Conspiracy Theory And American Foreign Policy

Author : Tim Aistrope
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 171 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 2016
Category : Conspiracy theories
ISBN : 0719099196

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Conspiracy Theory and American Foreign Policy by Tim Aistrope Pdf

Conspiracy theory and American foreign policy examines the relationship between secrecy, power and interpretation around international political controversy, where foreign policy orthodoxy comes up hard against alternative interpretations. It does so in the context of American foreign policy during the War on Terror, a conflict that was quintessentially covert and conspiratorial. This book adds a new dimension to the debate by examining the 'Arab-Muslim paranoia narrative': the view that Arab-Muslim resentment towards America is motivated to some degree by a paranoid perception of American power in the Middle East. This narrative subsequently made its way into numerous US Government policy documents and initiatives advancing a War of Ideas strategy aimed at winning the 'hearts and minds' of Arab-Muslims. This study provides a novel reading of the processes through which legitimacy and illegitimacy is produced in foreign policy discourses. It will appeal to a wide cross-disciplinary audience interested in the burgeoning issues of conspiracy, paranoia, and popular knowledge, including their relationship to and consequences for contemporary politics.

Author : Tim Aistrope
Publisher : Manchester University Press
Page : 197 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 2016-05-01
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781784997816

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Conspiracy theory and American foreign policy by Tim Aistrope Pdf

Conspiracy theory and American foreign policy examines the relationship between secrecy, power and interpretation around international controversy, where foreign policy orthodoxy comes up hard against alternative interpretations. It does so in the context of US foreign policy during the War on Terror, a conflict that was covert and conspiratorial to its core. Offering a new dimension to debates on post-truth politics, this book critically examines the ‘Arab-Muslim paranoia narrative’: the view that Arab-Muslim resentment towards America is motivated to some degree by a paranoid perception of American power in the Middle East. This narrative is traced from its roots in a post-War liberal understanding of populism through to foreign policy debates about the origins of 9/11, to the strategic heart of the Bush Administration’s War of Ideas. Balancing conceptual innovation with detailed case analysis, Aistrope provides a window into the ideological commitments of the US War on Terror. Offering a fascinating insight into conspiracy and paranoia, this book is essential reading for those interested in the relationship between secrecy, power, and contemporary politics.

Author : Richard Hofstadter
Publisher : Vintage
Page : 370 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 2008-06-10
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780307388445

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The Paranoid Style in American Politics by Richard Hofstadter Pdf

This timely reissue of Richard Hofstadter's classic work on the fringe groups that influence American electoral politics offers an invaluable perspective on contemporary domestic affairs.In The Paranoid Style in American Politics, acclaimed historian Richard Hofstadter examines the competing forces in American political discourse and how fringe groups can influence — and derail — the larger agendas of a political party. He investigates the politics of the irrational, shedding light on how the behavior of individuals can seem out of proportion with actual political issues, and how such behavior impacts larger groups. With such other classic essays as “Free Silver and the Mind of 'Coin' Harvey” and “What Happened to the Antitrust Movement?, ” The Paranoid Style in American Politics remains both a seminal text of political history and a vital analysis of the ways in which political groups function in the United States.

Author : Joseph E. Uscinski
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 537 pages
File Size : 55,6 Mb
Release : 2018-11-12
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780190844073

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Conspiracy Theories and the People Who Believe Them by Joseph E. Uscinski Pdf

Conspiracy theories are inevitable in complex human societies. And while they have always been with us, their ubiquity in our political discourse is nearly unprecedented. Their salience has increased for a variety of reasons including the increasing access to information among ordinary people, a pervasive sense of powerlessness among those same people, and a widespread distrust of elites. Working in combination, these factors and many other factors are now propelling conspiracy theories into our public sphere on a vast scale. In recent years, scholars have begun to study this genuinely important phenomenon in a concerted way. In Conspiracy Theories and the People Who Believe Them, Joseph E. Uscinski has gathered forty top researchers on the topic to provide both the foundational tools and the evidence to better understand conspiracy theories in the United States and around the world. Each chapter is informed by three core questions: Why do so many people believe in conspiracy theories? What are the effects of such theories when they take hold in the public? What can or should be done about the phenomenon? Combining systematic analysis and cutting-edge empirical research, this volume will help us better understand an extremely important, yet relatively neglected, phenomenon.

Author : Joseph E. Uscinski,Joseph M. Parent
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 235 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2014
Category : History
ISBN : 9780199351800

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American Conspiracy Theories by Joseph E. Uscinski,Joseph M. Parent Pdf

Conspiracies theories are some of the most striking features in the American political landscape: the Kennedy assassination, aliens at Roswell, subversion by Masons, Jews, Catholics, or communists, and modern movements like Birtherism and Trutherism. But what do we really know about conspiracy theories? Do they share general causes? Are they becoming more common? More dangerous? Who is targeted and why? Who are the conspiracy theorists? How has technology affected conspiracy theorising? This book offers the first century-long view of these issues.

