Norman Solomon's "War Made Invisible" Shines Light On The Human Cost Of War

New book asks why people often identify more with the bombers rather than with the bombed.

by Kathy Kelly, The Progressive

Following a string of U.S. “forever wars,” a profusion of well-written, often riveting novels, memoirs, and analyses have been published. Talented authors have aimed to promote understanding about the human cost of war.

In the same period, mainstream media sources have continually developed ways to make war appear normal—something necessary, justifiable, or in some cases, “humane.”

Norman Solomon’s War Made Invisible erects an edifice of evidence showing deliberate, consistent, coordinated, and well-funded efforts to squelch movements opposing the vicious consequences of war.

In this book, Solomon asks why people identify more with the bombers rather than the bombed. Then he traces the history of embedded reporters. He shows how the presence of “embeds” (journalists who live with and travel with units of the military) has changed the way wars are covered. They are beholden not only to the soldiers that protect them, but also to corporate heads who collude with war profiteers and war planners.