Gaslighting or gas-lighting is a form of manipulation through persistent denial, misdirection, contradiction, and lying in an attempt to destabilize and delegitimize a target.
With his brio and his bullying, Rumsfeld suppressed discussion of alternative courses in Iraq advocated by the uniformed military; he fought opponents in the Cabinet, among them Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and, before her, Colin Powell, to a stalemate; and he encouraged President Bush's combination of rhetorical bravado and persistent denial of Iraq's deteriorating condition.
And yet, critics would rather focus on an imagined denial of rights to the dominant group, instead of the legitimate and persistent denial of rights to the oppressed.
Persistent denial of historical injustices not only impedes democratization but also hampers stable relations between different ethnic and religious groups.
There will be serious difficulties though, chief among them are the amnesty law and the persistent denial or justification by the military and extreme right-wing politicians of their actions during the years of dictatorship.
The persistent denial by conservative Catholics is shown by Bill Donohue of the Catholic League, who says of the Magdalene Laundries scandal, "It's all a lie".
The ISRA hopes Wisconsin's approval of concealed carry legislation will help their case, and are currently behind two federal lawsuits that "address Illinois' persistent denial of the law-abiding citizen's right to self defense".
Despite Mr. Kirchner's persistent denials last year of a growing energy problem during his wife's campaign, the policy has begun to show cracks.
Despite persistent denials by ministers, this is clearly a subsidy by another name, making a mockery of the coalition pledge not to gift public money to this already established industry.
The officers' behind-the-scenes accounts from the Bosnian war represent sharp departures from persistent denials on the part of the Bosnian Serbs, including a recent government report maintaining that most of the men found in mass graves -- many with their hands tied behind their backs -- were killed in combat.
