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Social Problems
War and Terrorism
A thought on war:
 "When
people speak to you about
a preventive war, you tell them to
go and fight it. After my
experience, I have come to hate
war. War settles nothing."

(Eisenhower, Dwight D., cited in The New Dictionary of
Thoughts. Cincinnati: Standard Book Company, 1957.)
War
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War = the pattern of large groups of people
methodically trying to kill one another
armed conflict between two countries or groups
within a country
includes undeclared battles, civil conflicts,
guerrilla wars, covert operations, terrorism
relies on collective violence as opposed to
interpersonal violence
Audio Lecture #7 by Robert Brym on War,
2002
Brym on War
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Societal warfare has replaced interstate war
Risk of war varies by:
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Type of government (democratic, authoritarian, or
intermediate)
Level of prosperity
Democracies and autocracies lower risk of
war, but intermediate high because of lack of
stable government ie Iraq now
Other Factors Related to War
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In authoritarian states:
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a secondary consequence of a military-state
connection
is designed to engender patriotism and to justify
penalizing political dissidents.
Decentralized leadership less likely to be
warlike than is centralized leadership
Other factors
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Ideologies and religion also influence politics
and war
Politics occur between states
World system theory (Wallerstein) and
unequal relations between core and
peripheral nations
Advances in military technology
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Technology has made warfare more lethal
 Human consequences
 Ecological consequences
Terrorism
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any act by an individual or by a group that is
intended to undermine the legitimate authority of
a government or state
roots of terrorism found in religious, ethnic
nationalist, political, economic, and social
differences
Audio Lecture #5 by Robert Brym on
Terrorism
Other Types of Terrorism
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Narcoterrorism- use of violence in the
trafficking of drugs
State terrorism refers to the terrorism of the
government against their own people
Revolutionary terrorism- to bring about total
political change
Ecoterrorism
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destruction of environment as a weapon
U.S. military's use of Agent Orange in
Vietnam
destruction of Kuwaiti oil wells by retreating
Iraqi military forces during the 1991 Persian
Gulf War
see: http://www.worldcentric.org/consciousliving/militarism-and-conflicts
Origins of Terrorist Groups
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Many terrorist groups have originated out of
troubled areas of the world
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Middle East
Northern Ireland
Political radicalism is a source of terrorism
Terrorism can have its origin in cults
Terrorism can originate out of the State to
maintain power
Origins (cont.)
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Characteristics of terrorist recruits
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Well educated
Young
Upper-middle class or middle-class
background
Terrorism emerges out of the despair bred by
the economic deprivation in parts of the world
Terrorists operate on a belief system based
on salvation through violence
Terrorism and Religion
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Terrorists groups are often motivated by deep
religious convictions
Not religion that is the actual motivation, but
the presence of a totalitarian belief system
Violence is often committed against known
and unknown victims
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Random victims
Select targets because of their
prominence in society
Terrorism’s Impact on Society
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The primary impact of terrorism on society are:
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Increased fear and heightened security
Erosion of civil liberties
Economic consequences
Health consequences
Political consequences
Social and health consequences of
war and terrorism on individuals
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Social:
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kills many people
costs a lot of money
shattering of morale
use of children in warfare
Health consequences for both veterans and
civilians:
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Also affects civilians who are sheltered from combat itself.
Exposure to war increases the risk of health problems, and
lowers life expectancy.
Veterans suffer from psychological disorders.
Victims of terrorism at risk of psychological trauma
Are Anti-Terrorism Measures
Working?
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Terrorist attacks worldwide are increasing
For example, here is an msnbc newsclip
indicating terrorist attacks in 2006 up 25%..
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/1
8404895#18404895
Example: Recent terrorist attacks
against U.S in 2008.…
May 26, Iraq: a suicide bomber on a motorcycle kills six U.S. soldiers and
wounds 18 others in Tarmiya.
 June 24, Iraq: a suicide bomber kills at least 20 people, including three U.S.
Marines, at a meeting between sheiks and Americans in Karmah, a town
west of Baghdad.
 June 12, Afghanistan: four American servicemen are killed when a roadside
bomb explodes near a U.S. military vehicle in Farah Province.
 July 13, Afghanistan: nine U.S.soldiers and at least 15 NATO troops die
when Taliban militants boldly attack an American base in Kunar Province,
which borders Pakistan. It's the most deadly against U.S. troops in three
years.
