The "Savage" Menace: Reconsidering the Enemy Threat in American Foreign Policy

Authors

Gregory A. Daddis, Chapman UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-28-2017

Abstract

"Could it be that our clean formulations of the enemy threat, and thus our thinking on war more generally, actually run counter to a more enlightened formulation and conduct of United States foreign policy? In employing vague words like 'brutal,' 'cruel,' and 'savage,' are we, in fact, damaging American credibility abroad and security at home by misconstruing our enemies? And in regarding our adversaries as inherently uncivilized, do we not find it far more acceptable to engage in 'savage cruelty'” ourselves since the threat’s very nature justifies such a response?"

Comments

This article was originally published in Los Angeles Review of Books in April 2017.

Recommended Citation

Daddis, Gregory A. “The ‘Savage’ Menace: Reconsidering the Enemy Threat in American Foreign Policy.” Los Angeles Review of Books (April 2017). https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/the-savage-menace-reconsidering-the-enemy-threat-in-american-foreign-policy

Copyright

Los Angeles Review of Books