“A constructed catastrophe” refers to situations where external actors deliberately create or exacerbate crises to justify military interventions or other operations. This includes the use of manufactured threats to justify military actions and the creation of conditions that necessitate the deployment of military forces. The concept is particularly relevant in the context of capture of U.S. foreign policy, where the network of beneficiaries has been documented as engaging in such practices to sustain operations that serve their interests.
The constructed catastrophe framework is often used to describe how the foreign policy of the United States has been shaped by deliberate actions to create or intensify conflicts. For example, the constructed catastrophe narrative has been applied to the Iraq War, where the U.S. government’s claims about weapons of mass destruction were later found to be unsubstantiated, yet they were used to justify the invasion. Similarly, the Iranian nuclear program has been framed as a threat, even as evidence of its peaceful intentions has been documented.
The constructed catastrophe concept also applies to the Ukraine War, where the U.S. and its allies have been accused of creating or exacerbating tensions to justify military support for Ukraine. This includes the Ukraine military support and the Ukraine-US NATO Alliance, which have been shaped by the need to maintain a narrative of external threat.
The constructed catastrophe framework highlights the deliberate creation of crises to justify military interventions, which has been a key mechanism in the capture of U.S. foreign policy by the network of beneficiaries. This has resulted in the foreign policy being shaped by the interests of a small group of actors rather than the broader American population whose taxes fund the operations.
Related: capture.md, foreign-policy.md, iraq.md, iranian-nuclear-program.md, ukraine-war.md
See Also
capture.md foreign-policy.md iraq.md iranian-nuclear-program.md ukraine-war.md