The author interrogates the history of propaganda in the U.S., revealing a long history of presidential administrations who "spin" war to make it more palatable for the majority of Americans.

• Media critic Solomon (Target Iraq: What the News Media Didn't Tell You) looks at the pro-war propaganda generated by the U.S. government during military interventions, emphasizing the influence of the media upon public opinion. He begins in 1965, when President Johnson crafted public messages as he sent troops to the Dominican Republic. Solomon claims that LBJ's handling of this invasion established the prototype for a media agenda employed by subsequent presidents to create public approval for their actions. He finds several formulaic messages that help persuade the public to support military intervention. These include portraying America as a fair and noble superpower, whose honest leaders work hard to avoid war, and the enemy leader as an aggressive, Hitler-like violator of human rights who will do much harm unless the United States intervenes. Solomon's timely analysis, which continues through the current war in Iraq, provides the public, analysts, and journalists with useful tips on how to evaluate the prewar messages of any administration, current or historical. Of interest to both public and academic libraries.-Judy Solberg, George Washington Univ. Libs., Washington, DC (Library Journal, July 15, 2005) ""An engaging book that helps explain how the myth-making machine works."" (The Texas Observer, July 8, 2005)""Brutally persuasive...a must-read for those who would like greater context with their bitter morning coffee, or to arm themselves for the debates about Iraq that are still to come."" (Los Angeles Times, June 29, 2005)

  Autorentext
  Norman Solomon was born in Cardiff, S. Wales. His career has included periods as pulpit rabbi, university lecturer, and interfaith consultant. He is a member of Wolfson College Oxford and past president of the British Association for Jewish Studies. His publications include Judaism and World Religion, A Very Short Introduction to Judaism, Historical Dictionary of Judaism, The Talmud: A Selection, and Torah from Heaven, as well as numerous articles and reviews.

  Klappentext

  War Made Easy cuts through the dense web of spin to probe and scrutinize the key "perception management" techniques that have played huge roles in the promotion of American wars in recent decades. This guide to disinformation analyzes American military adventures past and present to reveal striking similarities in the efforts of various administrations to justify, and retain, public support for war. War Made Easy is essential reading. It documents a long series of deliberate misdeeds at the highest levels of power and lays out important guidelines to help readers distinguish a propaganda campaign from actual news reporting. With War Made Easy, every reader can become a savvy media critic and, perhaps, help the nation avoid costly and unnecessary wars.

  Zusammenfassung
  "War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death".

  Inhalt

  Prologue: Building Agendas for War.1. America Is a Fair and Noble Superpower.2. Our Leaders Will Do Everything They Can to Avoid War.3. Our Leaders Would Never Tell Us Outright Lies.4. This Guy Is a Modern-Day Hitler.5. This Is about Human Rights.6. This Is Not at All about Oil or Corporate Profits.7. They Are the Aggressors, Not Us.8. If This War Is Wrong, Congress Will Stop It.9. If This War Is Wrong, the Media Will Tell Us.10. Media Coverage Brings War into Our Living Rooms.11. Opposing the War Means Siding with the Enemy.12. This Is a Necessary Battle in the War on Terrorism.13. What the U.S. Government Needs Most Is Better PR.14. The Pentagon Fights Wars as Humanely as Possible.15. Our Soldiers Are Heroes, Theirs Are Inhuman.16. America Needs the Resolve to Kick the "Vietnam Syndrome".17. Withdrawal Would Cripple U.S. Credibility.Afterword.Notes.Acknowledgments.Index.