ABSTRACT
Few events generate more potent discourses of national identity than warfare.1 Identifying and dening the enemy necessarily involves dening who we are as a nation. Warfare has the potential to unite previously divided groups in defense against an external Other, just as Colley (1992) suggests frequent warfare between Britain and France (especially 1689-1815) helped unite the English, Scots, and Welsh in national defense. It can also lead to the further marginalization of certain minority groups within the national community, as Japanese-Americans interned during World War II will testify. In times of armed conict, the enemy is routinely demonized and dehumanized. No doubt conceptualizing our foes as devils or beasts makes it easier to commit acts of violence against them.
