5 Politics and Government
-
Jack Levin
Abstract
This chapter examines a wide range of violent acts that have been surreptitiously perpetrated throughout history and around the world. Covert violence has always played an important role in supplementing conventional warfare, and clandestine attacks by weaker operatives have had devastating consequences—even in a country like the United States that is widely known for its military might (for example, the December 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces and the September 11, 2001 attacks perpetrated by al-Qaeda terrorists). Moreover, clandestine biological warfare has a centuries-long history around the world; from 1155 to 1863, documented attacks between political rivals included: contaminating water wells with dead bodies, selling wine mixed with the blood of leprosy patients, launching projectiles coated with the saliva of rabid dogs, and distributing blankets and clothing contaminated with smallpox and yellow fever. Plenty of examples can also be found throughout the 20th century—particularly during the two World Wars—as well as in the 21st century. Although any combatant might conceivably decide to employ clandestine weapons and/or to strike surreptitiously, one with a large power deficit that is nonetheless desperate to win might be especially likely to resort to covert acts of violence.
Abstract
This chapter examines a wide range of violent acts that have been surreptitiously perpetrated throughout history and around the world. Covert violence has always played an important role in supplementing conventional warfare, and clandestine attacks by weaker operatives have had devastating consequences—even in a country like the United States that is widely known for its military might (for example, the December 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces and the September 11, 2001 attacks perpetrated by al-Qaeda terrorists). Moreover, clandestine biological warfare has a centuries-long history around the world; from 1155 to 1863, documented attacks between political rivals included: contaminating water wells with dead bodies, selling wine mixed with the blood of leprosy patients, launching projectiles coated with the saliva of rabid dogs, and distributing blankets and clothing contaminated with smallpox and yellow fever. Plenty of examples can also be found throughout the 20th century—particularly during the two World Wars—as well as in the 21st century. Although any combatant might conceivably decide to employ clandestine weapons and/or to strike surreptitiously, one with a large power deficit that is nonetheless desperate to win might be especially likely to resort to covert acts of violence.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of Figures and Tables iv
- About the Authors v
- Acknowledgments vii
- An Introduction to Covert Violence, Power, and Social Institutions 1
- Family and Close Relationships 22
- Formal Education 47
- The Workplace 62
- Politics and Government 74
- Healthcare 90
- Mass Media 104
- Shining Light on the Shadows 116
- Case Summaries 131
- Index 148
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of Figures and Tables iv
- About the Authors v
- Acknowledgments vii
- An Introduction to Covert Violence, Power, and Social Institutions 1
- Family and Close Relationships 22
- Formal Education 47
- The Workplace 62
- Politics and Government 74
- Healthcare 90
- Mass Media 104
- Shining Light on the Shadows 116
- Case Summaries 131
- Index 148
