Transcript Slide 1
Part I: War & Peace 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Definition(s) of war Types of wars & warfare Causes of war Objectives of war Normalization & naturalization of war War as meaning & communication Sources of social warfare Definition(s) of war • Organized violence among states or groups • Collapse of social order within a society • Sustained hostility among warring parties (“Other”) • “Continuation of politics by other means” • Conflict between opposing principles • An enduring condition upon which states are founded Types of wars & warfare • World wars • Interstate wars • Intrastate wars (why increase in #?) – Civil wars – Social warfare – Asymmetric warfare • Invasions, interventions, pre-emptions • Counter-terrorism as global war • Africa’s “World War” Causes of war • War is “unnatural” & can be eliminated – Theories of pacifism – Institutional agreements & constraints • War is “natural” – – – – – Humans are inherently violent & aggressive Social institutions are rooted in war (“social nature”) States in anarchy are bound to fall into war Technology emerges from war and fosters war Geopolitics makes us do it (Heartland Pivot) • General, permissive & proximate causes • Each war is unique in combination of causes Objectives of war • • • • • • • Societal safety via elimination of threats Occupation of lebensraum Conquest of land & resources Domination in social struggles Ethnic cleansing Cultural-ideological struggle Economic growth & development Normalization & naturalization of war • War is normalized through – – – – Education Media Language Civic rituals • War appears to create social solidarity – Solution to internal conflicts and fragmentation – Protection of the nation and its culture & traditions – Instill civic virtues in the people • But war is uncontrollable (“fog of war”) War as meaning & communication • Hedges sees war in terms of its meanings – – – – War as myth is powerful belief system It fills an ontological void in individuals & societies It offers great crusades for great social goals War fulfills deep psychological needs • War & threat of war can be communicative – – – – Deterrence as signalling through threat Military parades as indication of determination Nuclear “Horror strategy” Nuclear “Risk strategy” Sources of social warfare • Pits dominant groups against subordinate ones – Ethnic or nation-based division of labor – Limited opportunities for power & wealth – Systematic discrimination • Political & economic transitions challenge this – – – – Subordinate groups acquiring wealth & visibility Cultural changes throughout society Dominant group sees social threat Social struggles break out & can turn violent • Social warfare is neighborhood warfare • Reasons for increase: end of Cold War; “ancient hatreds”; rapid social & economic changes Part II: The Global Economy 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Economy & political economy Basic concepts in neoclassical economics Production & commodity chains Poverty & development Money, trade & exchange Economy & war Economy & political economy • • • • • • • • Economy involves operation of markets “Free markets” in capitalism Direct intervention to control exchange Markets require rules to operate Political economy involves political power Shaping rules governing markets Indirect intervention to direct exchange This can provide economic advantages Basic concepts in neoclassical economics • • • • • • • • • • • Economic liberalism & capitalism Supply & demand Cost & price Factors of production: materials, technology, labor, etc. Division of labor Comparative advantage Individualism Individual preferences Regulation Trade Globalization Production & commodity chains • • • • • • • • • Commodity produced & sold in large quantities Minimize costs, maximize profit Low-cost labor & inputs, high value consumers Intermediaries between producer & consumer Uneven development in capitalism World Systems: core & periphery Reinvestment in production or accumulation? Transfer of wealth from poor to rich Travels of a T-Shirt & coffee as examples Poverty & development • Causes of poverty: individual or structural? • Distribution of wealth – Highly inequitable between “rich” and “poor” – Global North compared to Global South – Gini Coefficient measures distribution • Theories of economic development – – – – According to Western model (Rostow’s “takeoff”) Shock therapy Escaping the “poverty trap” (Mill. Dev. Goals) Independent trajectory of Asian economies • Subsidies to agriculture as impediment Money, trade, exchange • • • • • • • • • • Role of money: What is it worth? What is its value? Use value, exchange value, labor value Money supply, inflation, deflation, liquidity Interest, investment, rate of return Int’l unit of money (reserve currency), seigniorage Hard & soft currencies in trade Sovereign wealth funds Speculative vs. real economies Bonds, securities, shares (“share value”) Asset bubbles & asset inflation Economy & war • Arms production & war as stimulus to economy – Industrial production, employment, circulating money – Arms production & export sales – Electoral distribution of arms production • Economic change as stimulus to war – – – – Cultural divisions of labor Shifts in distribution of wealth & power Challenges to state & economic elites Efforts to stop change; control new income sources • Global military spending – More than $1 trillion/year – U.S. spends more than rest of the world combined