Military Orientalism: Eastern War Through Western Eyes

Description

Westerners have long fetishized the idea of "Oriental" warfare, hoping to either emulate the strategies of foreign armies or assimilate members of Eastern and "martial races," such as Sikhs or Gurkhas, into their ranks. Samurai warriors, obedient to an ancient code of chivalry and honor, and the Mongol hordes thundering across the steppe-these exotic visions have thrilled Western imaginations for centuries. Yet, at the same time, today's Eastern warriors, such as the Taliban and Hezbollah, are treated with skepticism, and their success is acknowledged only grudgingly in the West. These contradictory positions throw into question the romantic notion that race, culture, and tradition determines how armies fight. Military Orientalism argues against the idea that culture dictates the strategy of war. Culture is powerful, Patrick Porter asserts, but it encompasses an ambiguous repertoire of ideas rather than a clear code of action. To divide the world into Western, Asiatic, or Islamic ways of war is a misconception, one that profoundly impacts our approach to present and future conflicts, especially the "War on Terror." Porter also emphasizes the danger of fetishizing the exotic, which complicates a more accurate understanding of the enemy. Launching a rare investigation into the history of this trend as it has appeared in the work of Herodotus and numerous other fictional and nonfictional narratives, Porter strikes at the heart of the fear, envy, and wonder inspired by the Oriental warrior. Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS INTRODUCTION Pepsi Cola versus Death The Cultural Turn Definitions: Orientalism and Culture The Argument Some Caveats Chapter Outline 1. THE EMBATTLED WEST Western Confidence, Western Crisis The Hybridity of War Savage Wars of Peace: the Colonial Context The Twentieth Century: ‘Yellow Peril’and ‘Ancient Hatreds’ 2. RETHINKING WAR AND CULTURE Why Culture Matters Culture, Colonialism, and Myth War and the Exotic Tribal War and Primitive Fantasies Eastern Wisdom? Texts and Contexts Strength and Weakness Culture and War: Rethinking the Relationship 3. WATCHING THE RISING SUN: Observing Japan at War 4. THE GHOST OF GENGHIS: Mongols and the Western imagination Introduction Monsters or Marvels? Unveiling the Captains The Mongols Romanticised Conclusion: the West v. Itself 5. EXOTIC ENEMY?: America, the Taliban and the Fog of Culture A War of Cultures Busted Flush or Deathless Army? The Taliban: Rise, Fall and Rise The Fog of Culture Breakers of Tradition Conclusion 6. THE DIVINE VICTORY: Hizballa, Israel and the 2006 ‘July War’ The July War Israelis and Arabs at War Great Expectations, Tough Surprises Great Expectations Psywar and Self-Portraits: the Propaganda War Making Culture Local Conclusion Conclusion Beyond the Wild East NOTES INDEX