Atrocity fabrication – the invention and reporting of atrocities committed by an adversary without knowledge that they ever occurred – has a centuries-long history at the heart of propaganda and power politics as an effective means of moving public and international opinion. Its use can provide pretext for a range of hostile measures against its targets, transforming in the public eye wars of unprovoked aggression into wars of liberation of the oppressed, or turning blockades to starve enemy civilians into humane efforts to pressure abusive governments under the moralistic label of sanctions. As it plays a large and growing role in global conflict in the 21st century understanding atrocity fabrication and the consistent means by and ends to which it has been used has become crucial to comprehending geopolitical events in the present day.
This book elucidates the seldom explored but central role played by atrocity fabrication in eleven major conflicts from the 1950s to the present day: from Korea, Vietnam and Cuba during the Cold War to Iraq, Libya and the emerging Sino-U.S. cold war more recently. It highlights the many variations of atrocity fabrication, the strong consistencies in how atrocity fabrication is used, and the consequences it has for the populations of the targeted countries, The book demonstrates the roles played by media and both government and non-governmental organizations in misleading the public as to the actuality of these highly publicized events. The emerging trend towards this mode of action, and the deep implications this has for world order, make an understanding of its history particularly critical.
About the Author
A. B. Abrams is the author of Power and Primacy: A History of Western Intervention in the Asia-Pacific, Immovable Object: North Korea’s 70 Years at War with American Power and World War in Syria. He has published widely on defense and international politics, and holds Masters degrees in related subjects from the University of London. Abrams is proficient in several Asian languages including Korean and Arabic, and has closely studied the conduct of war for close to a decade. He is based out of London. --This text refers to the paperback edition.
Review
"A B Abrams has provided a signal service by taking 'fake news' about alleged atrocities out of the current affairs arena in which it is mainly discussed and into a much broader, deeper and in fact even more disturbing context. He perceptively traces the evolution of the use of fabricated atrocity narratives back to the first days of Western warfare and colonial expansion through to eleven more recent case studies. Chillingly, he chronicles how domination of the information space by Western powers through atrocity narratives has driven conflicts far worse in their outcomes than the atrocities alleged. Scholars, journalists and others with a serious interest in understanding international affairs will find this thought-provoking, ground-breaking analysis highly rewarding." PETER FORD, Former British Ambassador to Syria
"With clinical precision, A.B. Abrams has delivered a devastating expose of the interventionist clique that has weaponized human rights in order to destabilize enemy nations and immiserate their populations." MAX BLUMENTHAL, journalist, editor at Thegrayzone, and author of New York Times bestseller Republican Gomorrah
"I can’t recommend highly enough...Despite using the term “fake news” there is not the slightest speck of a hint of Trumpism. Despite reporting on atrocity fabrication, there is not the slightest glimmer of a reference to nonsense claims that school shootings are staged, or any mention of anything at all that is not well documented. Most of the fabricated atrocities recounted here have been admitted to by their fabricators and recanted by the media outlets that had promoted them." DAVID SWANSON, World Beyond War
"Abrams is a highly respected scholar, known for his superb research-led work into geopolitical relations, and his ability to see through the thick fog of media noise. In painstaking detail, with sources carefully cited, this new book tells precisely how to western world uses the media to shape global thinking by creating false narrative and weaponizing concepts such as human rights to demonize rivals." FridayEveryday , Hong Kong --This text refers to the paperback edition.
The practice of government agencies establishing vast networks to influence various information spaces and promote fabricated stories was hardly relegated to the Cold War. A notable example was the formerly secret U.S. Defence Department Office of Strategic Influence which emerged in the early 2000s and was authorised to plant stories, including feeding false reports to journalists, to influence public opinion worldwide. Although the Pentagon was forced to disband the office after its existence became known, later comments by high level officials indicated that such operations continued under different bodies. This “black propaganda,” as it was referred to repeatedly by the BBC, provided a very potent means to shape international opinion towards American adversaries.24 Providing details on Western intelligence agencies’ sustainment of extensive networks of journalists into the 21st century for the purpose of propagating favoured narratives, German journalist Udo Ulfkotte reported in 2016 regarding his own role in such networks: I ended up publishing articles under my own name written by agents of the CIA and other intelligence services, especially the German secret service [Bundesnachrichtendienst – BND]... Ulfkotte further detailed how intelligence agencies contacted journalists and used them to plant stories, the perks that came with working with them, and the risks of non-compliance.26 His example, the story about a Libyan poison gas factory, was one of many that contributed to influencing public opinion to perceive the targeted country as a malign and dangerous actor. False reports published in considerable quantities over several decades made Western economic sanctions on Libya, and eventually an intensive bombing campaign and the assassination of its leadership, much easier to justify publicly.27 By the time of Ulfkotte’s work the information networks operated by Western intelligence agencies had expanded to incorporate large numbers of online assets, including both bots and human personnel, which operated to influence discourse and support Western-favoured narratives globally. This was vital as the internet and social media in particular played an increasingly central role in the global information space. --This text refers to the paperback edition.
