Americans are greatly concerned about the number of our troops killed
in battle--33,000 in the Korean War; 58,000 in Vietnam; 4,500 in
Iraq--and rightly so. But why are we so indifferent, often oblivious,
to the far greater number of casualties suffered by those we fight and
those we fight for? This is the compelling, largely unasked question
John Tirman answers in The Deaths of Others. Between six and seven
million people died in Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq alone, the majority of
them civilians. And yet Americans devote little attention to these
deaths. Other countries, however, do pay attention, and Tirman argues
that if we want to understand why there is so much anti-Americanism
around the world, the first place to look is how we conduct war. We
understandably strive to protect our own troops, but our rules of
engagement with the enemy are another matter. From atomic weapons and
carpet bombing in World War II to napalm and daisy cutters in Vietnam
and beyond, our weapons have killed large numbers of civilians and
enemy soldiers. Americans, however, are mostly ignorant of these
methods, believing that American wars are essentially just, necessary,
and "good." Trenchant and passionate, The Deaths of Others forces
readers to consider the tragic consequences of American military
action not just for Americans, but especially for those we fight
against.
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The Fate of Civilians in America's Wars
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780199831494
Publisert
2020
Utgiver
Oxford University Press Academic US
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter