War and Global Insecurity

1. War and Global Insecurity Chapter 16

2. Terrorism, Global and Domestic • Terrorism involves the unlawful use of force and violence against person, property to intimidate or coerce a government to achieve political or social objectives • 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

3. Measuring Terrorismin the United States • There are domestic and international terrorist groups. Within the domestic category, there are left-wing and right-wing terrorists • Between 2005 and 2006, the number of terrorist incidents increased dramatically, although much of the increase was accounted for by increased acts of terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan • Critics claim that the U.S. invasion of Iraq has stimulated the growth of Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups

4. Origins of Terrorist Groups • Many terrorist groups have originated out of troubled areas of the world • 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

5. Origins of Terrorist Groups • Characteristics of terrorist recruits • 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

6. Terrorism and Religion • Terrorists groups are often motivated by deep religious convictions • Totalitarian belief systems • Violence is often committed against known and unknown victims • Random victims • Select targets because of their prominence in society

7. Terrorism’s Impact on Society • The primary impact of terrorism on society are: • Increased fear and heightened security • Erosion of civil liberties • Economic consequences • Health consequences • Political consequences

8. War and Its Effects • 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 • In 2006, about 2 million veterans were receiving compensation from the U.S. government for war-related disabilities • War takes a psychological toll on soldiers • Posttraumatic stress disorder

9. Indirect Effects of War • War is a major factor in mass migration of populations • Between 1986 and 1999, over 1.3 million refugees were granted asylum in the United States • Government policy during war has also forced population migration • WW II and German relocation policy

10. Indirect Effects of War • War and economic devastation • Impact of war on culture and the psychology of people

11. Effects of Nuclear War • Technology has made warfare more lethal • Human consequences • Ecological consequences • Rogue States and Weapons of Mass Destruction • North Korea • Iraq under Saddam Hussein • Afghanistan under the Taliban • Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe

12. Effects of Nuclear War • The prospect of a global nuclear war has lessened • Nuclear proliferation and threat of nuclear war in unstable parts of the world is still a problem

13. Controlling Warfare • The increase in the destructiveness in warfare has lead to progress in controlling war • The Bush administration has claimed that a war on terrorism means that rules of conventional warfare do not apply • In 2004 the Supreme Court rejected the U.S. government’s attempt to detain an American citizen indefinitely without trial

14. Controlling Warfare • The concept of a just war emanated out of the culture of Greek and Roman civilization • Justification for going to war • Justifiable acts in wartime • The rules of warfare are difficult to enforce • War crimes

15. Theories About War and Its Origins • Ethological and Sociobiological theories • Aggression and violence as a genetic trait to enhance survival of the human species • Konrad Lorenz • Aggression as an instinct in humans • Aggression is linked to territoriality • Edward O. Wilson • Genetic predisposition to aggression • Aggression channeled through culture

16. Theories About War and Its Origins • Ethological and Sociobiological theories • Critics argue • Research contrasting humans to other animals is flawed • Human motivation to fight is learned in response to symbols

17. Theories About War and Its Origins • Clausewitz: War as State Policy • War occurs in a social context • The monarch was the major force behind war • War as an alternative to diplomacy • Interest of the monarch and military were seen as the same • Military were to serve the interest of the monarch

18. Theories About War and Its Origins • Marx and Lenin on War • 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 • Colonialism

19. Theories About War and Its Origins • Institutional and International Perspectives • Institutional Forces within Nations • Influence of military leaders on government policy • Harold Lasswell and the Garrison State • Military leaders impose dictatorial power on society • Channel state resources for military use • Control public support through propaganda

20. Theories About War and Its Origins • Institutional Forces within Nations • C.W. 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 • Nationalism and warfare

21. Theories About War and Its Origins • The International Context of War and Peace • 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 • Less than successful • International trade and the economic incentive for peace • International peacekeeping institutions and international law

22. Social Policy • 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

23. Social Policy • Arms Control: A Promise Unfulfilled • United Nations • International Atomic Energy Commission was formed in 1945 to ban nuclear weapons • Nuclear test ban treaties • Nuclear anti-proliferation policies • Controlling the arms merchants

24. Social Policy • Dealing with Terrorism • Policy of no-concessions to terrorist groups • Public awareness in controlling terrorism • Homeland Security Act of 2002 • International diplomacy and economic development