How right-wing political entrepreneurs around the world use religious offense -- both given and taken -- to mobilize supporters and marginalize opponents.In the United States; elements of the religious right fuel fears of an existential Islamic threat; spreading anti-Muslim rhetoric into mainstream politics. In Indonesia; Muslim absolutists urge suppression of churches and minority sects; fostering a climate of rising intolerance. In India; Narendra Modi's radical supporters instigate communal riots and academic censorship in pursuit of their Hindu nationalist vision. Outbreaks of religious intolerance are usually assumed to be visceral and spontaneous. But in Hate Spin; Cherian George shows that they often involve sophisticated campaigns manufactured by political opportunists to mobilize supporters and marginalize opponents. Right-wing networks orchestrate the giving of offense and the taking of offense as instruments of identity politics; exploiting democratic space to promote agendas that undermine democratic values. George calls this strategy "hate spin" -- a double-sided technique that combines hate speech (incitement through vilification) with manufactured offense-taking (the performing of righteous indignation). It is deployed in societies as diverse as Buddhist Myanmar and Orthodox Christian Russia. George looks at the world's three largest democracies; where intolerant groups within India's Hindu right; America's Christian right; and Indonesia's Muslim right are all accomplished users of hate spin. He also shows how the Internet and Google have opened up new opportunities for cross-border hate spin.George argues that governments must protect vulnerable communities by prohibiting calls to action that lead directly to discrimination and violence. But laws that try to protect believers' feelings against all provocative expression invariably backfire. They arm hate spin agents' offense-taking campaigns with legal ammunition. Anti-discrimination laws and a commitment to religious equality will protect communities more meaningfully than misguided attempts to insulate them from insult.
#1947545 in Books Stephen Endicott 1998-11-22 1998-11-22Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.25 x 1.00 x 6.12l; 1.25 #File Name: 0253334721304 pagesThe United States And Biological Warfare
Review
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful. Circumstantial but plausibleBy R. L. HuffIt's inevitable that a book laying out these kinds of charges should provoke partisan polemics. In making their case; however; the authors do not make conspiracy claims but lay out their position in deductive reasoning from available evidence and statements. Such a case can be labelled circumstantial; but it's relevant to note that many people sit in prison on evidence as plausibly circumstantial as that charged here.The underlying theme is; would the US be morally capable of engaging in this behavior? And the reasonable answer must be "yes." Given the total war mentality of the period; the braggadoccio surrounding atomic weaponry; the cheapness with which Asian life was held by the US (all of its direct engagements in cold war theaters were on the Pacific rim); the moral burden rather lays with those who would discredit the possibility. If the "reds" can be counted on to make lying propaganda; we've seen this puts them in good company. Added evidence for such attitude is the ongoing legal controversy of using *American* soldiers as unwitting guinea pigs in chemical-warfare experiments at the same time. Why wouldn't toxic levels be increased when experimenting upon enemy forces in the battlefield?The authors have not taken anyone's side at face value. When the reservoirs at Chosen were bombed to flood North Korean rice fields; producing hunger to facilitate surrender; it was a fact regardless of politics. In contrast covert operations are murky by nature. Interested parties can continue to stonewall their existence; resting on classified material unlikely to ever be sanitized and used against them. For that reason; surfacing evidence deserves respect and independent scrutiny rather than dismissal. In my view Endicott and Hagerman have fulfilled that obligation.16 of 21 people found the following review helpful. Detailed proof of US war crimes in KoreaBy William PodmoreThis fascinating and deeply researched book examines whether the USA used biological weapons when it attacked Korea. It shows that the US Government; in collaboration with the British and Canadian Governments; spent $500;000;000 between 1951 and 1953 developing such weapons; based on those used by the Japanese Army in its attack on China.In February 1952; the Joint Chiefs of Staff called for �a strong offensive biological warfare capability without delay� and for developing �all effective means of waging war without regard for precedents as to their use.� The biological weapons were incorporated into the Strategic Air Command�s strategic plans for general war. The US state has never ratified the 1925 Geneva Protocol banning biological weapons.The US state fought its war against Korea with no regard for legal constraints. It threatened to use nuclear weapons. It used chemical weapons - 70;000 gallons of napalm a day in 1951; and phosphorus bombs - despite having ratified the Protocol against chemical weapons. The USAF bombed civilians mercilessly: as General Curtis LeMay boasted; �We burned down just about every city in North and South Korea both ... We killed over a million Koreans and drove several million more from their homes.�The authors examine the evidence of germ-bearing insects; feathers and other carriers found after USAF bombing raids and look at the consequent outbreaks of unusual illnesses. Many captured US pilots confessed to dropping bombs containing these materials. They later retracted their confessions; claiming that their captors had �brainwashed� them. A US Army study found no evidence of this. The pilots retracted under threat of death: the US Attorney General said that American POWs who collaborated with the enemy might face charges of treason.The authors write; �we are led to the conclusion that the United States took the final step and secretly experimented with biological weapons in the Korean War.� Read the book and decide for yourself.6 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Must read book on how U.S. conducted the germ war in KoreaBy Dr. HistoryThe book used multiple sources1) original studies and reports from China and Korea; including medical studies; photos; reports of the germ war activities; the symptoms the bio analysis; etc; etc;2) confessions of U.S. pilots (including officers); which provided great detail of the U.S. germ war program; with names; places; dates; types of bio-agents; policies; delivery methods; etc etc. The book proved that the US POWs provided the information without being physically abused (in any case; the Chinese could have not made up those details);3) recently declassified US documents and germ war programs; including the use of bio weapon in Korea.The picture was: 1); 2) and 3) matched exactly.And then it analyzed the recantation of the POWs who made the confessions after they returned to the US; and found that (1) they were made under threats of severe punishment; (2) the contents of recantations were inconsistent with the declassified US documents.The book is well researched. Read it for a correct understanding of history.
