The Rhetorical Invention of America's National Security State (Lexington Studies in Contemporary Rhetoric)

The Rhetorical Invention of America’s National Security State examines the rhetoric and discourse produced by and constitutive of America’s national security state. Hasian, Lawson, and McFarlane illustrate the importance of rhetoric to the expansion of the American national security state in the post-9/11 era through their examination of the global war on terrorism, enhanced interrogation techniques, drone crew stress, activities of Edward Snowden, rise of Special Forces, and popular representations of counterterrorism. The coauthors contend this expansion was not the result of lone, imperial executives or a nefarious state within a state, but was co-produced by elite and non-elite Americans alike who not only condoned, but also in many cases demanded, the expansion of the national security state. This work will be of interest to scholars in communication studies and political science. The rhetorical origins of America's national security state -- Military "science" and the legitimation of preventive war, mass surveillance, and kill/capture counterterrorism -- The department of defense, the CIA, and the legitimation of America's "enhanced interrogation techniques"--Remembering the rise of America's special forces and the rhetorical force behind the Navy Seal's raid on Bin Laden's Abbottabad -- Cyber war, threat inflation, and the securitization of everyday life -- The "stress" of remotely pilot aircraft crews and the biopolitical normalization of America's "precise" drone attacks overseas -- Edward Snowden, agent provocateur, and overreactions of the NSA -- Anticipating the future rhetorical trajectories of America's national security state The Rhetorical Invention of America's National Security State uses a broad range of materials, including technical, journalistic, entertainment, academic, and legal sources to explore the role of rhetoric in the expansion and maintenance of America's national security state. It helps audiences understand the complex discourses produced by and constitutive of the national security state. Its interdisciplinary approach will resonate with scholars working in a number of different fields, including rhetoric, critical security studies, and science and technology studies