Your detailed and thorough post due by Wednesday@MIDNIGHT for full credit (A). Partial credit (C) can be earned by posting late, which is better than a ZERO.
Remember, weekly blogging is worth 1/3 of your entire semester grade.
Be sure to communicate with Dr. W as needed - rob.williams@madriver.com.
Read and blog INTRODUCTION TO GLOBAL STUDIES, Chapters 10-11.
2) EVIDENCE: Post and number THREE specific observations from EACH CHAPTER of our reading(s) that supports your thesis.
Use 2-3 sentences for each observation, and combine direct quotations from the text (AUTHOR's LAST NAME, 27), with IYOW analysis.
3) QUESTION: Include in your post a SINGLE SPECIFIC question you'd ask the class based on our readings.
1) THESIS:
ReplyDeleteChapter 10: War is a conflict that affects a nation-state either by another nation-state or a non-state organization like a terrorist group within the country.
Chapter 11: Peace is the absence of conflict between nations and is prevented through many different processes, with the help of organizations like the UN.
2) EVIDENCE:
Chapter 10:
War is defined differently by different people, especially how the definition specifies roles of opposing groups and the political nature of the conflict (Campbell, 292). War is divided into two types: inter-state and intra-state. Almost all conflicts in the world are intra-state conflict and are defined as “low-intensity conflict taking place in the developing world” (Campbell, 294).
The definition of war has had to change as more “non-state actors” gain power and increase violence (Campbell, 292). In addition to the division of intra-state and inter-state conflict, there also are two other types of political violence: non state conflicts, like that between warlords and religious groups; and one-sided violence, like genocide and terrorism (Campbell, 295).
There are different requirements for a conflict to be considered a “just” war. This includes just cause, legitimate authority, last resort, right motivation, change of success, and goal of peace. Now, the “right to fight to defend the sovereignty of other states” is also included (Campbell, 313).
Chapter 11:
Peace is defined as the “absence or cessation of fighting between nations” (Campbell, 340). There have been many treaties and contracts to end or prevent wars through the centuries. From international organizations, other countries acting as third parties, and two countries in conflict coming to agreements, there is history of various different types of solutions for conflicts.
Pacifism is the belief that violence is wrong, but there is a sliding scale on what level of violence is okay in order to prevent conflict. Resistance and nonviolent protesting have yielded a lot in many countries around the world in the last century (Campbell 359-360).
International and regional organizations can greatly benefit the spread of peace and “peaceful settlements of disputes”. The UN has created many sub committees and organizations to help solve issues during conflicts between countries (Campbell, 364).
3) QUESTION: How large of a role do you think the UN would play in peace negotiations if there was a 3rd world war?
Chapter Ten
ReplyDeleteThesis: Reasons in which we enable these conflicts that can be considered “war” vary greatly, though the costs of said conflicts negatively affect both individuals in psychological, emotional, and physical means as well as the physical world.
There are many theories on the reasons in which humans have the desire to enact war on each other. Philosophers Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau both had conflicting options on why this may be the case. Hobbes believes that humans are intrinsically violent and always ready to turn on one another “over everything from greed to reputation”. Rousseau, however, believe the opposite, that humanity is intrinsically good and that civilization and the state are to blame (Campbell, 309).
I was interested in the fact that there’s a sort of code of conduct for starting wars. The many rules and regulations countries need to adhere to such as the banning of chemical and biological weapons and discriminate against civilians to decrease the amount of civilian casualties. I’m glad we have at least enough understanding of one another and humanity to avoid such atrocities (Campbell, 313).
War has an extreme effect on people as I mentioned earlier, but what some people don’t think about is the displacement and death of millions of children in times of war. During the 90s, 1.5 million children were killed, 4 million were injured, and 12 million displaced because of war.
Chapter Eleven
Thesis: There are many aspects that make up “peace” than just the absence of wartime.
What we often refer to as “peace” in actuality is negative peace. Negative peace refers directly to the absence of armed conflict and military movement between nations. This, however, does not encompass the possible conflicts happening within the nation itself. This nation could still be perpetuating unjust actions and practices within itself and have harmful effects on the people within (Campbell, 340).
The Cold war specifically is an interesting time to discuss the lack of peace even though there was a lack of armed conflict. More interestingly, there was an extreme spread of fear and other ideas such as McCarthyism that continued to wreak havoc on the people of America even though there was no direct conflict at this time (Campbell, 351).
International and “neutral” organizations are extremely important in spreading peaceful practices and ideals between nations. Not only do they attempt to settle disputes between and within varying countries (this is the UN to be exact) they even have specific sections of the UN dedicated conflict management (Campbell, 365).
Question: In times of great fear similar to the Cold War and the spread of communist ideas, what are some possible strategies and actions to be put in place to limit the spread of these?
1) Thesis
ReplyDeleteChapter 10: Violent conflicts/wars between nation-states exact a variety of costs on both the individuals directly involved and the environment.
Chapter 11: Peace is not only the absence of war or conflict but also seeks to end human suffering and needless death. This goal of peace is being actively pursued by nation states, NGO, IOS and individuals.
2) Evidence:
Chapter 10:
“One study focusing on direct violent deaths from war from 1955 to 2002 found that 5.4 million people died from war injuries in the 13 countries studied.” (Campbell, 324). While the study itself only counted direct war deaths, this is still a concerning amount of lost life.
These violent conflicts can also affect the psychological aspect of those who participate in them. For example Campbell states “The US Army’s Mental Health Advisory Team found correlations between exposure to these kinds of stressors and a variety of mental health problems. Specifically, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder…” (Campbell, 326). These mental health issues often effect these individuals long after they have returned home, and could even lead to physical effects as well.
Conflicts between nation-states can also have negative impacts on the environment. For example Campbell goes on to state “The international community was outraged by Iraq’s concerted attempts to destroy Kuwait’s environment and resources, blowing up more than 700 Kuwaiti oil wells, igniting more than 600 of them and dumping an estimated 6-11 million barrels of oil directly into the persian Gulf.” (Campbell, 330). This would go on to devastate both the maritime environment of the Gulf and native bird populations.
Chapter 11:
In order to establish peace IOs and NGOs have sought to end structural violence, which involves the elimination of poverty that affects individuals in their daily lives. “The UN, nation-states and a multitude of NGOs work at finding solutions to structural violence. The UN not only compiles the socioeconomic indicators that track the condition of humanity, but also works through its various agencies to promote and develop programs that target structural violence.” (Campbell, 264). For example the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) was created to eradicate hunger by promoting sustainable agriculture.
Also these IOs and NGOs have tried to promote the idea of peace through education, in the hopes of promoting positive ideals. “For example, the UN International Year for the Culture of Peace in 2000 was followed by the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence for the children of the World. The giak if these initiatives is to create a culture of peace, defined as promoting respect for light through education…” (Campbell, 368).
Even independent actors have taken active roles in the pursuit of peace by risking their lives by going to regions in conflict. “For example, dozens of US citizens went to Nicaragua and placed themselves along the border where US backed gorillas were making raids into Nicaragua.” (Campbell, 368). These individuals hoped by risking their lives that the citizens of the US would pay attention to the conflict and demand that the US government cut ties with the contras.
3) Question: What other ways could IOs and NGOs promote peace within the global community?
THESIS)
ReplyDeleteChapter 10: People have been finding excuses to go to war for most of history, regardless of the damage it can cause to: humans, infrastructure, and the economy.
Chapter 11: peace is not the absence of conflict but rather the absence of suffering, not being at war isn't the same as being at peace.
EVIDENCE)
Chapter 10:
- “Sumer is thought to have been the first civilization, emerging in 3500 bce in southern Mesopotamia as a series of independent, frequently warring city-states.”(Campbell 300) even since the very first civilization we have fought each other.
- however war doesn't have to be direct. For example the cold war wasn't a physical combat. But “ each country was working to further its control over the world through conquest and the expansion of spheres of influence.”(Campbell 307). Even when we were not fighting directly it is a war of cultures and ideas.
- Warr “always has severe costs. Among them are costs to peoples’ lives, including death, disfigurement, and psychological damage; societal costs, including infrastructure and economic destruction; and environmental damage.”(Campbell 324). We know war causes so much damage yet throughout our history, we always find a way to justify it.
