author Tom Lansford documents the domestic impact of the terrorist attacks that stunned the world as well as the subsequent "war on terror" and the invasions and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq. 9/11 and the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq: A Chronology and Reference Guide explores the origins and aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in both the domestic and international contexts. It addresses the rise of global terrorism and the concurrent histories of Afghanistan, Iraq, and the broader Middle East, as well as the interaction of the United States with the region. Events, trends, groups, and individual players are examined as part of the broader historical context, allowing readers to see the connections between these various elements.

Human Rights in the 'War on Terror'

Human Rights in the 'War on Terror'
Author: Richard Wilson
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 376
Release: 2005-10-03
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9780521853194

This book reviews the war on terror since 9/11 from a human rights perspective.

All Roads Lead to Baghdad

All Roads Lead to Baghdad
Author: Charles H. Briscoe
Publisher: Military Bookshop
Total Pages: 548
Release: 2013-08
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781782663577

FULL COLOR publications with many photographs and maps. First published in 2006.

Why We're Losing the War on Terror

Why We're Losing the War on Terror
Author: Paul Rogers
Publisher: Polity
Total Pages: 191
Release: 2008
Genre: History
ISBN: 0745641962

The war on terror is a lost cause. As the war heads towards its second decade, American security policy is in disarray – the Iraq War is a disaster, Afghanistan is deeply insecure and the al-Qaida movement remains as potent as ever with new generations of leaders coming to the fore. Well over 100,000 civilians have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, many tens of thousands have been detained without trial, and torture, prisoner abuse and rendition have sullied the reputation of the United States and its coalition partners. Why We’re Losing the War on Terror examines the reasons for the failure, focusing on American political and military attitudes, the impact of 9/11, the fallacy of a New American Century, the role of oil and, above all, the consummate failure to go beyond a narrow western view of the world. More significantly, it argues that the disaster of the war may have a huge if unexpected bonus. Its very failure will make it possible to completely re-think western attitudes to global security, moving towards a sustainable policy that will be much more effective in addressing the real threats to global security – the widening socio-economic divide and climate change.

Winning Modern Wars

Winning Modern Wars
Author: Wesley Clark
Publisher:
Total Pages: 248
Release: 2003-10-16
Genre: History
ISBN:

Discusses America's involvement in Iraq, including the risks, triumphs, and repercussions, and offers alternatives to future dealings with Iraq and the War on Terrorism.

Inside CentCom

Inside CentCom
Author: Michael DeLong
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 195
Release: 2013-02-05
Genre: History
ISBN: 1621571246

General Mike DeLong deputy commander of the U.S. Central Command during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars was second only to General Tommy Franks in the war on terror. At the centre of discussions between President Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, and Tommy Franks, General DeLong offers the frankest and most authoritative look inside the wars-how the US prepared for battle, how they fought, how two regimes were loppled-and what's happening now.

Winning the Un-war

Winning the Un-war
Author: Charles V. Peña
Publisher: Potomac Books, Inc.
Total Pages: 339
Release: 2011-07
Genre: History
ISBN: 1612343236

According to President Bush, "the American people are safer" as a result of invading Iraq. True, Saddam Hussein has been removed from power. But al Qaeda, the group that planned and carried out the attacks on September 11, remains at large. Meanwhile, the White House has conceded that Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with the attacks. Charles Peña argues that the war in Iraq is but one misstep in the Bush administration's "global war on terror." Terrorism is simply a tactic, however, not an enemy. Trying to eradicate it is a quixotic quest that does not focus on those responsible for 9/11. Instead, the national security strategy should consist of three central elements: establishing homeland security against further attacks; dismantling the al Qaeda terrorist network; and enacting a foreign policy that does not attract new al Qaeda terrorists. This approach requires restructuring U.S. forces and ending Cold War-era commitments that distract from the current, pressing threat. It also requires ameliorating the negative consequences of an interventionist U.S. foreign policy, which creates incentives and opportunities for terrorists to target the United States. If we misdiagnose al Qaeda's motivations or focus military efforts on the wrong targets, then we run the risk that the war against the al Qaeda terrorist threat (and the radical Islamic ideology it represents) will become a broader war against the Islamic world that could last generations and cost countless lives. With a foreword by Michael Scheuer, the bestselling author of Imperial Hubris.

All Roads Lead to Baghdad

All Roads Lead to Baghdad
Author: Charles Harry Briscoe
Publisher: U.S. Government Printing Office
Total Pages: 552
Release: 2006
Genre: History
ISBN:

By Charles H. Briscoe, et al. Tells the story of Iraqi Freedom, the second Army Special Operations (ASO) campaign in America's Global War on Terrorism. Shows how the ASO supported a US-led conventional air and ground offensive to collapse the regime of Saddam Hussein and capture Baghdad. Includes bibliographical references.