About the BookStrategic bombardments, either aimed explicitly at civilians or deployed in circumstances where extensive civilian deaths are written off as collateral damage or accidental, are becoming increasingly common. This book shows how certain European colonial powers, notably Britain, initiated aerial bombardment of civilians after World War I, how it was an instrument of choice in World War II, and how it has since been refined and practised by the US in Korea, Vietnam, the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq. It exposes the rationalizations put forward to avoid the label of ‘state terrorism‘, the race, gender and class biases used to justify bombing ‘other‘ people and the dirty secret about the so-called ‘clean‘ use of air power. It argues that if terrorism is to be diminished, the role of aerial bombing in sustaining global violence must be recognized and confronted. Commendations"Beau Grosscup shows that aerial bombardment, which was used many years ago as a means of terrorizing native populations in Africa and the Middle East, has become the primary form of terrorism in more recent decades. As he indicates, “strategic terror” is not classed as “terrorism” in the West, but this reflects political power and a resultant politicization of word usage, and an unwillingness to confront the human costs and immorality of aerial bombardment. Beau Grosscup’s Strategic Terror is a major and much needed addition to the literature on terrorism." - Edward S. Herman (author of The Real Terror Network, co-author of The Terrorism Industry) Contents1. Shock and Awe!! Shock and Awe!! About the AuthorBeau Grosscup is Professor of International Relations, California State University, Chico. He has made a special study of terrorism for many years, and is the author of Newest Explosions of Terrorism, now in its 4th edition.
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