The new world order of borderless trade and seamless communication is fading. The dot.com bust, an aimless world economy and rising discontent have made the new order look more like the old one. Today, differences between people and nations are less likely to be downplayed in order to open the way for trade and corporate expansion. Instead they are more likely to be amplified in order to mobilize public sentiment for war. It is becoming a world of "us" and "them". To paraphrase the President: You are either on "our side" or with the "enemy."

Possibly because my background is in marketing, I find myself fascinated with war propaganda. Moblizing public sentiment for war calls into play every tool of persuasion. Religious, ethnic, and ideological difference, usually downplayed in peacetime, are grist for the mill in creating propaganda for war.

My interest in collecting what I call war propaganda relates to themes expressed in posters, prints periodicals, post cards, souvenir items, even dinner invitations. Not surprisingly, the themes of war propaganda have changed little over time.

Today's "United We Stand" bumper stickers resurrect the most basic theme of wartime propaganda. This theme magnifies the size, cohesiveness, and determination of "our side". Ironcially, "our side" in wartime propaganda often includes those with whom we had political differences, and whom we demonized in peacetime. The WWII Office of War Information Poster prominently allies the US with the Soviet Union of Stalin. Other calls for unity placed importance on the role of women and minorities in supporting the war effort.

In war there is no middle ground. War propaganda is designed to polarize. The images used in war propaganda are exaggerated and overpowering. Photographs of actual war are never used. Exaggerated facial expressions, flexing muscles, and massive weaponry are used to create cartoonish caricatures emboldened by strong, primary colors. "We" are strong, moral and determined; the "enemy" is weak, immoral and ruthless.

Whether 'making the world safe for democracy' or battling an 'evil empire' most wartime propaganda cries for reaction without benefit of logic or reasoning. An 1899 pamphlet supporting the war in the Philippines admits that "the greatest minds are divided… upon the wisdom of the absorption… of this republic's fertile tropical lands…: but suggests that the war is justified by the "reverberating echoes of the valiant [Admiral] Dewey's unerring guns."

In the wake of September 11, Afghanistan was widely referred to as an unconquerable nation; the Soviets had failed to conquer it; the British had also failed. But a pre-1900 lithograph celebrates the 1990 "Victory at Candehar" with images of British Cavalry trampling over defeated Afghani irregulars. It may be in war there are the victorious and the defeated; but in war propaganda "our side" is always victorious.

Although the strategies of war propaganda may have changed little over the years, the media used to reach audiences has. After the Korean War, television and the radio replaced posters and pamphlets. Alhough newspapers remain important because of their ability to analyze news in depth, the sound bytes of the electronic media often mimic the slogans of past wars.

For collectors, war propaganda offers both an avenue to develop an understanding of some of the psychological shortcuts used to foster commitment to military action as well as the opportunity to explore an exciting, if extreme, graphic medium.

I purchased the "United We Will Win" poster from Centralia Square and the "Victory at Candehar" print from the Centralia Antique Market. Each was priced under a hundred dollars. While the market for WWII posters can run much higher, older rare prints like the "Victory at Candehar" are often nominally priced. Several examples of a 19th century Uncle Sam items are available in Centralia.

While war propaganda may not be suitable for the family room, I think it looks just fine on my office walls. Images of "selling war" makes my job of "selling antiques" seem like fun, which of course it is. -John Regan