Description: "Atrocity fabrication-the invention and reporting of atrocities committed by an adversary without knowledge that they ever occurred-has a centuries-long history at the heart of propaganda and power politics as an effective means of moving public and international opinion. Its use can provide pretext for a range of hostile measures against its targets, transforming in the public eye wars of unprovoked aggression into wars of liberation of the oppressed, or turning blockades to starve enemy civilians into humane efforts to pressure abusive governments under the moralistic label of sanctions. As it plays a large and growing role in global conflict in the 21st century understanding atrocity fabrication and the consistent means by and ends to which it has been used has become crucial to comprehending geopolitical events in the present day"--
Brief description: A. B. Abrams is the author of Power and Primacy: A History of Western Intervention in the Asia-Pacific, Immovable Object: North Korea's 70 Years at War with American Power and World War in Syria. He has published widely on defense and international politics, and holds Masters degrees in related subjects from the University of London. Abrams is proficient in several Asian languages including Korean and Arabic, and has closely studied the conduct of war for close to a decade. He is based out of London.
Review Quotes: "A B Abrams has provided a signal service by taking 'fake news' about alleged atrocities out of the current affairs arena in which it is mainly discussed and into a much broader, deeper and in fact even more disturbing context. He perceptively traces the evolution of the use of fabricated atrocity narratives back to the first days of Western warfare and colonial expansion through to eleven more recent case studies. Chillingly, he chronicles how domination of the information space by Western powers through atrocity narratives has driven conflicts far worse in their outcomes than the atrocities alleged. Scholars, journalists and others with a serious interest in understanding international affairs will find this thought-provoking, ground-breaking analysis highly rewarding." PETER FORD, Former British Ambassador to Syria