Os sentidos da violência: uma leitura dos discursos sobre a guerra entre EUA e Iraque

Abstract

This paper aims to reflect on the speech that legitimize the Iraq War (2003), delivered by the U.S. President, George W. Bush. To do so, we selected two articles that before its publication, were subjects of its President speeches, in national and international TV network - "Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People" from September 20, 2001, and "President Says Saddam Hussein Must Leave Iraq Within 48 Hours" in March 17, 2003. Thus, it is important to note that the first speech was delivered nine days after the attacks, with main objectives the declaration of War on Terror and the transmission of a message that can influence the collective memory in order to obtain national and international support to War. The second speech has the same intention of the first: try to justify the War on Terror. Overall, this study aims to understand the discourse that legitimized the war on terror and the war of the United States against Iraq, in March 2003. To do so, it was necessary to understand how the founder speech of the United States established effect senses that appear in American discourse until now, being constantly used up by President George W. Bush to justify their intentions to invade Iraq and thus confirm the economic and military political hegemony of the United States.