Language of Terror

Building on the emerging field of biopolitics of security, this research monograph demonstrates that political speech can be crafted to manipulate segments of the voting population who are inherently predisposed to being receptive to certain language. Recent studies in neuropsychology show how the brain reacts to expressions of political ideology. In this book, the authors, who come from both political science and behavioral neuroscience, examine how the human brain reacts to expressions of political ideology regarding terrorism. They apply these reactions to specific forms of political communication by policymakers, many of which are designed to elicit a desired response in creating support for the policymaker's agenda. By comparing and contrasting a variety of case studies, they demonstrate how similar acts accompanied by starkly different political language can create cognitive dissonance in the minds of the electorate and influence policy choices. Each chapter analyzes the content of the speech, its assimilation by different political groups, and two case studies. For example, the case study of Luis Posada Carriles, a Cuban exile and former CIA agent responsible for the bombing of the a Cuban airliner in 1976 is examined alongside that of Mohamed El Megrahi, the Libyan intelligence officer convicted of the bombing of Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988. Other examples include Hamas and the Free Syrian Army, Nelson Mandela (who was labeled a terrorist by Ronald Reagan) and the Nicaraguan contras; Chechnya Rebels and Al-Qaeda. This unique study uses new research in neuropsychology to demonstrate how the American public's response to various policies on terrorism is manipulated, highlighting the impact of ideological speech regarding terrorism -the "language of terror."