Strategy of Deception (Radical Thinkers)

Writtenwith his characteristic flair, Virillo's latest book is a trenchantdenunciation of the Kosovo war in which he successfully unites theorywith a riveting study of the conflict. Tearing aside the veil ofhypocrisy in which the USA and its allies wrapped the war, Virillodemonstrates that the nature of the bombing was set by strategic ratherthan ethical considerations. Beneaththe humanitarian rhetoric, Virillo sees a sinister innovation in themethods of waging war: territorial space is being replaced by orbitalspace in which a system of global telesurveillance is linked to thedestructive power of bombers and missiles. Governments, the militaryand the media are becoming part of a seamless and self-justifyingprocess linked by new information and arms technologies. Passionate and political, Strategy of Deceptionis a vital examination not only of the war in Yugoslavia but also whatVirillo calls our "fin-de-siécle infantilization" in which the realityof battle is reduced to flickering images on a screen.