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Atrocity Fabrication and Its Consequences: How Fake News Shapes World Order
Atrocity fabrication – the invention and reporting of atrocities committed by an adversary without knowledge that they ever occurred – has a centuries-long history at the heart of propaganda and power politics as an effective means of moving public and international opinion. Its use can provide pretext for a range of hostile measures against its targets, transforming in the public eye wars of unprovoked aggression into wars of liberation of the oppressed, or turning blockades to starve enemy civilians into humane efforts to pressure abusive governments under the moralistic label of sanctions. As it plays a large and growing role in global conflict in the 21st century understanding atrocity fabrication and the consistent means by and ends to which it has been used has become crucial to comprehending geopolitical events in the present day.
This book elucidates the seldom explored but central role played by atrocity fabrication in eleven major conflicts from the 1950s to the present day: from Korea, Vietnam and Cuba during the Cold War to Iraq, Libya and the emerging Sino-U.S. cold war more recently. It highlights the many variations of atrocity fabrication, the strong consistencies in how atrocity fabrication is used, and the consequences it has for the populations of the targeted countries, The book demonstrates the roles played by media and both government and non-governmental organizations in misleading the public as to the actuality of these highly publicized events. The emerging trend towards this mode of action, and the deep implications this has for world order, make an understanding of its history particularly critical.
This book elucidates the seldom explored but central role played by atrocity fabrication in eleven major conflicts from the 1950s to the present day: from Korea, Vietnam and Cuba during the Cold War to Iraq, Libya and the emerging Sino-U.S. cold war more recently. It highlights the many variations of atrocity fabrication, the strong consistencies in how atrocity fabrication is used, and the consequences it has for the populations of the targeted countries, The book demonstrates the roles played by media and both government and non-governmental organizations in misleading the public as to the actuality of these highly publicized events. The emerging trend towards this mode of action, and the deep implications this has for world order, make an understanding of its history particularly critical.
424 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2023
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About the author
A.B. Abrams
7 books14 followersA.B. Abrams is an expert on the international relations and security of the Asia-Pacific region. He has published widely on defense and politics under various pseudonyms, and is proficient in Chinese, Korean, and other East Asian languages. Abrams has completed Master's degrees in related subjects at the University of London. His works have received strong endorsements from senior military officials, diplomats, professors, and UN experts, among others.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 3, 2023
Reminded me a lot to Michael Parenti’s work.
Abrams analyses how news have been fabricated in favor of capitalism. The Soviet Union, China, Cuba, Vietnam, North Korea, etc. all have been vilified.
It’s a bit too long in my opinion, but nonetheless Abrams makes an excellent detailed compilation of all the historical evidence that has been used in the anticommunist campaign.
If you’ve already read Parenti’s work, then there ain’t gonna be much new, but still, I’d recommend it just to have up to date information.
Abrams analyses how news have been fabricated in favor of capitalism. The Soviet Union, China, Cuba, Vietnam, North Korea, etc. all have been vilified.
It’s a bit too long in my opinion, but nonetheless Abrams makes an excellent detailed compilation of all the historical evidence that has been used in the anticommunist campaign.
If you’ve already read Parenti’s work, then there ain’t gonna be much new, but still, I’d recommend it just to have up to date information.
October 6, 2025
highly recommend this book to absolutely anyone .. Well-written and well cited, covering ten different fabricated atrocities with details of their political contexts and the way in which they were used to further Western (typically US) hegemony, sometimes resulting in the total destruction of non-US aligned states and oftentimes having dire consequences for civilian populations and resulting in harsh and illegal economic sanctions and aggressive military intervention.
‘Xinjiang's Uyghur population were the latest Kuwaiti incubator babies, the latest American civilians killed in Cuban terrorist attacks, the latest Filipino civilians brutalised by the Huks or Syrian victims of their government's chemical weapons. They were Park Yeonmi forced to walk across three mountains and bury her father, Iraqi dissidents fed live into human shredders, students run over by tanks in Tiananmen Square, or Libyan women raped by Gaddafi's black African mercenaries. What all these alleged victims had in common was that the crimes against them were never actually committed but were very widely publicised to build narratives which furthered Western foreign policy objectives. The Xinjiang narrative was the culmination of decades of Western atrocity fabrication intended to justify hostile measures against adversaries.’
‘Xinjiang's Uyghur population were the latest Kuwaiti incubator babies, the latest American civilians killed in Cuban terrorist attacks, the latest Filipino civilians brutalised by the Huks or Syrian victims of their government's chemical weapons. They were Park Yeonmi forced to walk across three mountains and bury her father, Iraqi dissidents fed live into human shredders, students run over by tanks in Tiananmen Square, or Libyan women raped by Gaddafi's black African mercenaries. What all these alleged victims had in common was that the crimes against them were never actually committed but were very widely publicised to build narratives which furthered Western foreign policy objectives. The Xinjiang narrative was the culmination of decades of Western atrocity fabrication intended to justify hostile measures against adversaries.’