 Aug. 18 and 19, Afghanistan: as many as 15 suicide bombers backed by
about 30 militants attack a U.S. military base, Camp Salerno, in Bamiyan.
Fighting between U.S. troops and members of the Taliban rages overnight.
No U.S. troops are killed.
 Sept. 16, Yemen: a car bomb and a rocket strike the U.S. embassy in
Yemen as staff arrived to work, killing 16 people, including 4 civilians. At least
25 suspected al-Qaeda militants are arrested for the attack.
This is only against the U.S…..every day there are reports of attacks
against others, including our Canadian soldiers in Afganistan
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Can Terrorism Be Prevented?
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A Homeland Security Report 2007 used a case study
approach to determine what factors were effective in
deterring or preventing terrorism
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“results indicated that the most influential factors
determining the success or failure of a terrorist
attack are those that occur in the pre-execution
phases. While safeguards and controls at airports
and rail stations are critical, they are most effective
when coupled with factors that can be leveraged to
detect the plot in the planning stages”

(http://www.homelandsecurity.org/hsireports/reasons_for_terrorist
_success_failure.pdf, retrieved Apr. 3, 2008)
Early Prevention Strategies
(Homeland Security Report, 2007)
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Major cause of failure of a terrorist attack is
poor terrorist operational security. Need to
capitalize on this when possible…
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Encourage increased vigilance amongst both the
public and security services
Create better awareness by utilizing “terrorist
profile indicators”
Increase information sharing both laterally and
downward
Enhance international cooperation
The Cost of War
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Globally: $1 trillion dollars on military, for
making weapons and training people to kill
U.S. : approx $450 billion
Report of the UN Secretary-General put the
economic costs to the international
community of seven major wars in the 1990s,
not including Kosovo, at $199 billion
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See http://www.worldcentric.org/conscious-
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living/militarism-and-conflicts
The Cost of War (cont.)
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Loss of life in battle:
 Between 1100 and 1925 about 35 million
soldiers were killed in 862 wars
 During World War II 17 million soldiers
and 35 million civilians were killed
Social Costs
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In 2004, about 2 million veterans were receiving
compensation from the U.S. government for warrelated disabilities
War takes a psychological toll on soldiers
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Posttraumatic stress disorder
war victims who are civilians has increased from 5
per cent to over 90 per cent
at least half of victims now are children
1986-96: approximately 2 million children killed in
armed conflict (3 times that amount were injured or
disabled in wars)
See http://www.unicef.org/graca/
Social Costs (Children)
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"More and more of the world is being sucked
into a desolate moral vacuum. This is a
space devoid of the most basic human
values; a space in which children are
slaughtered, raped, and maimed; a space in
which children are exploited as soldiers; a
space in which children are starved and
exposed to extreme brutality.“
Graça Machel, “The Impact of Armed Conflict
on Children,” 1996 Report submitted to UN
Social Costs (cont.)
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War is a major factor in mass migration of
populations
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Between 1986 and 1999 there have
been over 1.3 million refugees were
granted asylum in the United States
Government policy during war has also forced
population migration
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WW II and German relocation policy of
Jews and others
Biological theories of the
origins of war and terrorism
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humans are “naturally” prone to violent behaviour
Sociobiological theories
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Konrad Lorenz
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Aggression and violence as a genetic trait to enhance
survival of the human species
Aggression as an instinct in humans
Aggression is linked to territoriality
Edward O. Wilson
 Genetic predisposition to aggression
 Aggression channeled through culture
Psychological approaches
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war is a natural phenomenon that develops when
resources fought over are scarce
or when superiority and victory are central to a
group's identity
psychologists study how 'normal' people can change
during wartime into soldiers capable of killing and
injuring others seemingly without hesitation and
remorse
Famous experiments – Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison
Study, Milgram’s Authoritarianism Study
Would war change you??
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“War
is an environment that will
psychologically debilitate 98 percent of
all who participate in it for any length of
time. And the 2 percent who are not
driven insane by war appear to have
already been insane – aggressive
psychopaths – before coming to the
battlefield.”

(from On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning
to Kill in War and Society by Lt. Col. Dave
Grossman, 1995)
Structural Functionalism
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War fulfills a variety of functions such as
increasing social cohesion and group identity,
increasing employment and production, and
facilitating new scientific and technological
innovations
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Did 9/11 and the war in Iraq increase
solidarity and cohesion in the U.S.?