Chapter 11:
- in the very first paragraph its stated that “peace need not always be understood in relation to armed conflict, since war is not the only form of violence that disrupts peace. Slavery, starvation, and rape, for example, are all incompatible with peace.”(Campbell 340). Right off the bat they state that peace doesn't just concern itself with armed conflict.
- the cold war is a perfect example of a time where there wasn't a direct conflict, but nobody would say that time was peaceful. The cold war “ was a difficult period for peace activists. US fear of the spread of communism and totalitarianism, and Soviet fear of US global domination rose to paranoid levels in both countries.”(Campbell 351).
- there are so many greater threats to peace than war and “ Ending structural violence involves ending the abject poverty that daily puts so many lives at risk.”(Campbell 365).
QUESTION)
Do you think war/violence is inevitable, is true peace in our world actually attainable?
Chapter 10:
ReplyDelete1) War and violent conflict has been around since the beginning of human societies and has a significant negative impact on both societies and the environment.
2) (a) The use of landmines during times of war have made many areas unsafe even today and the cleanup of these environments very costly. The unexploded mines left behind after war inhibits travel, stops farmers from using viable land, slows resettlement of refugees and limits redevelopment. “More than 90 percent of the victims of landmines are civilians and many of these are women and children” (Campbell 319). The use of chemicals during times of war has had a lasting negative impact on the environment and has led to contamination and loss of forest wildlife
(b) Death, both as a direct and indirect result, during times of war and violent conflict are unimaginable and occurs in both the civilian and military populations. Diseases, infections, malnutrition, and accidental crossfire are just a few indirect causes of death in war that go far beyond the battlefield. Not to mention the deaths occurring after war has ended due to things like nerve agents and other chemicals used during war. “One study focusing on direct violent deaths from war from 1955 to 2002 found that 5.4 million people died from war injuries in the 13 countries studied” (Campbell 324).
(c) The economy is also greatly affected by war and violent conflict. The loss of physical capital is great because things like infrastructures (roads, bridges railways) are often targets along with schools, hospitals, water supplies and oil wells. The cost of maintaining a military is very expensive and uses massive portions of governmental budgets that take away amounts given for economic and social projects. “Globally, military spending in 2007 reached an estimated $1,399 billion, which amounted to a 6 percent increase over 2006 and a 45 percent increase over 1998” (Campbell 331).
Chapter #11:
ReplyDelete1) The definition of peace is more comprehensive than just the “absence of war” but also includes the elimination of conditions that cause human suffering, misery and death.
2) (a) Peace movements have both religious and non-religious foundations. “The first Olympic Games were designed as a month-long period of peace when competition took the form of athletics rather than warfare (Campbell 341).
(b) Peace work is not only done by a national level but also a personal one, where often individuals risk their life to try and end violence. “Dozens of US citizens went to Nicaragua and placed themselves along the border where US backed guerillas (contras) were making raids into Nicaragua” (Campbell 368).
(c) Peace between nation-states is often threatened because of opposing or competing self-interests between the sovereigns and the goal of the UN is to mediate between them. “The UN can only do what its members authorize, and as a result, it will always be dependent upon its members to work toward peace” (Campbell 362).
3) Looking at human history and the comprehensive definition of peace, is it ever really likely that “world peace” will be achieved and if so how can this be accomplished?
Chapter 10
ReplyDeleteThe case of war with the explanation of the Ethical and Legal issues.
“In the social contract, Rousseau makes this relationship between states and War explicit, defining war in terms of a relation” not between men and men but between state and state because as Rousseau maintains, relations can only exist between similar entities.”(Campbell, 292)
“Many of today’s violent conflicts involving non-state actors, such as terrorist organizations, are excluded from state centered definitions of war.”(Campbell, 292)
Campebll mentions the causes of the war, “ Specifically competition over resources and the struggle for reproduction are the root causes of conflict. People fights in order to gain the very same things they constitute the objects of human desire and general.”(Campbell, 310) He is basically saying that the war occurs due to countries wanting to have the same rights and things as another country.
When one country decides to wage a war against another, why do the other nations not intervene?
Chapter 11
ReplyDeletePeace movements and their objectives and strategies.
