Home » ‘Reduced to a Primitive State’: America’s History of Threatening Genocide

‘Reduced to a Primitive State’: America’s History of Threatening Genocide

In a televised address to the American public on Wednesday, President Trump warned that Iran would be reduced to a state of utter devastation if it failed to agree to a peace deal that met Washington’s terms to bring an end to the five-week conflict. The phrase ‘reduced to a state of utter devastation’ is commonly understood to signify a comprehensive bombing campaign aimed at annihilating a nation’s infrastructure, leaving behind none of the hallmarks of modern civilization – hospitals, schools, universities, industry, businesses, hotels, skyscrapers, or parks intact. Such an act, were it to be carried out, would likely constitute genocide under international law. However, neither the threat nor America’s willingness to engage in such a campaign are novel developments. The expression ‘reduced to a state of utter devastation’ is often attributed to Curtis LeMay, a US Air Force officer who oversaw the destruction of Japanese cities during World War II. In the early 1950s, US-led forces conducted a carpet bombing campaign against North Korea, resulting in the destruction of 95 percent of its power generation capacity and more than 80 percent of its buildings. LeMay later advocated for the US to bomb Vietnam back to a ‘state of utter devastation’ during the war in Southeast Asia. In 1972, US President Richard Nixon ordered the carpet bombing of North Vietnam, which was marketed to the American public as the ‘Christmas bombing’ campaign. Following the September 11 attacks, the US threatened to reduce Pakistan to a ‘state of utter devastation’ if it did not join the war against the Taliban, according to then-Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf.

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