Yale Sociologist Delineates America's War on Terror

Professor Jeffrey Alexander

In terms of performance, the script of America's "war on terror is now clearly in shambles," said Yale sociologist Jeffrey Alexander in his lecture entitled "Power and Performance: The 'War on Terror' Between the Sacred and the Profane." Held on March 13 in West Hall, Alexander's lecture was hosted by the Prince al Waleed bin Talal Center for American Studies and Research.

Alexander said a close examination of the September 11, 2001 (9/11) attacks on America is crucial for understanding the subsequent "war on terror" waged by the United States and its Western allies, culminating with the US invasion of Iraq. In light of the stereotypes that constitute the observation by Easterners of oppressive American foreign policy," Bin Laden cleverly deployed lucid and compelling rhetoric that justified the attacks to many people in Asia and the Middle East.

Nevertheless, the original script of Bin Laden to bring "the Western devil down to its knees" did succeed in creating "a culture of fear and paranoia that stalked Americans for months after the attacks." Alexander explained that this Eastern-led terrorist narrative instigated an even more violent and invasive Western-led counter-narrative. "From the smoldering ashes of the twin towers, themselves transformed from a symbol of profane and cutthroat materialism to one of martyrdom and resistance, there emerged a counter-performance never witnessed before in terms of its diligence and intensity," he said. Thereafter, America's "compelling and pragmatically effective victory" against the Taliban regime made of the uprooting of Saddam "a natural sequel" to the US-led war on Afghanistan.

Alexander pointed out that the systematic process of demonizing the "destructively armed Saddam" and linking him metaphorically to the 9/11 attacks established a "lavish and harsh script" connecting the former Iraqi dictator to world historical crimes like the nuclear war on Japan and the Jewish Holocaust. Hence, by exacerbating his already fearsome image, the United States convinced its allies to support its war on Iraq as a necessary "pre-emptive strike presented as a globally, politically, and militaristically redemptive action."

Ultimately, however, the American script failed in terms of performance. With its position as a democratic protagonist undermined by the incompetence and corruption of its occupying forces, culminating with the scandal of the Abu Ghraib prison abuse, the United States has become increasingly seen as "a colonial oppressor to be resisted."

Alexander explained the subsequent shift in the global perception of Saddam Hussein, especially after his execution. "Saddam's image was transformed from that of a vainglorious dictator to that of a dignified martyr and victim of an oppressive global power," he said. He concluded that the war on Iraq and its aftermath constitute "an unforgettable farce, which, intolerably profane, is now becoming mundane."

Alexander is a professor of sociology at Yale University. The author of more than ten books, he is also the editor or coeditor of nineteen publications and the author of over thirty scholarly articles. His works have been translated into many languages.