What consistencies, common elements and patterns are identifiable in the following events: the Gulf of Tonkin incident, the attack on the USS Liberty and 9/11? Although time, geographic location and historical context separate these events they nevertheless share remarkably similar aims, objectives and characteristics. All these orchestrated events provided an excuse for the USA to engage in what would have otherwise been blatantly illegal warfare. The Tonkin incident ‘justified’ American miliary aggression against Vietnam; the USS Liberty incident would have provided an ideal excuse for U.S. involvement in the six-day war; the 9/11 attack has been utilised as the primary justification for America’s military expansionism and the implementation of draconian laws on the home front.