Rhetorical Use of Fear by the Bush Administration

The Rhetorical use of Fear by the Bush Administration to Persuade the American People to Support the Policy of War in IraqMiranda MarquitSyracuse University

AbstractFear has long been a powerful motivator, and various leaders have used fear and crisis rhetoric to motivate populaces to accept policies that they might not otherwise deem necessary under other circumstances. The events of September 11th, 2001, created a new view of foreign policy and what is needed. President George W. Bush has taken advantage of the new fears stemming from the attacks that led to the collapse of the World Trade Center's tallest towers to push a foreign policy that includes preemptive war, including the Iraq War.

This paper looks at the use President Bush has made of terrorism, by using rhetoric that plays on fears of further attacks to encourage the American public to accept Iraq War, as well as countenancing a public policy shift from one of defense to one of preemptive aggression. The paper sets forth three rhetorical devices that use a vivid language of fear to motivate the public to accept policies: the idea that we are at war (an in this case one with no boundaries or time limits), the use of dichotomous language to describe "us" as opposed to "them," and outlining worst-case scenarios as viable and imminent possibilities.

Additionally, this paper looks at the coordinated media strategy the Bush Administration uses to share its messages with the public, including the message that war in Iraq was a necessary part of the war on terror, and that Iraq presented a viable and imminent threat to America's security.

The Rhetorical use of Fear and Crisis Language by the Bush Administration to Persuade the American People to Support the Policy of War in Iraq