Jean Baudrillard (1929–2007) 在《海灣戰爭並未發生》一文中，法國哲學家和社會理論家讓·鮑德里亞認為，1990-1991年的海灣戰爭與其說是一場真正的軍事衝突，不如說是一場媒體鬧劇。 《物體系》、《消費社會》、《生產之鏡》、《符號政治經濟學批判》、《象征交換與死亡》、 《擬像與仿真》、《冷記憶》Cool Memories (1987~90)
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在《海灣戰爭並未發生》一文中，法國哲學家和社會理論家讓·鮑德里亞認為，1990-1991年的海灣戰爭與其說是一場真正的軍事衝突，不如說是一場媒體鬧劇。為了支持這一觀點，鮑德里亞對戰爭爆發前、爆發期間和爆發後的一系列事件進行了觀察。
鮑德里亞首先指出，在戰爭爆發前，幾乎沒有人討論薩達姆·侯賽因領導下的伊拉克入侵科威特的可能性。相反，所有人的關注點都集中在美軍在沙烏地阿拉伯的集結上。這使得鮑德里亞認為，這場戰爭更多的是為了滿足美國展現軍事實力的需要，而非伊拉克構成的任何實際威脅。
他還指出，在戰爭期間，伊拉克軍隊和聯軍之間幾乎沒有發生真正的戰鬥。絕大多數「傷亡」實際上是平民，他們死於所謂的「智慧炸彈」或基礎設施損毀導致的疾病和飢餓。此外，電視上播放的畫面大多是電腦生成的類比影像，而非真實的戰鬥畫面。基於這些原因，鮑德里亞認為海灣戰爭與其說是一場真正的戰爭，不如說是一場媒體事件。
最後，鮑德里亞觀察到，戰後幾乎沒有改變。薩達姆·侯賽因仍然掌權，科威特仍然處於伊拉克的控制之下。唯一的變化是美國成功地維持了作為世界唯一超級大國的地位。
鮑德里亞聲稱海灣戰爭與其說是一場真正的衝突，不如說是一場媒體事件。他透過對戰爭的醞釀、戰爭本身以及戰後情況的觀察來支持這一觀點。儘管有些人可能不同意鮑德里亞的評估，但不可否認的是，媒體在我們對國際衝突的認知中扮演著重要的角色。
In “The Gulf War Did Not Take Place,” French philosopher and social theorist Jean Baudrillard argues that the Persian Gulf War of 1990-1991 was more a media spectacle than an actual military conflict. In support of this claim, Baudrillard presents a number of observations about the events leading up to, during, and after the war.
Baudrillard first notes that before the war began, there was very little talk about the possibility of Saddam Hussein’s Iraq invading Kuwait. Instead, all of the focus was on the build-up of American troops in Saudi Arabia. This led Baudrillard to believe that the war had more to do with America’s need to prove its military might than with any real threat posed by Iraq.
He also notes that during the war itself, there was very little fighting between Iraqi and coalition forces. The vast majority of “casualties” were actually civilians who were killed by so-called “smart bombs” or by disease and starvation caused by the destruction of infrastructure. In addition, most of the footage shown on television consisted of computer-generated simulations rather than actual battle footage. For these reasons, Baudrillard believes that the Gulf War was more a media event than an actual war.
Finally, Baudrillard observes that in the aftermath of the war, very little changed. Saddam Hussein was still in power and Kuwait still under Iraqi control. The only thing that changed was that America managed to maintain its position as the world’s lone superpower.
Baudrillard claimed that the Gulf War was more a media event than an actual conflict. He supports this claim with observations about the build-up to the war, the conduct of the war itself, and the aftermath of the war. While some may disagree with Baudrillard’s assessment, it is impossible to deny that media plays a significant role in our perceptions of international conflicts.
- Cool Memories (1987~90) By Jean Baudrillard
- 作者： [法]讓‧波德里亞（Jean Baudrillard）
- 原文作者： [法]讓‧波德里亞（Jean Baudrillard）
- 譯者： 張新木 李萬文
- 出版社：南京大學出版社
- 出版日期：2009/
讓‧波德里亞的上一本書是關于美國的。本書則是關于女性、福柯、阿爾法‧羅密歐、白血病、天主教、柏林牆、洛朗‧法比尤斯、讓-保羅二世、玫瑰、南極洲、列赫‧瓦文薩、泥地摔跤、季諾維也夫、色情電影、雪、女權主義、雅克‧拉康、史蒂維‧旺德、邁克爾‧杰克遜、帕勒莫、DNA和恐怖主義。本書具有一種憂郁的氣質，而憂郁正是事物的特定狀態。
作者簡介︰
讓‧渡德里亞，1929年出生于法國蘭姆斯，1966年至1987年任法國南特爾大學社會學教授，後現代理論的主要代表人物。著有《物體系》、《消費社會》、《生產之鏡》、《符號政治經濟學批判》、《象征交換與死亡》、《擬像與仿真》、《冷記憶》等。
作者簡介︰
讓‧渡德里亞，1929年出生于法國蘭姆斯，1966年至1987年任法國南特爾大學社會學教授，後現代理論的主要代表人物。著有《物體系》、《消費社會》、《生產之鏡》、《符號政治經濟學批判》、《象征交換與死亡》、《擬像與仿真》、《冷記憶》等。
Jean Baudrillard (1929–2007) began teaching sociology at the Université de Paris-X in 1966. He retired from academia in 1987 to write books and travel until
Jean Baudrillard's last book was about America. His new one is about cats, Foucault, Alfa Romeas, leukemia, Catholicism, the Berlin Wall, mattresses, Laurent Fabius, Jean-Paul II, roses, Antarctica, Lech Walesa, mud wrestling, Zinoviev, porn films, snow, feminism, Rio, Jacques Lacan, Stevie Wonder, Palermo, DNA and terrorism.
"Cool Memories is the other side of America, the disillusioned side, presented in the form of a diary, though not in the classical sense. I'm trying to grasp a world in all its silences and its brutality. Can you grasp a world when you're no longer tied to it by some kind of ideological enthusiasm, or by traditional passions? Can things "tell" themselves through stories and fragments? These are some of the questions posed in a book which may seem melancholic. But then I think almost every diary is melancholic. Melancholy is in the very state of things."
