Raison d'État on Nostr: "Psychological targets" was the British euphemism for State terrorism - bombing ...

"Psychological targets" was the British euphemism for State terrorism - bombing undefended wooden working-class housing with incendiaries, rather than risking attacks on hardened industrial and military targets.

"The Social Impact of Bomb Destruction" was a postwar report on the strategic effectiveness of this State terrorism.

It found that targeting civilian homes with incendiaries or HE was actually very counterproductive: raising support for the enemy government, motivating enemy workers, and encouraging enemy military and elites to support their chain of command and to fight to the death. Probably added a year to the war.

State terrorism works very well against people who cannot fight back, and who cannot see others doing so for them.

But against those who can fight back, even feebly, its a strategic mistake. An enjoyable mistake for sadists, hence its persistence across time and space.

We're about to repeat it against #Iran