May 24, 2024
A must read to understand how western countries operate regarding geopolitics and the means they employ in order to manipulate public opinion when it comes to vilify adversaries.
November 13, 2024
You are not immune from propaganda.
September 23, 2024
This is a book that I would very much advocate that everybody reads because it is about how the government and media lie to its people. Reading this book may help open the eyes of many at how untrustworthy western media and governments are. Stop believing what you are told and think about what the truth probably is. Please do read this book, it is quite an eye opener.
There are quite a few extreme examples of total lies by the west. For example, they could find no collaboration of the supposed atrocities committed in Belgium by the Germans during the early stages of the invasion of France at the beginning of World War I. And interestingly enough, what the Germans were so vilified at common practice by western powers in their colonies. It also appears that there is little truth any reports from supposedly North Korea. Because the country is so isolated, whatever lies, no matter how ridiculous, are believed also long as they vilify the North Korean Regime. Many supposed assassinations and executions never occurred, there was attempt even to determine who was responsible for the death of Kim Jong-nam. The official Indonesian investigation never resolved this, and that was the only investigation. The position of western press on North Korea is as long as the story vilifies. Gaddafi’s army only killed a few hundred, and almost no women and children which indicates that there was no purposeful murder of civilians, but the rebels and NATO, whose bombing was indiscriminate, killed thousands. It was the NATO supported Rebels that were the mass murders, and the evidence is that the intention from the start was for NATO to intervene since there was no way the rebels could have won without NATO>
A lot of what I thought was true has been confirmed by this book. That westerners are so quick to believe the bullshit about the different groups protesting for democracy. This just shows how little they can use their own brains and critical thinking. In fact, cannot even understand that the protests are much like happened in the west against monopolistic companies and government support for anti-labor position of these companies. They have been well indoctrinated by a school system that has adopted the Prussian Model because it was so effective in indoctrination. Arab spring was not about democracy, which makes sense. Tiananmen square was not about democracy, which makes sense. Just like BLM and Occupy Wall Street were not about democracy. People just want fair treatment and a government that treats its people right, and do not serve a minority: the rich or the oligarchy (in the case of the United States the plutocracy).
A lot of western media was using the student leader Wu’ er Kaixi report that he had seen 200 students cut down by gunfire in Tiananmen square, but it was later proven that he left the square several hours before the events he described allegedly occurred. There is in actuality no proof that any were killed in Tiananmen square. The supposed reports by reporters from the Beijing Hotel could not have happened because there was no view of the square from there. The police armed at most with Billy clubs peacefully clears a few hundred protestors from the square in the morning. Reports from diplomats and others confirmed this. The only violence was from a distance away where soldiers were ambushed with among other things Molotov cocktails. How did they learn to make them, and why did they have them? Many soldiers were killed and military vehicles burned. Disgusting Western lies. One of the leaders later was stated how disgusted she was at the why that the Chinese people did not rise up against the government. Obviously, a hater.
And in the case of Iraq and Kuwait, the US had actually told Saddam that they would not get involved if Iraq invaded Kuwait. Also, there was absolutely no threat to Saudi Arabia since there were no large concentrations of Iraqi troops on the border as claimed by the lying United States. Iraq also agreed to leave Kuwait if they were guaranteed that Iraq would not be invaded. It is obvious that pretexts were being created by the US administration for a war that cost $7 trillion, and the US and NATO effectively suffered a strategic defeat considering they were effectively defeated by peasants and Bedouins; not organized armies, much like Vietnam (again). So many lies.
Then there are the supposed atrocities on allied soldiers during the Korean war that were reported, but interviews with those POWs afterwards confirm that they were exceptionally well treated by the Chinese, including often doing activities together. This is very different form how the Chinese POWs were treated with many thousands of deaths. Chang Kia-Shek’s equivalent of the Gestapo was allowed free reign with the Chinese POWs and they were brutalized into agreeing to be sent to Taiwan instead of being repatriated to China as required by the Geneva conventions. They also were given anti-communist tattoos.
Now tell me who is more civilized. Seems like the west has a long barbaric history. Do please read to learn the truth.
