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Why Leaders Lie - Mearsheimer, John J_ [65]

By Root 3172 0

Rich, Norman, 36

risks, international lying (see specific lying/lies)

rival states

inter-state lies to, 44

lack of trust between, 100

Roosevelt, Franklin D., 40, 78

fearmongering, 46–47

Gulf of Tonkin, and North Vietnam War, 7

on Soviet responsibility, 129n9

World War II, United States participation in, 6–7

routine lying, consequences of, 84

at home front, 86

Rumsfeld, Donald, fearmongering, 51


Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies, Columbia University, ix

selfish lies, 11 (see also altruistic lies)

Shamir, Yitzhak, inter-state lies, 28–29

Sharett, Moshe, 108n3 (ch.3)

Schelling, Thomas, 40

secrecy, 25

Shamir, Yitzhak, 28–29

Sharett, Moshe, lying about surveillance program, 39–40

Sharon, Major Ariel, 65

Shlaim, Avi, 65

social imperialism, 23, 24

Soviet Union

breakup of, 75–76

downplaying hostile intentions, 34

missile attack on Cuba, 33

Moscow, lie on biological weapons handling, 33–34

spinning, 9, 13, 25, 27, 49–55 (see also deceptions)

characteristics, 18–19

counter-spinners, 19

definition of, 16–17

downplaying facts, 16

exaggeration, 17

by lawyers, in truth finding, 107n4

as legitimate, 10

spying or sabotage, lying about, 38–39

Stalin, Josef, 78

downplaying hostile intentions, 34

lie about Soviet military, 31

Western allies’ portrayal of, 79

state-building process, and nationalist myths, 75–76

straightforwardness, 15

strategic benefits, deceptions providing, 99–100

strategic cover-ups, 22, 63–70

circumstances for, 68–70

democracy versus nondemocracy, 69–70

for failed policy, 94–95

in foreign policy realm, 93–94

and geography, 68

hiding controversial policy, 66–70

hiding failure and incompetence, 64–66

at home front, 92

intended audience for, 64–65

purpose of, 23, 24

risks of, 93–94

during wartime, 68–69

strategic deception campaigns, 40

strategic lies, 11

strategic nuclear parity

Kissinger, Henry, comment on, 112n24

surveillance program, 38–40, 100

Sylvester, Arthur, 30–31


target audience

spinning, 18–19

strategic cover-ups, 64–65

Taylor, Henry, on falsehoods, 19

threat deflation, 61, 91, 108n3

threat inflation, 61, 91

treaties

inter-state lies during negotiations, 40

Treaty of Brussels, 35–36

Treaty of Dunkirk, 35–36

Versailles Treaty, violation by German military, 67

Truman administration, 122n48

fearmongering in, 56

truth telling, 15

military’s role in, 114n31

truthfulness, 16


United States

empty threat of bombing Libya, 36

foreign policy, 101

false report on Muammar al-Gaddafi, 36

lie about North Korea selling uranium hexafluoride to Libya, 38

lies to Western European allies for EDC Treaty ratification, 41–42

lying on downing of the U-2 spy plane, 38–39

secret agreement with Japan during Cold War, 67–68

United States Code, 106n1, 107n6

University of Chicago Program on International Security Policy, x

USS Greer incident. See Greer incident


Van Evera, Stephen, 71, 75

Versailles Treaty, violation by German military, 67

von Tirpitz, Admiral Alfred, false claim on fleet building, 32


Walzer, Michael, 81

Warsaw Pact nations, 36–37

wartime, 43

liberal lies during, 77–78

nationalist myths during, 75

strategic cover-ups during, 68–69

Wehrmacht, the, 72–73

When Presidents Lie: A History of Official Deception and Its Consequences (Alterman), 10

white lies, 7, 87

withholding information, 17, 20 (see also concealment)

WMD capabilities, Iraq, 50–51

Bush administration on, 51–52

terrorism and, 55

Wolfowitz, Paul, 52

Woods, Tiger, 17

World Trade Center, September 11 attack

Bush briefing on, 119–20n35

World War I, 43, 61, 64, 95, 96

Britain’s lies on tank manufacturing, 33

World War II, 46, 47, 72–73, 82, 100

British deception campaign against Nazi Germany, 40

British aerial-bombing on Germany during World War II, 80

liberal lies during, 78–79

Nazi Germany efforts to blame Poland for starting war, 79–80

Wotton, Sir Henry, 24


Zionism, nationalist mythmaking, 96–97

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

CHAPTER 1 What is Lying?

CHAPTER 2 The Inventory of International Lies

CHAPTER 3 Lying between

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