Why Leaders Lie - Mearsheimer, John J_.original_ [63]
Downes, Alexander, 77
downplaying hostile intentions
to avoid attack, 35–36
to facilitate attack, 31, 34–35
downplaying military capabilities, 32–34
Duelfer Report
on deceiving the world, 4–5
by Iraq Survey Group, 4
Eisenhower administration
EDC Treaty ratification of, 41–42
lying about surveillance program, 38–39
nuclear weapons, abandoning of, 32
elites
fearmongering by, 59–62
liberal lies by, 77–82
nationalist myths by, 74–76
empty-threat strategy, 36–37
European Defense Community (EDC) Treaty ratification, 41–42
European Union, creation of, 114–15n35
exaggeration, 17 (see also fearmongering)
of Soviet ICBM arsenal, 100
of state’s capabilities, inter-state lies, 31–32
of threat, 23
false assertions, 18
falsehood (see also specific lies/lying)
Taylor on, 19
strategic benefits by, 99
fearmongering, 21, 22, 45–62, 102
deception campaign, 45
and democracies, 59–60
by elites, reasons for, 59–62
in Franklin administration, 46–47
and geography, 61
Gulf of Tonkin incident, and Johnson administration, 47–49
Iraq War, and Bush administration, 49–55
manipulating information, 57–58
to mobilize public to support government’s policies, 55–59
to mobilize public to support war, 61–62
national security, threat to, 55
and nondemocracies, 60
perils of, 90–92
powerful incentives to, 57
preventive wars, prohibition of, 61–62
threat inflation, 61, 91
in Truman administration, 56
USS Greer incident, and Roosevelt administration, 46–47
foreign policy, lying/lies in, 21–24 (see also fearmongering; ignoble cover-ups; inter-state lies; nationalist mythmaking; liberal lies; strategic cover-ups; social imperialism)
foreign threat, lying about, 21, 22
formal agreements, inter-state lies, 40
Franco-Prussian War (1870), 37–38
French government, 72
Franks, General Tommy, 51
Gelb, Leslie, 57
geography
fearmongering and, 61
strategic cover-ups and, 68
Germany (see also Nazi Germany; Adlof Hitler)
military, violation of the Versailles Treaty, 67
nationalist myths by elites, 72–73
Wehrmacht, the, 72–73
government bureaucrats, fearmongering, 45
Greece
lying about budget deficits, 41
behavior during Moroccan Crisis, 36
Greer incident, 46
fearmongering, 91
Roosevelt’s lies about, 46–47, 48, 100
strategic benefits by, 99
Gulf of Tonkin incident, Johnson administration’s lies about, 7, 47–49, 100, 117n18
Gulf War, 4
Haass, Richard, 54
Hastings, Max, 80
Harvard University, concealment case, 105n11
hiding incompetence, strategic cover-ups, 64–65, 68
historical error, 71
Hitler, Adolf, 109n8
downplaying hostile intentions, 34
lies about German military capabilities, 31
home front, risks at
by international lies, 84–86
by routine lying, 86
by strategic cover-ups, 92
honesty, 15, 25, 55, 84, 85, 89
humiliation, international lies, 88–89
Hussein, Saddam, charges against WMD possession, 3–4, 5, 49–55, 62, 104n4
ignoble cover-ups, 23
impartial judge, role of advisory system’ view, 107n4
incompetence hiding/masking, 64–65, 68, 125n11
intentions, 15
difficulty in assessing, 29
international legitimacy, and nationalist myths, 72
international lies/lying/lies (see also foreign policy, lying/lies in; also specific lying/lies)
backfiring, 101
consequences of frequent/routine lying, 28–30, 44, 84, 86
downside of, 83–97
fearmongering, perils of, 90–92
home front, consequences at, 84–86
inter-state lying, dangers of, 86–90
liberal lies, potential cost of, 97
on military forces, 105–6n15
nationalist mythmaking, risks of, 95–97
strategic cover-ups, hazards of, 92–95
international negotiations, bluffing in, 41
inter-state lies, 12, 21
about adversary’s capabilities, 38
backfiring of, 84–86, 88–90
circumstances for, 42–44
to conceal aggressive action against another country, 35
consequences of frequent lying, 28–30, 44
dangers at home front, 86
deliberate deception campaign, 28
to downplay hostile intentions, to avoid attack, 35–36
to downplay hostile intentions, to disguise attack, 34–35
to downplay importance of military capabilities, 32–34
effective, 30
empty-threat