“The term peace is most commonly understood in relation to war. As war’s opposite of peace is the absence or cessation of fighting between nations.”(Campbell, 340) This definition however is more accurately captured by the term of negative peace. There is negative peace and positive peace. Negative peace is the absence of direct violence or armed conflict, whereas positive peace is the presence of social justice including equal opportunity access to the basic necessities of life and the eradication of structural violence.
“ The post-world War II era has proven to be a time of great hope for the spread of Peace but it has also been a time of great fear on the other hand, war with its increasing brutality, continuous on unabated. There have been roughly Thirty Wars or ongoing armed conflicts each year since the end of World War II.”( Campbell, 356)
“Feminists also argued that while women suffer from Wars and their aftermath they are rarely given any voice in conflict resolution.”(Cambell, 355) Give an example about how an Afghanistan people gathered to structure a post Taliban and women were not involved in that talk at all.
How can we promote peace throughout the world in a peaceful manner and not using any weapons.
Chapter 10
ReplyDeleteThesis: Since the beginning of time, the definition behind the term 'war' has changed, mostly leaving negative history between societies.
1- "There are broader definitions still that attempt
to account for many of the violent conflicts that traditional definitions of war exclude, including undeclared military actions, conflicts between non-state peoples, ongoing terrorist campaigns, guerrilla uprisings, wars without a central controlling body, and wars without a clear beginning or a clear end." (Campbell, 292-293)
2- "Prior to the develop- ment of agriculture, permanent structures, writing, and metal tools, early humans were already gathering together to engage in organized warfare. These early wars were often the result of competition over resources, but they were also waged for religious reasons, or to avenge a perceived wrong committed by another tribe. Although tribes or clans would sometimes engage in face-to-face battles, raids were the most common form of warfare." (Campbell, 299)
3- "“What causes war?” is reframed as “What are the evolutionary rewards that can make the highly dangerous activity of fighting worthwhile?” In this framework, competition is the primary cause of conflict and fighting, both in humans and in all other animal species. Specifically, competition over resources and the struggle for reproduc- tion are the root causes of conflict. People fight, in other words, “to gain the very same things that constitute the objects of human desire in general.”While this was true of our ancient ancestors who fought over hunting grounds and access to women, it is not difficult to see that many conflicts today are also resource conflicts (either in whole or in part), fought over access to things like water, land, food, oil, minerals, etc. Derivative, or “second-level causes” and motivations for violent conflict include dominance (rank, status, prestige, honor), revenge, security, worldviews (ideas and ideals), kinship (including ethnic and national identities), spiritual/religious factors, and fun or adventure." (Campbell, 310)
Chapter 11
ReplyDeleteThesis: There is many various of how to define peace, often considered an absence of war, although war is not the only thing that can disrupt such peace.
1- "In addition to the progress made by the human rights movement, peace initia- tives, once the domain of the nation-state, are increasingly coming from inter- national organizations, regional organizations, individuals, and NGOs. The United Nations, successor to the League of Nations, has had some success at preventing conflicts and at bringing conflicts to a speedy end." (Campbell, 358)
2- "This means that three times as many nations are trying to secure and protect their interests in the international arena, and this often leads to conflict. Peace in the world of multiple competing interests has proven difficult to realize."(Campbell, 362)
3- "Positive peace, or the ending of structural violence, is more
complicated than either preventing or stopping a war. Ending struc-
tural violence involves ending the abject poverty that daily puts
so many lives at risk." (Campbell, 365)
How can we even approach the thought of peace when individuals get so quickly offended of controversial topics in todays time?
1) THESIS:
ReplyDeleteCh. 10:
There are multiple definitions or viewpoints on war, but no matter what definition of war is looked upon, there is always sever costs that will/have follow.
Ch. 11:
War is not the only thing that disrupts peace.
2) EVIDENCE:
Ch. 10:
It doesn’t matter what the definition of ‘war’ is… there are consequences that happen because of them such as, “costs to people’s lives, including death, disfigurement, psychological damage; societal costs, including infrastructure and economic destruction; and environmental damage” (Campbell, 324).
There are multiple definitions of war; some view war as violent conflicts between states, and some view war with non-state violence. “Definitions of war vary, ranging from state-centered definitions that view war as a violent conflict between states to broader definitions that include the actions of non-state actors, such as rebel groups and terrorists” (Campbell, 333). People are different and have different viewpoints and beliefs. It all boils down to one thing, violence of some sort and conflict.
