Events

Stripping bare the body

25 February 2010

Mark Danner is one of the world’s most experienced war reporters, and has covered trouble spots such as El Salvador, Haiti, Bosnia and most recently Iraq. In his new book Stripping Bare the Body: Politics, Violence, War, a collection of his writings, he develops a unique perspective on the use of violence in these conflicts and expands on Prussian Carl von Clautisz’ theory that ‘war is a continuation of politics by other means’. Fear is a lucrative political emotion, and politicians can use fear to achieve a great deal. The violence of war also exposes the limits of our beliefs, and strips away any facades to exposes the true power in society. In his search to answer questions about the morality of the USA’s involvement in the current war in Afghanistan, he examines the US’s involvement in conflicts in Haiti, the Balkans, Latin America and the Middle East.