Week 7: War & Terrorism Flashcards
Describes an informal alliance between a nation’s military and the defense industry that supplies it, seen together as a vested interest which influences public policy
The friendly interplay of the military, the defense industry, and political leaders, as stated by President Eisenhower
Military-Industrial Complex
The belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests.
Militarism
This perspective claims that war and terrorism serve several important functions. For example, they increase social solidarity as a society unites to defeat a perceived enemy. Some wars have also helped preserve freedom and democracy
Functionalist
Who was the first sociologist to point out the functionalist perspective and use that war serves for society
Robert E. Park, 1925
What are the main points that Park’s “The Social Function of War”?
- War helps resolve international disputes
- War generates a stronger sense of social bonding and solidarity
- Historically, war has led to the development of the nation-state
- War has helped maintain and establish freedom and democracy
- Weapons research and other types of military research have contributed to scientific and technological development
This perspective argues that war and militarism primarily advance the interests of the military-industrial complex and take billions of dollars from unmet social needs.
Conflict Theory
What are the three primary views on war and terrorism associated under the conflict theory perspective?
- The “power elite” is composed of government, big business, and the military, which together constitute a ruling class that controls society and works for its own interests, not for the interests of the citizenry - C. Wright Mills
- Imperialism; the use of military power and other means to extend a nation’s influence and control over other nations
- Criticizes the size of the military budget and emphasizes the billions of dollars it takes from social needs such as poverty and climate change
This theory claims that things such as the flag play an important role in marshalling support for war. Definitions of several concepts also play an important role in public opinion regarding war and terrorism.
Symbolic Interactionist
What are the main Symbolic Interactionist focuses on war?
- Concerns the perceptions and experiences of people involved in war: soldiers, civilians, and others
- Concerns the use of symbols to marshal support for war or protest against war. Symbols such as the flag evoke feelings of patriotism, perhaps especially when a nation is at war
- Concerns how concepts related to war and terrorism come to be defined in ways that advance the goals of various parties
What between different nations is known as ______
International War
War within a single nation is known as _________
Civil War
Known as sustained armed conflict that causes large-scale loss of life or extreme material destruction
War
How many years of its existence has the US been at war?
1/5th of it’s history as a country
War can be described as a result of which explanations?
Social phenomenon
Population/environmental change
Ideological reasons
In 2011, how much of America’s income tax dollars were spent on military expenditures?
Between 43 percent and 48 percent
How much of the world’s military spending is accounted for by the US alone?
43%
How much money does the US spend on it’s military annually?
Over $1 trillion
Where do critics of the US military budget want to see funding focused towards?
Education, Day cares, etc.
What are the three defining features of terrorism?
(a) the use of violence
(b) the goal of making people afraid
(c) the desire for political, social, economic, and/or cultural change
“The use of unexpected violence to intimidate or coerce people in the pursuit of political or social objectives.”
Terrorism
What are the four types of terrorism as defined by Ted Robert Gurr?
Vigilante terrorism: Violence committed by private citizens against other private citizens
Insurgent terrorism: Violence committed by private citizens against their own government or against businesses and institutions seen as representing the “establishment.”
Transnational terrorism: Violence committed by citizens of one nation against targets in another nation
State terrorism: Violence committed by a government against its own citizens
What are the main resulting impacts of terrorism?
- It instills fear and intimidation
- It provokes a response
What type of terrorism were the 9/11 attacks classified as?
Transnational terrorism
What are the usual strategies suggested by political scientists and international relations experts to prevent war?
Arms Control + Diplomacy
While _______ is no guarantee of success, responsible nonviolent protest against war and militarism provides an important vehicle for preventing war or for more quickly ending a war once it has begun.
Activism
What is the AFSC?
American Friends Service Committee
What are the two forms of trying to “stop” terrorism
- Law Enforcement/ Military Approach - Capturing known terrorists and destroying their camps or facilities
- Structural-Reform Approach - Reduce terrorism by improving or eliminating the conditions that give rise to the discontent that leads individuals to commit terrorism.
What is the most commonly criticized flaw of the enforcement/military approach to stopping terrorism?
It may weaken terrorist groups, but it also may increase their will to fight and popular support for their cause and endanger civil liberties
The deliberate, systematic, and planned killing of an entire national, ethnic, racial, or political group
Genocide
What are the four steps of Prosecution of War Crimes?
- Assigning responsibility for criminal acts
- Trying and punishing criminals
- Bringing about national reconciliation
- Ensuring that a nation remembers its criminal past and learns from it
What is the ICC?
The International Criminal Court. It’s an intergovernmental court to prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity
The US, Russia, and some other nations have refused to participate in it.
List some examples of Environmental Destruction as an act of war
- Romans ruining crops, and the fertility of land by salting it
- Bombing, landmines, and pollution from war
- Russians burning their own crops and homes to thwart invading enemies
As of 2009, roughly how many child soldiers were actively fighting across the world?
~300,000 in over 40 countries
What are some possible solutions to War and Global Conflict?
Reduce the number and types of weapons used
Limit production and sale of small arms
Redistribution of economic assets more equally among nations (and within nations)
Address the roots of war
International peacekeeping and prevention of global conflicts
Structural reforms within countries to address root causes of terrorism
De-radicalization & social program