“Approximately 55 thousand tons of chemical defoliants over Vietnam. About 86 percent of the spraying missions were directed against forests and 14 percent against crops” (Campbell, 329). These defoliants caused birth defects, cancer, death, human and environmental suffering.
Ch. 11:
Other than war bringing violence, “slavery, starvation, and rape, for example, are all incompatible with peace” (Campbell, 340). Peace does not have to always be associated with war.
“An enslaved person may live in a nation that is not at war, but both the enslavers and the enslaved are certainly not at peace” (Campbell, 340). Peacefulness does not come with force and hatred.
During the Holocaust, victims were starved, worked way too much, denied health care, were used to experiment, put through misery. That’s not peaceful at all. “Those these victims did not perish from a gunshot or in a gas chamber, the violence inflicted upon them was no less severe” (Campbell, 341).
3) QUESTION:
When is the last time you thought about what you were buying might affect/ harm others? Did you still go through with the purchase?
1)
ReplyDeleteChapter 10: The ethical issues with war
Chapter 11: Peace and how it evolves.
2)
Chapter 10:
“Karl von Clausewitz famously claimed, “war is a mere continuation of policy by other means.” 5 He went on to describe war as a “real political instrument” and “a continuation of political commerce.” 6 Underlying Clausewitz’s political understanding of war is the implicit assumption that war involves states.” (Campbell, 292).
“some scholars argue that these definitions are problematic because of what they exclude. For example, many of today’s violent conflicts involving non-state actors, such as terrorist organizations, are excluded from state-centered definitions of war.”(Campbell, 292).
“Today, intra-state conflicts , or civil wars, are far more common than inter-state ones. In 1946, 47 percent of conflicts were intra-state; by 2005, that figure had increased to 100 percent. 21 The majority of today’s intra-state conflicts are low-intensity conflicts (LIC) taking place in the developing world”(Campbell, 294).
Chapter 11:
“Peace movements were not very active in the US between the two world wars. However, as political tension increased in Europe in the 1930s, peace organizations again formed. In September 1933, a new organization emerged: the American League against War and Fascism”(Campbell, 350).
During world war II peace full relations had happened between countries' governments that the citizens felt was worse than being at war. “ In 1940, Hitler’s Germany invaded Denmark. Through a series of negotiations, the Danish government was able to broker a deal with the Germans that gave Germany official control of the country, but gave the Danish government control of the day-to-day administrative duties of the state. Danish factories were retooled in order to make war related-materials for the German military.”(Campbell 361).
This is more of a modern view how peace has evolved over the years.“Regional organizations approach conflict resolution in a manner similar to the UN, with the one exception being the European Union. Because the EU has a court – the European Court of Justice – set up to deal with conflicts, disputes can be adjudicated more easily in the European context.” (Campbell, 365).
3) What would happen to the UN if/ when a third world war starts?
Thesis Chapter 10: War is not as as simple concept that is usually presented, it isn't always black and white, between two opposing forces or over the most noble of reasons.
ReplyDeleteEvidence Chapter 10:
1)Wars definition varies greatly depending on who you ask. While some people mostly describe war as "labeled rebellions" while others think it revolves around concepts such as "uprisings" or "gang violence". However, most of the time there are common themes that can easily relate it to one another. (Campbell 292).
2. When people think of the causes of war, some think that humans are "genetically predisposed" to commit these acts of violence, while others think it deep "rooted in civilization". From an evolution standpoint, humans are fighting primarily for the aspect of "competition", wanting to compete over resources or power. However, people think that the rise of power and influence causes the probability of war to rise (Campbell 309-311).
3. The people competing in these wars aren't always fighting for their nation, state, country, etc. Often time, especially in a modern context, PMCs are being hired to fight in these conflicts to do tasks such as fighting, security or intelligence gathering. They have their detractors though, "Critics argue that one of their most troubling features is that they operate beyond the reach of international security", meaning that a single governing force can't necessary control them (Campbell 321-322).
Thesis Chapter 11: The presence of peace doesn't mean only that war is not going on, but it also includes the removal of issues of humanity.