Conflict Theory
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War benefits groups such as corporations,
politicians, and the military
Marx and Lenin on War
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Karl Marx- war was based on the interests of the
economic elites to acquire raw materials and to
expand capitalism
Vladimir Lenin- saw warfare as stemming from
competition among capitalist nations for the
expansion of global economic dominance
Symbolic Interactionism
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Meanings and definitions influence attitudes and
behaviours toward conflict and war
Media plays a large role in shaping beliefs and
attitudes
Media main vehicle for propaganda used by
government to influence public opinion
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Eg: newsreels used during WWII to recruit soldiers
and to persude women to fill vacant jobs, and then to
return to the home after the war (Rosie the Riveter)
Feminism
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Note that wars have been primarily fought by
men
The association of masculinity and militarism
begins with childhood socialization.
Feminists also study the effects of war on
women.
Other Theories About War and Its
Origins
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Institutional Forces Within Nations
C.Wright Mills and “The Power Elite”
Economic institutions and the military elite
have come to shape economic life around
their view of the world and the interests of the
military
Politics and the forging of public opinion in
support of war (media and propaganda)
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Nationalism and warfare
Other (cont.)
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Harold Lasswell and “The Garrison State”
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Military leaders impose dictatorial
power on society
Channel state resources for military
use
Control public support through
propaganda
Social Constructionism and the
Role of “Moral Entrepreneurs”
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“Social problems are created through the
actions of others which raise our
consciousness to issues in society”
Moral entrepreneurs have power to label
and define the problem
Moral entrepreneurs use “claims making
activities” (Specter and Kitsuse) to bring
public onside
(See Intro Lecture)
Claims Making and the 2003
War in Iraq
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Stage 1: Problem Definition
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Stage 2: Legitimacy
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- get acceptance from U.S. public and other allies
(Britain, Australia, Canada, etc.)
Stage 3: Reemergence of demands
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- get public to recognize and accept that Saddam
Hussein and Iraq behind 9/11 attack
- find “evidence” to support claims
Stage 4: Rejection and institution building
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- measures to “solve” the problem: war, Homeland
security, international cooperation in “war on terror”
Creation of a Moral Panic
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“You’re either with us (the U.S.) or you are
with the terrorists (essentials of Bush
position)
With the aid of the media, created a global
moral panic and international cooperation for
war in both Afghanistan and Iraq
CBC Video:
The Lies That Led To War
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Produced by The Fifth Estate (2007)
A tale of the deceit and propaganda used to
convince Americans (and others) to support
war against Iraq
Watch: The Lies That Led to War
Aftermath: Doubt about 9/11
and the role of the U.S.
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A recent survey of 16,063 people in 17
countries (Globe and mail, Sept. 11, 2008) by
WorldPublicOpinion.org found little consensus
about 9/11 attack
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Overall, only 46% thought al-Qaeda responsible
But 15% said U.S., 7% said Israel, 7% said “other”,
25% “don’t know”
In Turkey 33%, Mexico 30% and Germany 23%
thought U.S. while in Egypt 43% thought Israel
How can we prevent war?
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According to Tepperman et. al., by:
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developing policies that are aimed at reducing
conflict.
limiting the production and sale of arms
by redistributing economic resources more
equally among nations
making better use of international bodies
dedicated to peacekeeping
International Efforts to Curb
War and Terrorism
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League of Nations and later the United
Nations are examples of attempts to arrive at
global cooperation among nations
Global conflicts and the U.S. as
peacekeepers
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Less than successful
International trade and the economic
incentive for peace
International peacekeeping institutions and
international law
International (cont.)
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The war in Iraq, a growing crisis over North
Korea, Iran’s threats to renew their
production of nuclear weapons, and other
events have made the world situation
increasingly gloomy
There has been a rise of negative feelings
about the United States in that the country is
not exerting positive leadership in seeking
world peace
International (cont.)
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Unsuccessful attempts at arms control
United Nations
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International Atomic Energy
Commission was formed in 1945 to
ban nuclear weapons
Nuclear test ban treaties
Nuclear anti-proliferation policies
Controlling the arms merchants
International (cont.)
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Dealing with Terrorism
Policy of no-concessions to terrorist groups
Public awareness in controlling terrorism
Homeland Security Act of 2002 in U.S. and the AntiTerrorism Act 2001 and the Public Safety Act 2002
in Canada
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Are our rights and civil liberties being eroded?
For more on Canadian security, see:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/cdnsecurity/