War Without Mercy by DowerIn "War Without Mercy," Dower's premise is surprising: although the Western allies were clearly headed for victory, pure racism fueled persistence and the increase in hostilities in the country. Setting the Pacific during the final year of World War II, a period that saw as many casualties as the first five years of the conflict combined. Dower does not come to this disturbing conclusion lightly. He looked through numerous propaganda films, press articles, military documents and cartoons. Although his argument is strong, Dower downplays other factors, such as the prolonged negotiations between the West and the Japanese. During World War II, with the alliance of Germany and Italy, a propaganda campaign of obvious anti-white racism was somewhat unreasonable. Moreover, Japan's history of rapid and often passionate Westernization, while opposing colonization by Western powers, has largely prohibited such a propaganda approach. Dower's central idea is that racial fear and hatred were major factors determining how both sides, Japanese and Anglo-American, perceived and treated their respective enemies, "the formal expression of Self and 'Other ". Dower begins by examining the propaganda launched. by both war machines (including a documentary by Frank Capra, Know Your Enemy - Japan) and uncovers fundamental patterns of stereotypes. A few clichés found in this film were that it originally portrayed the Japanese as ordinary humans who were victims of their leaders. “In everyday words,” he writes, “the first type of stereotypes could be summed up in the following statement: you are the opposite of what you say you are and the opposite of us, not peaceful but warlike, not good but bad .In the second form of stereotypes, the f...... middle of paper ......cking This provides a valuable service by exposing many of the prejudices of the time and above all by showing. how these prejudices originated It is partly responsible for the series of debacles endured by the United States and other Allied forces early in the war. It also gives the reader a very good insight into the type of thinking. which prevailed in Japanese society before and during the war. In this sense, it is an extremely important work and highly recommended to anyone seriously interested in the Pacific Theater. The author overplays his hand and places too much emphasis on the war. role of racism, describing it as the root cause of the war and the evils that transpired during its execution. As a result, it tends to sidestep many of the complex issues that deserve more in-depth treatment...