Global Tensions

Thesis: The shifting geopolitical climate caused by things such as overpopulation, the Rich-poor gap, climate change, and cultural divides, is likely to drastically influence how states deal with conflict as it shifts to being internal as opposed to external.

x- Geostrategic conflicts have continued to some extent post Cold War and may continue to have a strong significance in international conflict- military competition will revive efforts to gain territorial power

x- Most fights will be between civilizations, not necessarily nations, as fault lines are created between cultures

x- Many of the biggest threats to global stability are not definable in geographic terms, spreading discord creates great stresses on many (things such as economic woes, the Rich-Poor gap, religious competition, etc.)

x- Ric-poor gaps are creating fissures among societies as poor masses are becoming increasingly resentful of the wealthy and being attracted to violent gang activities or ethnic strife

x- The erosion of state authority and rise of group identity is creating a new form of ethnic strife that easily sparks conflict- this is only made worse by advances in communication which certain political groups use to their advantage.

x- Rapid population growth is threating world food supplies and creating international tension as states seek to curb immigration and protect their own remaining assets

x- Greenhouse warming is leading to resources scarcity that greatly affects poor countries that cannot handle the damage- additionally, it raises the risk of ethnic conflict as resource scarcity causes groups to fight one another

x- The new forms of international security are likely to shape conflict in a way that makes military power almost obsolete as states shift to dealing with internal, as opposed to international, wars

"Priests, Doctors, and Teachers Turn Genocidal" by Mahmood Mamdani

Mamdani reflects on the atrocities which occured during the Rwandan genocide of 1994:

• People associated with professions that value and nurture life were involved in the killings
• These people were convinced with the idea to kill the minority group and they were also forced to kill or they might be killed themselves
• Teachers, Priest, and Doctors all took part in the killings
• Hospitals, Schools, and Churches which are thought of as places of safe haven were places where a majority of the murders took place. Tutsis came to hide in these places but others were willing to turn them over to the Hutus
• Even Human Rights activists killed people
• It is shocking that the people involved feel little remorse for their heinous actions

The Clash of Civilizations

Thesis:

x- Politics have become multi polar after the Cold War and humans have become increasingly interconnected- this is similar to old Western alliances and competition that existed after the 1500s when states fought one another and colonized others

x-Many people have questioned their identity and attempted to define it with cultural values, this is causing non-Western states who are growing in stature to reject Western values

x- Cultural conflicts are occurring increasingly and have the potential for escalation as other nations support their kinsmen

x- Many of these cultural differences have roots in the economic and social developments of many states

x- The West's power relative to the rest of the world is declining as other Non-Western states are modernizing and have their own ideals that conflict with the West.

x- The West is now tasked with preserving its values and incorporate states such as Latin American and Central Europe into the West to achieve this goal, but resist intervention at all costs

"India's Resentment of the British" by Jawaharlal Nehru

Nehru, an Indian nationalist during the 1940's alongside Gandhi, blames British economic exploitation for India's continued poverty:

• The British were allowed free reign to rule over and exploit India
• Although the railways and steam engines modernized the country, they also helped consolidate British rule and helped to exploit the interior of the country
• The British acted as feudal landlords and used India as if it were their own estate. The millions of Indians working functioned as tenants of the landlords
• The Indian newspapers talked only of British life and included nothing regarding the Indian people
• English clubs were exclusive and most of them refused Indian members
• Racism was prevalent in India with many segregated areas designated for "Europeans Only"
• The British markets were closed to Indian goods but the Indian markets were flooded with British products made from Indian resources. This situation crushed Indian manufacturers and caused a lot of Indians to lose their jobs
• The British hindered India's industrialization and forced it to be a agricultural nation
• All of these measures result in the widespread poverty in India

"The Evils of Colonialism" by Frantz Fanon

Fanon, a modern critic of colonialism from the French West Indies, discusses the oppresiveness and dehumanization of European colonialism:

• The colonies are split into two parts: the European side with all the resources and luxuries and the native side which is much worse off
• The police of the colonies enforce peace through their weapons and violence
• The natives always look to the European town with envy and they dream of all of their possessions
• The colonies show forms of segregation based on race
• The settlers believe the natives to be evil because their culture and their ways are different from the Europeans
• The Church is a way for the European to oppress the native

"Report to the Twentieth Party Congress" by Nikita S. Khrushchev

Khrushchev discusses his thoughts on the worldwide struggle with the western capitalists and pleas for peaceful coexistence of the two systems until the communists eventually win:

• After World War II the western powers became reactionary and militaristic. They enforced their will on other countries.
• Their imperialism show their aggression towards the socialists
• The U.S. forced the U.S.S.R into an arms race and a "Cold War" because of their aggression
• These western countries also forced other countries into military pacts and blocs such as NATO
• The "anti-communism" slogan is being used as a cover up for their plans of world domination
• The United States "aid" to recently independent nations is only a ploy to make those nations dependent on the United States while Soviet aid is welcomed and loved by the eastern European countries
• We must peacefully coexist with the capitalists until the communists inevitably win out