There are quite a few extreme examples of total lies by the west. For example, they could find no collaboration of the supposed atrocities committed in Belgium by the Germans during the early stages of the invasion of France at the beginning of World War I. And interestingly enough, what the Germans were so vilified at common practice by western powers in their colonies. It also appears that there is little truth any reports from supposedly North Korea. Because the country is so isolated, whatever lies, no matter how ridiculous, are believed also long as they vilify the North Korean Regime. Many supposed assassinations and executions never occurred, there was attempt even to determine who was responsible for the death of Kim Jong-nam. The official Indonesian investigation never resolved this, and that was the only investigation. The position of western press on North Korea is as long as the story vilifies. Gaddafi’s army only killed a few hundred, and almost no women and children which indicates that there was no purposeful murder of civilians, but the rebels and NATO, whose bombing was indiscriminate, killed thousands. It was the NATO supported Rebels that were the mass murders, and the evidence is that the intention from the start was for NATO to intervene since there was no way the rebels could have won without NATO>
A lot of what I thought was true has been confirmed by this book. That westerners are so quick to believe the bullshit about the different groups protesting for democracy. This just shows how little they can use their own brains and critical thinking. In fact, cannot even understand that the protests are much like happened in the west against monopolistic companies and government support for anti-labor position of these companies. They have been well indoctrinated by a school system that has adopted the Prussian Model because it was so effective in indoctrination. Arab spring was not about democracy, which makes sense. Tiananmen square was not about democracy, which makes sense. Just like BLM and Occupy Wall Street were not about democracy. People just want fair treatment and a government that treats its people right, and do not serve a minority: the rich or the oligarchy (in the case of the United States the plutocracy).
A lot of western media was using the student leader Wu’ er Kaixi report that he had seen 200 students cut down by gunfire in Tiananmen square, but it was later proven that he left the square several hours before the events he described allegedly occurred. There is in actuality no proof that any were killed in Tiananmen square. The supposed reports by reporters from the Beijing Hotel could not have happened because there was no view of the square from there. The police armed at most with Billy clubs peacefully clears a few hundred protestors from the square in the morning. Reports from diplomats and others confirmed this. The only violence was from a distance away where soldiers were ambushed with among other things Molotov cocktails. How did they learn to make them, and why did they have them? Many soldiers were killed and military vehicles burned. Disgusting Western lies. One of the leaders later was stated how disgusted she was at the why that the Chinese people did not rise up against the government. Obviously, a hater.
And in the case of Iraq and Kuwait, the US had actually told Saddam that they would not get involved if Iraq invaded Kuwait. Also, there was absolutely no threat to Saudi Arabia since there were no large concentrations of Iraqi troops on the border as claimed by the lying United States. Iraq also agreed to leave Kuwait if they were guaranteed that Iraq would not be invaded. It is obvious that pretexts were being created by the US administration for a war that cost $7 trillion, and the US and NATO effectively suffered a strategic defeat considering they were effectively defeated by peasants and Bedouins; not organized armies, much like Vietnam (again). So many lies.
Then there are the supposed atrocities on allied soldiers during the Korean war that were reported, but interviews with those POWs afterwards confirm that they were exceptionally well treated by the Chinese, including often doing activities together. This is very different form how the Chinese POWs were treated with many thousands of deaths. Chang Kia-Shek’s equivalent of the Gestapo was allowed free reign with the Chinese POWs and they were brutalized into agreeing to be sent to Taiwan instead of being repatriated to China as required by the Geneva conventions. They also were given anti-communist tattoos.
Now tell me who is more civilized. Seems like the west has a long barbaric history. Do please read to learn the truth.
May 29, 2025
Absolutely essential reading for anyone who believes themselves to be politically literate. Abrams is concise and compelling, with a few passive aggressive aside that share his biases but made me laugh. As I have less knowledge on the Yugoslav and Syrian war I cannot attest to the supporting evidence of his claims, but I have plenty of knowledge on the Vietnam and Korean wars (and the context of propaganda against China) and he used reputable historians and verifiable information from government documents.
Now I'm off to see if he's made any comments on the Gaza genocide and the massive swing against US propaganda after the president of the United States looked down the barrel of a camera and testified to seeing for himself images of beheaded babies that did not exist.
Now I'm off to see if he's made any comments on the Gaza genocide and the massive swing against US propaganda after the president of the United States looked down the barrel of a camera and testified to seeing for himself images of beheaded babies that did not exist.
July 12, 2025
Must read if you want to understand the world
I already bought the paperback version and read it a couple years ago. Just found out there is a kindle version so I bought it again to show support. A lot of work has been put into this work, heavily referenced. Highly recommended.
I already bought the paperback version and read it a couple years ago. Just found out there is a kindle version so I bought it again to show support. A lot of work has been put into this work, heavily referenced. Highly recommended.
March 30, 2024
The worst atrocity propaganda (by far) was the propaganda suffered by the Germans in WW1, WW2, and up until today.
March 13, 2025
Another well-written and well-cited book by the author, covering 10 different fabrications in recent history that shaped global perception
November 27, 2025
Anyone who thinks they have an opinion on foreign policy should be forced to read this book.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews