Mass deception : moral panic and the U.S. war on Iraq / Scott A. Bonn.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bonn, Scott A., 1957-

Series:

Critical issues in crime and society.

Critical issues in crime and society

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Iraq War, 2003-2011--Deception.

Iraq War, 2003-2011.

Iraq War, 2003-2011--Causes.

Deception--Political aspects--United States.

Deception.

Rhetoric--Political aspects--United States.

Rhetoric.

Bush, George W. (George Walker), 1946-.

Bush, George W.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (209 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New Brunswick, NJ : Rutgers University Press, c2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The attacks of 9/11 led to a war on Iraq, although there was neither tangible evidence that the nation's leader, Saddam Hussein, was linked to Osama bin Laden nor proof of weapons of mass destruction. Why, then, did the Iraq war garner so much acceptance in the United States during its primary stages? Mass Deception argues that the George W. Bush administration manufactured public support for the war on Iraq. Scott A. Bonn introduces a unique, integrated, and interdisciplinary theory called "critical communication" to explain how and why political elites and the news media periodically create public panics that benefit both parties. Using quantitative analysis of public opinion polls and presidential rhetoric pre- and post-9/11 in the news media, Bonn applies the moral panic concept to the Iraq war. He critiques the war and occupation of Iraq as violations of domestic and international law. Finally, Mass Deception connects propaganda and distortion efforts by the Bush administration to more general theories of elite deviance and state crime.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Foreword

Preface

Chapter 1. George W. Bush and the Drums of War

Chapter 2. Why Do Many in Society Drink the Kool-Aid Served in a Moral Panic?

Chapter 3. Empirical Evidence of an Elite-Engineered Moral Panic over Iraq

Chapter 4. How the Bush Administration Sold the Iraq War to the U.S. Public

Chapter 5. The Power Elite, State Crime, and War Crime

Chapter 6. The Higher Immorality and Crimes of the Bush Administration

Chapter 7. What Are the Lessons of the Iraq War?

Appendix

Bibliography

Index

About the Author

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-283-38319-5

9786613383198

0-8135-4996-5

OCLC:

769927199