The Deaths of Others : The Fate of Civilians in America's Wars

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. Americans are greatly concerned about the number of our troops killed in battle--100,000 dead in World War I; 300,000 in World War II; 33,000 in the Korean War; 58,000 in Vietnam; 4,500 in Iraq; over 1,000 in Afghanistan--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, we have used our weapons intentionally to kill large numbers of civilians and terrorize our adversaries into surrender. Americans, however, are mostly ignorant of these facts, believing that American wars are essentially just, necessary, and "good." Tirman investigates the history of casualties caused by American forces in order to explain why America remains so unpopular and why US armed forces operate the way they do. 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. Americans are concerned about the number of our troops killed in battle : 100,000 dead in World War I; 300,000 in World War II; 33,000 in the Korean War; 58,000 in Vietnam; 4,500 in Iraq; over 1,000 in Afghanistan. But why are we so indifferent, often oblivious, to far greater number of casualties suffered by those we fight and those we fight for? This question John Tirman answers in The Deaths of Others. 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 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, we have used our weapons intentionally to kill large numbers of civilians and terrorize adversaries into surrender. Tirman investigates the history of casualties caused by American forces in order to explain why America remains so unpopular and why U.S. armed forces operate the way they do. This book forces readers to consider the tragic consequences of American military action--Publisher's description Americans Are Greatly Concerned About The Number Of American Troops Killed In Battle And Rightly So. However, This Book Questions Why Americans Are So Indifferent, Often Oblivious, To The Far Greater Number Of Casualties Suffered By Those They Fight And Those They Fight For. Introduction: Death And Remembrance In America's Wars -- American Wars And The Culture Of Violence -- Strategic Bombing In The Second World War -- The Korean War : The Hegemony Of Forgetting -- The Vietnam War : The High Cost Of Credibility -- The Reagan Doctrine : Savage War By Proxy -- Iraq : The Twenty Years' War -- Afghanistan : Hot Pursuit On Terrorism's Frontier -- Three Atrocities And The Rules Of Engagement -- Counting : A Single Death Is A Tragedy, A Million Deaths Are A Statistic -- The Epistemology Of War. John Tirman. Includes Bibliographical References. 1 Introduction: Death and Remembrance in American Wars 2 American Wars and the Culture of Violence 3 Strategic Bombing in the Second World War 4 The Korean War: The Hegemony of Forgetting 5 The Vietnam War: The High Cost of Credibility 6 The Reagan Doctrine: Savage War by Proxy 7 Iraq: The Twenty Years' War 8 Afghanistan: Hot Pursuit on Terrorism's Frontier 9 Three Atrocities and the Rules of Engagement 10 Counting: A Single Death is a Tragedy, a Million Deaths are a Statistic 11 The Epistemology of War Acknowledgments Notes Index 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. (Publisher)