Evidence Chapter 11:
1. Peace is the removal of violence, not just war. The elimination of atrocities such as "Slavery, starvation and rape" is what peace truly strives for. It also includes the removal of structural violence for an overall positive peace (Campbell 340-341).
2. The strive for peace has been an aspect of humanity we have been trying to attain since the late 19th century, when the Quakers formed, a "religous society of friends", looking to eliminate violence, and push for suffarage and abolition. Jumping to 1918, after WW1 many people were tired of war, and President Wilson made the "Fourteen Points", to try and sustain global peace. (Campbell 341,348-350).
3.Many also think that peace activists strive for the same goal under pacifism, however not all pacifists are alike. They can either be universal,private or antiwar. Universal's believe "violence is wrong in all its forms", private "oppose personal violence" and antiwar disagree with "political violence" (Campbell 358-359).
3) Question:
Is peace ever going to be attainable with how fickle people can be in today's society alongside with how war is dealt with.
Chapter 10 thesis:
ReplyDeleteViolent conflict and war have plagued humanity for a millennium, but nation-states and countries have given humanity a proxy to hide behind, decimating societies and environments while somehow trying to justify or prevent it.
Chapter 10 evidence:
“Conflict situations are more likely to lead to geno/politicide when they have been plagued by high magnitude internal wars over the preceding 15 years. […] In fact, the risk of a new geno/politicide is three times more likely when an internal conflict situation emerges in countries that had witnessed a prior case of genocide.” (Campbell 298) This shows that war has aftershock effects in countries leading to even more horrible injustices against people.
“Although the Cold War did not culminate in a direct violent clash between the US and the Soviets, it did contribute to many conflicts around the world. As nationalist movements in the developing world rose to throw off old colonial regimes, political instability and weak states emerged, especially in Africa and Asia.” (Campbell 307).
“Competition is the primary cause of conflict and fighting, both in humans and in all other animal species. Specifically, competition over resources and the struggle for reproduction are the root causes of conflict. People fight, in other words, “to gain the very same things that constitute the objects of human desire in general.” (Campbell 310)
Chapter 10 question:
At some point in the future, will victimless warfare be possible? Or will robots and drones be able to colonize entire countries with ease, putting the world in the hands of rich countries and robotics manufacturers.
Chapter 11 evidence:
ReplyDelete“Negative peace refers to the absence of armed conflict and military operations between nations, but it does not mean that various forms of violence within a given nation are also absent. […] In contrast with negative peace, positive peace focuses on global justice and human rights for all people. Instead of an absence, positive peace can be defined as the presence of “life affirming and life-enhancing values” such as cooperation, harmony, friendship, and love.” (Campbell 340)
The United States, home of the brave and land of the free, has struggled to take responsibility for its injustice and lack of peace against its’ own citizens. “Actor and singer Paul Robeson [had his passport] rescinded because of his outspoken praise of the Soviet Union and his criticism of American racism and segregation. From 1950 to 1958, Robeson was banned from traveling outside the US because he was unwilling to sign a statement saying he was not a communist and that he would not criticize the US while abroad.” (Campbell 351)
Because of modern technology, one person can wield the brutality of a thousand men. “There have been roughly 30 wars or ongoing armed conflicts each year since the end of World War II. Arms sales and transfers continue at a dizzying pace. The easy availability of weapons has increased both the number of conflicts and the intensity of those conflicts. While nuclear threats appeared to have receded at the end of the Cold War, 2006 saw the number of nations clamoring to get into the nuclear club increase, as both North Korea and Iran stepped up their efforts to expand their nuclear programs.” (Campbell 356)
Chapter 11 question:
Has human suffering increased or decreased in the last two hundred years? Has the frequency decreased but the stakes increased, or vice versa?
1) Chapter 10- War and violence is a conflict that has affected humanity for a long time and continues to cost us financially and ethically.
ReplyDeleteChapter 11- Peace is often that of which humanity clings to as the hope for a better way of living, and often believed as the resolution of war and crisis.
