rough notes on deaths of others

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+format: rst
+categories: book
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+...
+
+
+============================
+The Deaths of Others
+============================
+
+:by: John Tirman
+
+Synopsis: book covers "The Fate of Civilians in America's Wars", interweaving
+deep coverage of the Korean, Vietnamese, Iraqi, and Afghan Wars with
+contextual analysis of other US military engagements (frontier conquest,
+Spanish-American, WWII, etc) domestic political movements (pacifist, leftist,
+hawkish) and policies (Red Scare, containment). 
+
+.. warning: These notes still in progress!
+
+Unstructured Notes
+--------------------
+
+Historical background sets a context of American expansionism using any means
+and justified as part of a process of "civilizing savages in the wilderness"
+for their own good. This is frequently accompanied by the mythology of heroes
+who recognize the tragedy of the situation, and who have some connection-to or
+understanding-of the savages, but ultimately act violently against them.
+
+The US Civil War strengthened isolationist policies "in the large". No
+significant home-territory experience of war loss/violence in the US since
+then. Sherman's total war largely accepted as a tragic necessity and introduced
+as a strategic tool in overseas conflicts. 
+
+Perceived successful WWII strategy of aerial bombardment, particularly bombing
+campaigns in Germany and Japan, led to optimism about US ability to project
+power without loss of US lives.
+
+Little evidence that terror bombing campaigns on civilians actually had /any/
+significant outcome on military success when battling totalitarian regimes:
+civilians had no political power, and production/economy/recruiting was
+carefully controlled and optimized. See also abandonment/starvation of
+Japaneses civilians towards end of war.
+
+Ratio of US casualties to foreign civilian casualties started low and has
+shrunk over time (TODO: table of this?). Potentially we still sub-consciously
+assume that our loss/"sacrifice" is proportional to that of foreign citizens?
+
+p40-46:
+Spanish-American war was controversial. Mark Twain wrote a lot about it.
+Large scale ordered atrocities against civilians and nationalist Filipino
+forces were widely reported in the states. Many considered these civilians
+racial equivalents to Africans or Native Americans, and these deaths part of
+their... taming?
+
+Korea
+-------
+One of the top handful of largest losses of life in the 20th century, over only
+a three year period. Density of death in such a small region at least comparable
+to WWII, Chinese civil war, etc. More deaths than American Civil War or Vietnam
+War. Millions of Korean casualties, hundreds of thousands of Chinese
+casualties. Both Koreas left utterly destroyed. 
+
+Early (?) use of napalm against all targets, including fire bombing of
+Pyongyang. 
+
+p97: South Korean (under Rhee) massacres of leftist political opponents (many
+non-communist) under direct oversight and permission of American advisers,
+sometimes even . Tens of thousands killed before start of war, tens to hundreds
+of thousands of civilians killed during the war itself, often mass murders at
+prisons, also women and children. Rhee government took control in
+non-democratic manner and established a repressive authoritarian state. US
+funded, advised, and holds responsibility for an outright military campaign
+against own (non-communist) South Korean citizens in rebellion. Funded violent
+youth groups etc. 
+
+Interesting Cited References
+------------------------------
+
+"The Sources of Soviet Conduct" by George Kennan (published under the name "X"
+in Forein Affairs magazine, 1947) based on his longer official "long telegram"
+report from Moscow. 
+
+Hannah Arendt's "The Origins of Totalitarianism" (Harcourt, 1951, 1968).
+