Imperialism's Benefits By An Anti-Imperialist African

Thesis: The imposed order by the Europeans united the African states by creating a new form of nationalism form them to all identify with one another and create a common goal for African people to work towards.

x- Humanitarian feeling resulted in a suppression of the slave trade

x- Europeans ended tribal wars when they imposed new order over the African individuals- they improved tribal connections, communication, economic systems, and allowed for creation of new economic classes

x- Tribalism began to end as Africans respected one another by their common labor as workers

x- The new industrialization granted by the West allowed for more invigorated nationalism

x- The European policy can best be described as White Supremacy, this caused a united movement to overthrow white domination out of desire to participate fully in the country's government

"The Iron Curtain" by Winston Churchill

Churchill discusses his beliefs on the duty of Western democracies regarding the "iron curtain" which was a line that divided the U.S.S.R dominated Eastern Europe and the democratic Western Europe:

• It is understandable that the U.S.S.R wants to protect its western borders with buffer states in order to protect itself from any renewal of German aggression
• The U.S.S.R controls all of the capitals of the ancient states of central and eastern Europe including Warsaw, Berlin, and Prague.
• All of these countries are subjects under the control of the powers at Moscow
• The Communism in these countries are producing totalitarian control and police governments
• The West must fight for a free and liberal Europe which they fought for in World War II
• We must settle with our Russian friends to ensure a free Europe before a catastrophe overwhelms the whole world

Islamic Terrorism

Thesis: Islamic fundamentalists rose as a result of perceived Western imperialism on their lands and in their cultural systems.

x- The advancement of the modern world has caused a rise in religious extremism and fanatiscism

x- Multiple deadly wars have been waged upon the regions normally populated by Islamic individuals in addition to the collapse of democratic institutions, rise in nationalist rhetoric, and failing economies- this caused many to place the blame on the West.

x- The West was now seen by many as a greedy, materialist society

x- Failed government and the presence of elites who wished to benefit from the suffering of the middle class caused popular discontent and anger

x- A rise in Arab nationalism often polarized around confronting Zionism- they felt as if they had been cheated and that the Jewish state was a means for the West to maintain its imperialism

x- The Iranian revolution served as a model for many other repressed Islamic states- it provided an instance of the lower class toppling a Western backed regime with an anti-imperialist rhetoric

x- The Iranians tried to export their revolution in the Iraq-Iran war- this same view of the world is tied intrinsically to the terrorist attacks of 9/11

x- Afghanistan also served as a chance for radicals to express their frustration by fighting against an intervening foreign power

x- The establishment of organizations such as the Wahhabi program drastically altered the Muslim world and began to create instances of extremism- Bin Laden's efforts to wage war against the West and the failed efforts to stop him only made him gain more influence

x- Bin Laden's expertise in business as well as his practical considerations have allowed him to stay influential, but many Muslims disagree with the severity of his message

x- The two most important sources of Muslim inflammation were the treatment of Palestinians by Israel and the belief that the Israel lobby influenced American foreign policy in addition to the notion that Western influence was corrupting authentic Islamic values.

The Betrayal of the West

Thesis: Friedman's analysis of world civilizations lead him to conclude that Western technological innovation, energy, and respect for individual liberty was the cause of world wide political transitions.

x- Western thinkers often criticize their own nations while forgetting they were the source of beneficial political reforms worldwide

x-Western cultural intrusion, while harmful, was the key factor in advancing the idea of men protecting their own personal freedom- from the Greeks to the Romans, we see a growth in intellectual and institutional liberty as Western society progressed

x- Many current day political shifts worldwide are a direct result of the West as states are moving away from past means of determining freedom such as wealth

x- The West's technological power and range of values for justice allowed it to give the world the energy it needed for reform

The Lingering Appeal of Fascism

Thesis: Hasselbach's descriptions of the Neo-Nazi movement indicate a continuation of the deep seated racial anger towards certain minorities such as the Jews and how it drove horrific, racist movements.

x- Son of Communist elite in East Germany, Ingo Hasselbach, was exposed to he idea of a Jewish conspiracy while in jail for petty crimes- led to creation of the Neo-Nazi movement

x- Many Right wing conspiracy cells shared the belief in 1. a Jewish conspiracy and 2. a hatred for the government for infringing on their rights as Aryans

x- Dedicated members of these movements often had little sympathy for the deaths of innocents such as children- they all united under common propaganda

x- Many veterans of the past Nazi movement influenced the Neo-Nazi groups by teaching them to recognize and discriminate against groups such as Jews

x- Rich benefactors such as the widows of deceased Nazis provided benefits to these movements

x- Groups such as the HNG, the Help Organization for National Prisoners, were established to help encourage imprisoned, young Nazis to continue in their efforts

x- Old individuals were practically free from political consequences and indirected implied taking extreme measures to disrupt society

x- Some members of the movement would lead exercises where they practiced butchering straw effigies of Jews and complained about how the Jewish conspiracy had stolen their land from Germany.