Global Politics. in the 21 st Century

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Esmond Stevens
6 years ago
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1 Global Politics in the 21 st Century

Consider the world news in today s TheNew York Times Mideast Talks Teeter as the Settlement Freeze Expires Japan Asks China to Pay for Damages NATO Carries Out Airstrikes Inside Pakistan Helicopter

2 Consider the world news in today s TheNew York Times Mideast Talks Teeter as the Settlement Freeze Expires Japan Asks China to Pay for Damages NATO Carries Out Airstrikes Inside Pakistan Helicopter Attacks Militant Meeting in Somalia Chávez Allies Win Majority, but Foes Make Gains Delegates Arrive for N. Korea Meeting China Imposes a Steep Tariff on U.S. Poultry Jewish Activists Set Sail From Cyprus for Gaza, Aiming to Defy Israeli Blockade A Silent Attack, but Not a Subtle One Asia-Pacific Universities Adding Islamic Finance Courses

3 Global politics is people. People evaluate, decide and act

4 Leon Trotsky said, You might not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.

5 Wars have been continuous over time

6 Wars have become more deadly, especially with the growing availability of technological means of destruction

7 War is also about politics (

8 People generally have two objectives in life Livelihood Meaning

9 Livelihood is based on economy, the making of things needed to sustain life, and the arrangements for making things

10 People extract & transform stuff, make things, acquire knowledge and skills, organize, work, buy and sell, trade, etc. as part of the economy. This involves making political decisions.

11 But people also seek purpose and meaning in their lives, through faith, ideology, selfactualization, wealth, family, community and these also involve politics

12 The ways in which societies organize to achieve these two goals can be called political economy: institutional arrangements, rules & practices

13 Humans transform the material environment, through technologies, ideas, practices Sheer numbers of people, and high levels of consumption in the North are stressing those environments

14 Internal combustion may be one of the most significant features of both politics and environment over the past 100 years

15 Vehicles consume vast quantities of oil in moving people and stuff around, and the emit vast quantities of pollutants and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and there is no end in sight for automobility.

16 It might be added that internal combustion has also been central to global violence and war, as both target and means of war

17 Humans transform the material environment, through technologies, ideas, practices Sheer numbers of people, and high levels of consumption in the North are stressing those environments

18 People are the ultimate resource for solving problems People are also the ultimate source of problems

19 So, why war? I. Definitions II. Objectives III. What we know IV. Causes

20 War is often justified on the basis of its opposite Strength lies not in defense but in attack." - Marquis de Acerba "We make war that we may live in peace." - Aristotle "The purpose of all war is peace." - Saint Augustine, I have never advocated war except as a means of peace." -Ulysses S. Grant A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for." - Rear Adm. Grace Murray Hopper A riot is a spontaneous outburst. A war is subject to advance planning." - Richard M. Nixon

21 What is war? Socially-organized violence among two or more groups or societies or countries Collapse of social order within a society Hobbes: By war is meant a state of affairs, which may exist even while its operations are not continued Diderot: a convulsive and violent disease of the body politic; von Clausewitz, war is the continuation of politics by other means Foucault: politics is the continuation of war by other means OED: a conflict between opposing forces or principles.

22 What are the objectives of war? Material Resources Natural (e.g., oil) Economic (e.g., industry) Post-industrial (e.g., technology, scientists)

23 Social struggles for power Control of states & its power resources Struggles among countries for dominance Conflicts between groups for control and survival

24 Identity, influence & meaning Cultural struggles (culture wars) Religious conflicts Ideological conflicts

25 Even economic development

26 A propensity toward wars as a solution is deeply-embedded in our beliefs, institutions and practices (political economy)

27 How do we know what we know about war?

28 Normalization begins early Through media Memorials, rituals, mourning Schools, churches, stores

29 Even language

30 War offers an illusion of power and control

31 But wars never follow the desired or imagined plan; they are difficult to subject to control

32 How does Chris Hedges account for war? Most explanations focus on livelihood: how war is liked to production Hedges sees war as filling a deep human need for purpose: ontology War becomes crusade These can operate in the individual, in groups, in the nation Eros & thanatos?

By contrast, Robert Kaplan sees the sources of war in geography (geopolitics) Geography is immutable Human societies adapt to geography to survive Hence, their character is

33 By contrast, Robert Kaplan sees the sources of war in geography (geopolitics) Geography is immutable Human societies adapt to geography to survive Hence, their character is determined by geography This operates in 2 ways: In terms of behaviors in war In terms of prosecuting war What is determined cannot be changed: geographic space is national destiny!

34 What if the (nation)-state is war?

A United India. The Access To Global Stability. Naved A Jafry. November 2009

A United India. The Access To Global Stability. Naved A Jafry. November 2009 A United India The Access To Global Stability By Naved A Jafry November 2009 A United India: The Access To Global Stability A unified India could be the key to world stability. When United States of America,