Philip Smith presents the simple theory that we make sense of certain situations, threats, and risks such as war by telling stories: stories about what form of involvement is necessary in conflict, what the outcome might be, who the heroes and villains are. Taking the cases of three broadly comparable conflicts—Suez, the Gulf War, and the Iraq War—Smith exposes the stories told by respective politicians in Washington, London, Paris, and Madrid. Storytelling, he shows, makes it easier to assemble confusing information into comprehensible scenarios…. Read the press release.
Read an excerpt on Britain and the war in Iraq.