Description
Book SynopsisConspiracy theory and American foreign policy examines the relationship between secrecy, power and interpretation around international political controversy, where foreign policy orthodoxy comes up hard against alternative interpretations. It does so in the context of American foreign policy during the War on Terror, a conflict that was quintessentially covert and conspiratorial. This book adds a new dimension to the debate by examining the ''Arab-Muslim paranoia narrative'', the view that Arab-Muslim resentment towards America was motivated to some degree by a paranoid perception of American power in the Middle East. Immediately after 9/11, prominent commentators pointed to an Arab-Muslim culture of blame and a related tendency towards conspiracy theories about America''s regional influence as an important cultural driver of anti-Americanism. This narrative subsequently made its way into numerous US Government policy documents and initiatives advancing a War of Ideas strategy aimed at
Table of ContentsIntroduction
Part I: Conceptualising conspiracy theory
1 The paranoid style in international politics
2 Conspiracy culture
Part II: Conspiracy discourse in the War on Terror
3 Strategies of deterrence and frames of containment
4 The War of Ideas
5 Conspiracy, misinformation and public diplomacy
Conclusion
Select bibliography
Index
