LEADER 04050nam 2200709 a 450 001 9910825289803321 005 20230801221638.0 010 $a0-8147-6338-3 010 $a0-8147-6337-5 024 7 $a10.18574/9780814763377 035 $a(CKB)2670000000151354 035 $a(EBL)865747 035 $a(OCoLC)819594428 035 $a(SSID)ssj0000634082 035 $a(PQKBManifestationID)11386597 035 $a(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000634082 035 $a(PQKBWorkID)10621077 035 $a(PQKB)11372298 035 $a(StDuBDS)EDZ0000373895 035 $a(OCoLC)778454572 035 $a(MdBmJHUP)muse19824 035 $a(DE-B1597)547746 035 $a(DE-B1597)9780814763377 035 $a(Au-PeEL)EBL865747 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebr10535660 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC865747 035 $a(EXLCZ)992670000000151354 100 $a20111004d2012 uy 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aur|n|---||||| 181 $ctxt 182 $cc 183 $acr 200 10$aDemocracy's blameless leaders $efrom Dresden to Abu Ghraib, how leaders evade accountability for abuse, atrocity, and killing /$fNeil James Mitchell 210 $aNew York $cNew York University$d2012 215 $a1 online resource (276 p.) 300 $aDescription based upon print version of record. 311 $a0-8147-6144-5 320 $aIncludes bibliographical references and index. 327 $aPreface -- Introduction -- The theory of the fall guy -- Evading accountability -- Amritsar -- Dresden -- Londonderry -- Beirut -- Baghdad -- Baghdad to Basra -- A tale of a few cities: better leaders, better institutions, or a better audience?. 330 $aFrom the American and British counter-insurgency in Iraq to the bombing of Dresden and the Amristar Massacre in India, civilians are often abused and killed when they are caught in the cross-fire of wars and other conflicts. In Democracy?s Blameless Leaders, Neil Mitchell examines how leaders in democracies manage the blame for the abuse and the killing of civilians, arguing that politicians are likely to react in a self-interested and opportunistic way and seek to deny and evade accountability.Using empirical evidence from well-known cases of abuse and atrocity committed by the security forces of established, liberal democracies, Mitchell shows that self-interested political leaders will attempt to evade accountability for abuse and atrocity, using a range of well-known techniques including denial, delay, diversion, and delegation to pass blame for abuse and atrocities to the lowest plausible level. Mitchell argues that, despite the conventional wisdom that accountability is a ?central feature? of democracies, it is only a rare and courageous leader who acts differently, exposing the limits of accountability in democratic societies. As democracies remain embroiled in armed conflicts, and continue to try to come to grips with past atrocities, Democracy?s Blameless Leaders provides a timely analysis of why these events occur, why leaders behave as they do, and how a more accountable system might be developed. 606 $aPolitical leadership$xMoral and ethical aspects$vCase studies 606 $aDemocracy$xMoral and ethical aspects$vCase studies 606 $aCivilians in war$xCrimes against$vCase studies 606 $aCriminal liability (International law)$vCase studies 606 $aAtrocities$vCase studies 606 $aGovernment accountability$vCase studies 615 0$aPolitical leadership$xMoral and ethical aspects 615 0$aDemocracy$xMoral and ethical aspects 615 0$aCivilians in war$xCrimes against 615 0$aCriminal liability (International law) 615 0$aAtrocities 615 0$aGovernment accountability 676 $a303.3/4 700 $aMitchell$b Neil J$g(Neil James),$f1953-$01694621 801 0$bMiAaPQ 801 1$bMiAaPQ 801 2$bMiAaPQ 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910825289803321 996 $aDemocracy's blameless leaders$94073286 997 $aUNINA