Author : Lance deHaven-Smith
Publisher : University of Texas Press
Page : 273 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2013-04-15
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780292743793

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Conspiracy Theory in America by Lance deHaven-Smith Pdf

Asserts that the Founders' hard-nosed realism about the likelihood of elite political misconduct—articulated in the Declaration of Independence—has been replaced by today's blanket condemnation of conspiracy beliefs as ludicrous by definition.

Author : Scott Radnitz
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 265 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2021
Category : History
ISBN : 9780197573532

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Revealing Schemes by Scott Radnitz Pdf

Conspiracy theories are not just outlandish ideas. They can also be political weapons.Conspiracy theories have come to play an increasingly prominent role in political systems around the world. In Revealing Schemes, Scott Radnitz moves beyond psychological explanations for why people believe conspiracy theories to explore the politics surrounding them and places two questions at thecenter of his account: What leads regimes to promote conspiracy claims? And what are their effects? Using a new database of over 1,500 conspiracy claims collected from 12 post-Soviet states - a region of the world where such theories have long thrived-he shows that purveyors of conspiracy tend toenter the fray in moments of uncertainty and chaos. Conspiracy claims flow most freely where there is serious political competition rather than unbridled autocracy; and in response to destabilizing events that challenge a regime's ability to continue ruling. Leaders who anticipate future challengescan disseminate conspiracy narratives proactively as an insurance policy. But if conspiracy becomes overused, it can also backfire. Radnitz shows that individuals who are exposed to a greater amount of intrigue are more cynical and generally more conspiratorial. Yet, conspiracists are alsosuspicious of the motives of authority figures who tout conspiratorial ideas. The upshot is that conspiracism as a political strategy may become less effective over time. At a time of heightened distrust in democratic institutions and rising populism, understanding how conspiracy theories are usedin a region where democracy came late-or never arrived - can be instructive for concerned citizens everywhere.

Author : Eugene R. Wittkopf
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 424 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 1990
Category : Political Science
ISBN : UOM:39015018335649

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Faces of Internationalism by Eugene R. Wittkopf Pdf

In Faces of Internationalism, Eugene R. Wittkopf examines the changing nature of public attitudes toward American foreign policy in the post-Vietnam era and the role that public opinion plays in the American foreign policymaking process. Drawing on new data--four mass and four elite opinion surveys undertaken by the Chicago Council of Foreign Relations from 1974 to 1986--combined with sophisticated analysis techniques, Wittkopf offers a pathbreaking study that addresses the central question of the relationship of a democracy to its foreign policy. The breakdown of the "consensus" approach to American foreign policy after the Cold War years has become the subject of much analysis. This study contributes to revisionist scholarship by describing the beliefs and preferences that have emerged in the wake of this breakdown. Wittkopf counters traditional views by demonstrating the persistence of U.S. public opinion defined by two dominant and distinct attitudes in the post-Vietnam war years--cooperative and militant internationalism. The author explores the nature of these two "faces" of internationalism, focusing on the extent to which elites and masses share similar opinions and the political and sociodemographic correlates of belief systems. Wittkopf also offers an original examination of the relationship between beliefs and preferences.

Author : Michael Butter,Maurus Reinkowski
Publisher : Walter de Gruyter
Page : 388 pages
File Size : 42,6 Mb
Release : 2014-02-27
Category : Literary Criticism
ISBN : 9783110338270

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Conspiracy Theories in the United States and the Middle East by Michael Butter,Maurus Reinkowski Pdf

Conspiracy Theories in the United States and the Middle East is the first book to approach conspiracy theorizing from a decidedly comparative and interdisciplinary perspective. Whereas previous studies have engaged with conspiracy theories within national frameworks only, this collection of essays draws attention to the fact that conspiracist visions are transnational narratives that travel between and connect different cultures. It focuses on the United States and the Middle East because these two regions of the world are entangled in manifold ways and conspiracy theories are currently extremely prominent in both. The contributors to the volume are scholars of Middle Eastern Studies, Anthropology, History, Political Science, Cultural Studies, and American Studies, who approach the subject from a variety of different theories and methodologies. However, all of them share the fundamental assumption that conspiracy theories must not be dismissed out of hand or ridiculed. Usually wrong and frequently dangerous, they are nevertheless articulations of and distorted responses to needs and anxieties that must be taken seriously. Focusing on individual case studies and displaying a high sensitivity for local conditions and the cultural environment, the essays offer a nuanced image of the workings of conspiracy theories in the United States and the Middle East.

