Dressing Up Threats of Aggression as 'Deterrence'

Ignatius applauds militarism and turns reality on its head.

David Ignatius rattles the old saber:

With little public fanfare, the United States and Israel this week staged a massive military exercise in the Mediterranean clearly meant to simulate a strike against Iran. It was a reminder that no matter what else is happening in the world, the poisonous kettle of the Iranian nuclear program keeps bubbling.

Ignatius’ column is a good example of propaganda. It is not blatantly pro-war, but it frames everything so that it reflects positively on the government’s actions and it lays the groundwork for a case for a military attack down the road. Ignatius rattles off the list of the military hardware used in the exercises, and he wants us to understand how impressed we should be by it. “Juniper Oak was a show of 21st-century combat power,” he tells us. It treats the menacing and provocative actions of the U.S. and Israel as understandable in light of Iran’s “poisonous kettle,” and it presents Iran’s nuclear program as the real threat that must be “deterred.” In short, it applauds militarism and turns reality on its head.