In preparing a nation for war, imperial war leaders have to create a
visible and highly charged emotional sense of injustice and
righteousness to secure national cohesion. Their challenge is to
overcome the natural human opposition to early death and the
destruction of civilian life.
The need to invent a cause for war
is especially important with imperialist countries, because their
national territory is not under threat. There is no visible occupation
army oppressing the people in their everyday life nor does the "enemy"
disrupt normal life.
The task of imperial rulers is to fabricate
a world in which the enemy to be attacked is portrayed as an "invader"
or "aggressor." Since all US imperial wars are fought overseas - far
from any immediate threats, attacks or invasions - US imperial rulers
have the special task of making the reasons for war immediate, dramatic
and self-righteously defensive.
Posted inOpinion