Author : Ilya Yablokov,Precious N Chatterje-Doody
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 93 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 2021-06-08
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781000433593

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Russia Today and Conspiracy Theories by Ilya Yablokov,Precious N Chatterje-Doody Pdf

The Russian international media outlet Russia Today (RT) has been widely accused in the Western world of producing government propaganda and conspiracy theories. This book explores for the first time the role that conspiracy theories actually play in the network’s broadcasts. More than this, it provides the first ever study of how the Russian government engages with conspiracy theories in the international arena, with a particular focus on the use of conspiracy theories as an instrument of public diplomacy. RT was established in 2005 to represent Russia to the world, and to present a Russian perspective on global events. Whilst some of RT’s more overtly conspiratorial output has been taken off the air, the network remains a source of significant concern for governments and intelligence agencies in Europe and North America. Now, more than ever, policymakers, journalists, academics, and intelligence services alike seek to understand the role RT plays in the Russian government’s foreign policy agenda. The authors use RT as a case study to investigate how global communication technologies influence the development and dissemination of conspiracy theories, which are also an important component of the post-Soviet Russian intellectual landscape and Kremlin-sponsored political discourse. This book will appeal to students and scholars of Politics and International Relations, Russian Studies, and Conspiracy Theories.

Author : John J Mearsheimer,Stephen M Walt
Publisher : Penguin UK
Page : 496 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2008-06-26
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780141920665

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The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy by John J Mearsheimer,Stephen M Walt Pdf

Does America’s pro-Israel lobby wield inappropriate control over US foreign policy? This book has created a storm of controversy by bringing out into the open America’s relationship with the Israel lobby: a loose coalition of individuals and organizations that actively work to shape foreign policy in a way that is profoundly damaging both to the United States and Israel itself. Israel is an important, valued American ally, yet Mearsheimer and Walt show that, by encouraging unconditional US financial and diplomatic support for Israel and promoting the use of its power to remake the Middle East, the lobby has jeopardized America’s and Israel’s long-term security and put other countries – including Britain – at risk.

Author : Inderjeet Parmar
Publisher : Columbia University Press
Page : 369 pages
File Size : 54,9 Mb
Release : 2012-04-03
Category : History
ISBN : 9780231517935

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Foundations of the American Century by Inderjeet Parmar Pdf

Inderjeet Parmar reveals the complex interrelations, shared mindsets, and collaborative efforts of influential public and private organizations in the building of American hegemony. Focusing on the involvement of the Ford, Rockefeller, and Carnegie foundations in U.S. foreign affairs, Parmar traces the transformation of America from an "isolationist" nation into the world's only superpower, all in the name of benevolent stewardship. Parmar begins in the 1920s with the establishment of these foundations and their system of top-down, elitist, scientific giving, which focused more on managing social, political, and economic change than on solving modern society's structural problems. Consulting rare documents and other archival materials, he recounts how the American intellectuals, academics, and policy makers affiliated with these organizations institutionalized such elitism, which then bled into the machinery of U.S. foreign policy and became regarded as the essence of modernity. America hoped to replace Britain in the role of global hegemon and created the necessary political, ideological, military, and institutional capacity to do so, yet far from being objective, the Ford, Rockefeller, and Carnegie foundations often advanced U.S. interests at the expense of other nations. Incorporating case studies of American philanthropy in Nigeria, Chile, and Indonesia, Parmar boldly exposes the knowledge networks underwriting American dominance in the twentieth century.

Author : Nikolas K. Gvosdev,Jessica D. Blankshain,David A. Cooper
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 442 pages
File Size : 47,8 Mb
Release : 2019-01-09
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781108575843

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Decision-Making in American Foreign Policy by Nikolas K. Gvosdev,Jessica D. Blankshain,David A. Cooper Pdf

This foreign policy analysis textbook is written especially for students studying to become national security professionals. It translates academic knowledge about the complex influences on American foreign policymaking into an intuitive, cohesive, and practical set of analytic tools. The focus here is not theory for the sake of theory, but rather to translate theory into practice. Classic paradigms are adapted to fit the changing realities of the contemporary national security environment. For example, the growing centrality of the White House is seen in the 'palace politics' of the president's inner circle, and the growth of the national security apparatus introduces new dimensions to organizational processes and subordinate levels of bureaucratic politics. Real-world case studies are used throughout to allow students to apply theory. These comprise recent events that draw impartially across partisan lines and encompass a variety of diplomatic, military, and economic and trade issues.

Author : Donald T. Critchlow,John Korasick,Matthew C. Sherman
Publisher : Indiana University Press
Page : 192 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2008-03-19
Category : History
ISBN : 9780253027832

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Political Conspiracies in America by Donald T. Critchlow,John Korasick,Matthew C. Sherman Pdf

Conspiracy theories have been a part of the American experience since colonial times. There is a rich literature on conspiracies involving, among others, Masons, Catholics, Mormons, Jews, financiers, Communists, and internationalists. Although many conspiracy theories appear irrational, an exaggerated fear of a conspiracy sometimes proves to be well founded. This anthology provides students with documents relating to some of the more important and interesting conspiracy theories in American history and politics, some based on reality, many chiefly on paranoia. It provides a fascinating look at a persistent and at times troubling aspect of democratic society.

Author : Murray Newton Rothbard
Publisher : Ludwig von Mises Institute
Page : 107 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 2011
Category : Banks and banking
ISBN : 9781610163088

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Wall Street, Banks, and American Foreign Policy by Murray Newton Rothbard Pdf