In the Name of Terrorism: Presidents on Political Violence in the Post-World War II Era (Suny Series on the Presidency: Contemporary Issues; Suny Series in the Trajectory of Terror)

I teach university courses on war, media, and rhetoric at undergraduate and graduate levels. This book has gotten rave reviews in both and generated tons of productive discussion. In my opinion, it has not yet received the recognition it deserves. Winkler traces the presidential use of "terrorism" from the Vietnam War to the present with great skill, highlighting its instability and continual mutation. The best part of this book is the archival work that went into it. Winkler gives invaluable glimpses into the bowels of the White House PR apparatus as it wrangles over public terminology. The result is a compelling inside view of presidential rhetoric, not simply an external reading of it. The final chapter is especially fascinating as it uses State Dept. statistics to upend a number of myths about "terrorism." Though this is foremost an academic book, it is written in a very accessible style. My undergraduates find it to be a page-turner, and those who study this kind of thing will find it rigorous and demanding - a singular critical text for understanding the history of the present moment. In The Name Of Terrorism Describes And Analyzes The Public Communication Strategies Presidents Have Deployed To Discuss Terrorism Since The End Of World War Ii. Drawing Upon Internal Administration Documents, Memoirs, And Public Papers, Carol K. Winkler Uncovers How Presidents Have Capitalized On Public Perceptions Of The Terrorist Threat, Misrepresented Actual Terrorist Events, And Used The Term Terrorism To Influence Electoral Outcomes Both At Home And Abroad. Perhaps More Importantly, She Explains Their Motivations For Doing So, And Critically Discusses The Moral And Political Implications Of The Present Range Of Narratives Used To Present Terrorism To The Public.--jacket. What's In A Name? -- The Vietnam War And The Communist Terrorists -- The Iranian Hostage Crisis : An American Tragedy -- Origins Of Terrorism As An American Ideograph : The Reagan Era -- The Persian Gulf Conflict Of 1991 : The Cold War Narrative In The Post Cold War Era -- Terrorism And The Clinton Era : A Prophetic Moment -- America Under Attack : George W. Bush And Non-citizen Actors -- Terrorism And The American Culture. Carol K. Winkler. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 217-249) And Index. Winner of the 2008 Outstanding Book Award presented by the Political Communication Division of the National Communication AssociationThe topic of terrorism has evolved into an ideological marker of American culture, one that has fundamentally altered the relationship between the three branches of government, between the government and the people, and between America and countries abroad. In the Name of Terrorism describes and analyzes the public communication strategies presidents have deployed to discuss terrorism since the end of World War II. Drawing upon internal administration documents, memoirs, and public papers, Carol K. Winkler uncovers how presidents have capitalized on public perceptions of the terrorist threat, misrepresented actual terrorist events, and used the term'terrorism'to influence electoral outcomes both at home and abroad. Perhaps more importantly, she explains their motivations for doing so, and critically discusses the moral and political implications of the present range of narratives used to present terrorism to the public. The topic of terrorism has evolved into an ideological marker of American culture, one that has fundamentally altered the relationship between the three branches of government, between the government and the people, and between America and countries abroad. In the Name of Terrorism describes and analyzes the public communication strategies presidents have deployed to discuss terrorism since the end of World War II. Drawing upon internal administration documents, memoirs, and public papers, Carol K. Winkler uncovers how presidents have capitalized on public perceptions of the terrorist threat, misrepresented actual terrorist events, and used the term "terrorism" to influence electoral outcomes both at home and abroad. Perhaps more importantly, she explains their motivations for doing so, and critically discusses the moral and political implications of the present range of narratives used to present terrorism to the public. 2008 Outstanding Book Award, presented by the Political Communication Division of the National Communication Association Traces the shifts in presidential discourse on terrorism since World War II. Terrorism is perhaps the most emotive, pejorative term in the English language.