Twice Betrayed by the Truth: A Narrative About the Cultural Similarities Between the Cold War and the Global War on Terror

Abstract

This narrative explores the relationship of some forgotten legacies of Cold War (particularly Vietnam-era) politics, language, and culture to the current Global War on Terror (GWOT). One theme that ties these historical eras together is the rise of secrecy among power elites and the resulting lack of available truth capable of informing policies and practices used to justify war abroad and spread fear and anxiety at home. The implications of this cultural and political déjà vu in light of the current GWOT are examined with particular emphases on how a "war" waged by a rhetoric of deceit and deception has produced unintended global consequences and new risks to our security while devaluing the power of the story that we give to the world.