Making the Case for War: The War Rhetoric of Presidents George H. W. Bush, William J. Clinton, and George W. Bush
Graduation Date
Fall 2009
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Document Form
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Program Name
Humanities
First Reader
Martin Anderson, JD, PhD
Second Reader
Christian Dean, PhD
Abstract
Throughout the history of the United States, presidents have used various methods to convince the public to support military action. An examination of three distinct examples (Panama 1989, Kosovo 1999 and Afghanistan 2001) and the presidents that ordered them (George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush) shows a clear pattern of “war propaganda” in their speeches. By evoking the “Just War Theory” and the concept of the “Rogue State”, each president made a moral justification for military intervention. An examination of the situation in each country before, during, and after the military action shows that while the presidential rhetoric was the same, the connection between the rhetoric and the facts varied and shouldn’t automatically be trusted.