Description:
Atrocity fabrication – the invention and reporting of atrocities committed by an adversary without knowledge that they ever occurred – has a centuries-long history at the heart of propaganda and power politics as an effective means of moving public and international opinion. Its use can provide pretext for a range of hostile measures against its targets, transforming in the public eye wars of unprovoked aggression into wars of liberation of the oppressed, or turning blockades to starve enemy civilians into humane efforts to pressure abusive governments under the moralistic label of sanctions. As it plays a large and growing role in global conflict in the 21st century understanding atrocity fabrication and the consistent means by and ends to which it has been used has become crucial to comprehending geopolitical events in the present day.
This book elucidates the seldom explored but central role played by atrocity fabrication in eleven major conflicts from the 1950s to the present day: from Korea, Vietnam and Cuba during the Cold War to Iraq, Libya and the emerging Sino-U.S. cold war more recently. It highlights the many variations of atrocity fabrication, the strong consistencies in how atrocity fabrication is used, and the consequences it has for the populations of the targeted countries, The book demonstrates the roles played by media and both government and non-governmental organizations in misleading the public as to the actuality of these highly publicized events. The emerging trend towards this mode of action, and the deep implications this has for world order, make an understanding of its history particularly critical.
About the Author
A. B. Abrams is the author of Power and Primacy: A History of Western Intervention in the Asia-Pacific, Immovable Object: North Korea’s 70 Years at War with American Power and World War in Syria. He has published widely on defense and international politics, and holds Masters degrees in related subjects from the University of London. Abrams is proficient in several Asian languages including Korean and Arabic, and has closely studied the conduct of war for close to a decade. He is based out of London. --This text refers to the paperback edition.
Review
"A B Abrams has provided a signal service by taking 'fake news' about alleged atrocities out of the current affairs arena in which it is mainly discussed and into a much broader, deeper and in fact even more disturbing context. He perceptively traces the evolution of the use of fabricated atrocity narratives back to the first days of Western warfare and colonial expansion through to eleven more recent case studies. Chillingly, he chronicles how domination of the information space by Western powers through atrocity narratives has driven conflicts far worse in their outcomes than the atrocities alleged. Scholars, journalists and others with a serious interest in understanding international affairs will find this thought-provoking, ground-breaking analysis highly rewarding." PETER FORD, Former British Ambassador to Syria
"With clinical precision, A.B. Abrams has delivered a devastating expose of the interventionist clique that has weaponized human rights in order to destabilize enemy nations and immiserate their populations." MAX BLUMENTHAL, journalist, editor at Thegrayzone, and author of New York Times bestseller Republican Gomorrah
"I can’t recommend highly enough...Despite using the term “fake news” there is not the slightest speck of a hint of Trumpism. Despite reporting on atrocity fabrication, there is not the slightest glimmer of a reference to nonsense claims that school shootings are staged, or any mention of anything at all that is not well documented. Most of the fabricated atrocities recounted here have been admitted to by their fabricators and recanted by the media outlets that had promoted them." DAVID SWANSON, World Beyond War
"Abrams is a highly respected scholar, known for his superb research-led work into geopolitical relations, and his ability to see through the thick fog of media noise. In painstaking detail, with sources carefully cited, this new book tells precisely how to western world uses the media to shape global thinking by creating false narrative and weaponizing concepts such as human rights to demonize rivals." FridayEveryday , Hong Kong --This text refers to the paperback edition.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
The practice of government agencies establishing vast networks to influence various information spaces and promote fabricated stories was hardly relegated to the Cold War. A notable example was the formerly secret U.S. Defence Department Office of Strategic Influence which emerged in the early 2000s and was authorised to plant stories, including feeding false reports to journalists, to influence public opinion worldwide. Although the Pentagon was forced to disband the office after its existence became known, later comments by high level officials indicated that such operations continued under different bodies. This “black propaganda,” as it was referred to repeatedly by the BBC, provided a very potent means to shape international opinion towards American adversaries.24
Providing details on Western intelligence agencies’ sustainment of extensive networks of journalists into the 21st century for the purpose of propagating favoured narratives, German journalist Udo Ulfkotte reported in 2016 regarding his own role in such networks:
I ended up publishing articles under my own name written by agents of the CIA and other intelligence services, especially the German secret service [Bundesnachrichtendienst – BND]...
Ulfkotte further detailed how intelligence agencies contacted journalists and used them to plant stories, the perks that came with working with them, and the risks of non-compliance.26 His example, the story about a Libyan poison gas factory, was one of many that contributed to influencing public opinion to perceive the targeted country as a malign and dangerous actor. False reports published in considerable quantities over several decades made Western economic sanctions on Libya, and eventually an intensive bombing campaign and the assassination of its leadership, much easier to justify publicly.27
By the time of Ulfkotte’s work the information networks operated by Western intelligence agencies had expanded to incorporate large numbers of online assets, including both bots and human personnel, which operated to influence discourse and support Western-favoured narratives globally. This was vital as the internet and social media in particular played an increasingly central role in the global information space. --This text refers to the paperback edition.