War
I. Why are people willing to die for country and cause?
A. But most of the world is at peace most of the time
B. Something like 40 wars are currently underway
C. Most people are involved unwillingly: forced or by chance
D. But millions have gone eagerly to defend country & cause
E. Mostly rich & powerful seem to benefit
F. And many millions die, most without any say in matter
II. Contrasting views: Chris Hedges vs.
A. Hedges sees war as a myth and a fraud
B. Perpetuated by corrupt elites protecting their interests
C. Provides short-term ego boost that leaves lifelong scars
D. Others see war as a glorious crusade and opportunity
E. Demonstrates commitment to cause and comrades
F. War is always undesirable but sometimes it is necessary
III. What is war? What allows it to happen?
A. War is organized violence among social groups
B. Historically characterized as between states
C. Most of today’s wars are within states: “social warfare”
D. There is little or nothing to prevent war from happening
E. Explanation of war usually grouped into three categories
1. War is a biological, inherent in human nature
2. War is a social phenomenon, enmity among groups
3. War is a technical phenomenon, enabled by weapons
F. Each explanation leads to different analyses & solutions
IV. How do we explain the outbreaks of specific wars?
A. Causes usually typologized by objectives
1. Material objectives: resources, industry
2. Power: protection or pursuit of status
3. Identity: beliefs, religion, ideology
B. Specific wars have complex sources: U.S. v. Iraq
1. Maintenance of access to oil fields
2. Elimination of security threats
3. Introduction of democracy
4. Pursuit of freedom
5. Corporate enrichment through capitalism
6. Generating domestic political support
C. All wars are “overdetermined”—multiple causes
V. Can wars be prevented or war eliminated?
A. Attempts to outlaw war have largely failed
B. The fallback has been reliance on military force
1. Force as a threat of punishment
2. Force as a deterrent against attack
3. Diplomacy back by implicit or explicit power
C. Yet we can learn much from certain successes
1. The U.S. and Canada have long been at peace
2. The EU seems to represent a viable “peace system”
3. Differences can be resolved through negotiations
D. Sometimes, resort to war may be only option
Violence and Terror
I. Introduction
A. Structural violence vs. instrumental violence
B.Do deprivation, oppression, humiliation instigate violence?
C. Is there a link between war and terrorism?
D. What is terrorism and how can we explain it?
II. Structural violence vs. instrumental violence
A. Instrumental violence is use of blunt force
B. Structural violence resides in organization of societies
C. Poverty, hunger, discrimination are structural violence
D. There is no agent culpable for such violence
E. And the conditions leading to it are often “naturalized”
III. Do deprivation, oppression, humiliation instigate violence?
A. Are the poor and oppressed given to rising up?
B. The rich often fear violence from the poor
C. But conditions must be articulated as a compelling narrative
D. This is usually done by the educated, who can tell “stories”
E. The 9/11 hijackers were educated, middle-class individuals
IV. Is there a link between war and terrorism?
A. Politics is the art of negotiating over differences
B. Some differences have to do with the “share of the pie”
C. Other differences are more fundamental: "constitutional"
D. At times, the latter can ignite internal violence
D. Organized violence can erupt, with varied intensity
E. We must presume that political objectives are at issue
F. The naming of violence is generally a prerogative of power
V. What is terrorism and how can we explain it?
A. More than 100 definitions of “terrorism”
Some definitions of terrorism
Cindy Combs, Terrorism in the 21st Century: "a synthesis of war and theater, a dramatization of the most proscribed kind of violence--that which is perpetrated on innocent victims--played before an audience in the hope of creating a mood of fear, for political purposes"
RAND Corporation, Countering the New Terrorism: "terrorism is a crime, such as murder or kidnapping, for political motives, that violates the rules governing armed combat, is aimed at people watching, with the objective of spreading fear and alarm or gaining concessions"
Department of Defense: “The calculated use of violence or the threat of violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological.”
Walter Laqueur: “Terrorism constitutes the illegitimate use of force to achieve a political objective when innocent people are targeted.”
C.J.M. Drake: “Terrorism is defined here as the recurrent use or threatened use of politically motivated and clandestinely organised violence, by a group whose aim is to influence a psychological target in order to make it behave in a way which the group desires.”
FBI: “The unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives."
The U.S. Institute of Peace: terrorists seek "to destabilize the existing political order"
C. Perpetrator: May be state, corporation, or group
D. Methods: range from rather crude to highly complex
E. Targets: "soft" targets more attractive than "hard" ones
VI. Why resort to terrorism? What can it accomplish?
A. Most terrorism is domestic, not international
B. Such violence is weapon of the weak against the powerful
B. Indicator of serious social fractures and disaffection
C. It appears in societies with developing middle class
D. Tries to motivate public opinion in target countries
E. Terrorists may try to generate broad repression
F. If numbers can be mobilized, regimes can fall or negotiate
VII. Can terrorism be eliminated?
A. No: artifact of application of unjust power
B. Conditions are integral to the state and state system
C. Certain destructive technologies might be contained
D. But what levels of violence can our societies tolerate?
E. Anyone could, in theory, be a terrorist; all are suspects