2)
Chapter 10
1) “For Hobbes, writing in the mid-1600s, humans were intrinsically violent and always likely to turn on one other, fighting over everything from greed to reputation… In stark contrast to Hobbes, Rousseau, writing approximately 100 years later, argued that human nature was intrinsically good, and that it was the state and civilization that were the problem.” (Campbell 311) War is a widely-span out phenomenon that continues to affect humanity’s morals and ethics by pinning societies against each other and causing endless fighting between both states and nations.
2) “Wars are fought for control of the world’s strongest industrial regions, and the winners of these conflicts significantly increase their profits and power… If a state feels it has nothing to lose and something to gain, it is more likely to go to war.”(Campbell 311) Profit and power are two of the most grossing reasons to cause war, prompting civilization to get tempted to fight in the name of what we can gain.
3) “Principle of proportionality, which states that a war can only be just if its moral benefits are greater than its cost. This principle positions war as an evil that can only be justified if it culminates in an overall greater good.” (Campbell 313) Wars are often fought in the name of “the greater good”, causing a nearly endless cycle of war to abrupt all around the world as people often misinterpret the good of their nation compared to the overall greater good of existence.
Chapter 11
1) “Feminists dating back to the suffragette movement have long argued that for women, positive and negative peace are intertwined… Thus, feminists argue, empowering women must accompany efforts to promote peace.” (Campbell 355-356) Right beside our capabilities to withstand constant war, humanity also proves its strength in the way that we keep fighting back, violently and non-violently to restore and reach peace.
2) “In their resistance against the Nazis, the Danes demonstrated that nonviolence can succeed even in the face of overwhelming violence.” (Campbell 361) Just as our standards of living affects the way we live, it also affects the way we think as societies and shapes the way that we learn to deal with crisis.
3) “The complex definition of peace includes not only the absence of war but also the elimination of the conditions that bring about human suffering, misery, and death. While some argue that war and structural violence are “natural” or inevitable facts of life, others maintain that humans have the capacity or compassion and for the development of alternative forms of dispute resolution.” (Campbell 372) Time and time again humanity comes to a standstill regarding civilization's ability to maintain peace, yet continues to withstand war in the name of a better way of living.
3) QUESTION: What is your personal definition of peace?
Fantastic HRR blogging here, team!
ReplyDeleteAll posts below this line = C/LATE.
Dr. Rob
Chapter 10
ReplyDeleteThesis:
War has always been apart of the world, regardless of the negative impact it has constantly had.
Evidence
War can start for many different reasons but the biggest reason is “to maintain power and to continue accumulating resources, they relied upon an emerging class of professional soldiers as well as upon an increasingly organized military.” (299) To maintain this power over resources countries had to build these powerful militaries that out shined other countries.
“Another major consequence of the cold war was an escalating arms race, a competition to produce larger weapons, arsenals, greater armies, and superior military technologies.” (307) War began with physical combat, individuals fighting individuals. As technology began to advance so did weapons, and everyone wanted to have the biggest, deadliest, and scariest weapon.
The cost of war is very high and vast, it has a “cost to peoples lives, including death, disfigurements and psychological domains; societal costs, including infrastructure and economic destruction and environmental damage.” (324) Not only do individuals; soldiers and civilians, suffer from war but the amount of damages to buildings, forests, farms, towns, and etc. is endless.
Chapter 11
Thesis:
Peace is more powerful than the “absence of war”, it encompasses global justice and human rights to fully be at peace.
Evidence
It is important to understand that peace means more than just the simple “[definition] as the absence of war, peace need not always be understood in relation to armed conflicts, since war is not the only form of violence that disrupts peace.” (340) Peace is also specific to human rights and global justice issues, we have issues like; poverty and discrinimation that are forms of structural violence that prevent peace from occurring.
“The shift from envisioning peace as simply the absence of war to protecting positive peace is not evident in the professional organizations and the struggle for a decent quality of life.” (356) Before reading this chapter I had no idea the difference between positive and negative peace, and especially that peace is more than the absence of war. It’s really eye opening that structural violence can be seen as a core issue of not obtaining peace.
“Because there are few choices facing us daily that do not have consequences for others, the struggle to come to peace with ourselves and our actions is one way we contribute to either building or undermining positive peace.” (372) Awareness is power, and if we are more aware of what's going on around us then we can better understand the power of structural violence.
Question:
Is it ever possible to end structural violence with only peaceful protest?