Western Political Thought
Dr. John Paul Tabakian
COURSE LECTURE: WEEK 9 (1)
Today’s Lecture Covers The Following:
• Muckrackers – Upton Sinclair
• How The Masses Perceive The Parties
• Pluralism Example – Obama Vs. Apple
• Conflict, Violence & War - Causes Of War:
1. Nationalism
2. Ethnicity
3. Religion
4. Culture
COURSE LECTURE: WEEK 9 (1)
• “Kin-Country” Syndrome
• Redefining Civilization Identity
• West Versus The Rest
• American Military Power
• Ethical Issues
• Unconventional Military Options:
• American Biological Weapons Program
•
Public Influences Policy
UPTON SINCLAIR’S “THE JUNGLE”
•Upton Sinclair was a poor reformer who sought to write the Great American Novel.
•“The Jungle” examined the unsanitary methods of Chicago’s meatpacking industry of Chicago. It was released in 1906.
•President Theodore Roosevelt received advanced copy. Used his influence to push Congress to pass a law establishing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Roosevelt coined the term “muckrakers” to describe Sinclair and other reformist crusaders.
•Roosevelt’s phrase was not meant to be wholly complimentary.
HOW THE MASSES PERCEIVE THE PARTIES
HOW THE MASSES VIEW THE PARTIES
Let us now see how Hollywood views the parties from the perspective of the average Joe or Jane. Our example comes from the movie “Bulworth” starring Warren Beatty. Two scenes are shown to demonstrate pandering as seen from the perspective of Hollywood. What are your thoughts after watching these clips? Do they coincide with your personal belief systems in any way?
OBAMA & APPLE
CULTURAL CONFLICT - NEW COLD WAR?
• Tensions between civilizations are supplanting the political and ideological rivalries persistent during the Cold War.
• Samuel Huntington argue, "the values that are most important in the West are least important worldwide.”
• World politics will be directed in the future by conflicts that according to Kishore Mahbubani will be between "the West and the Rest".
CONFLICT, VIOLENCE, AND WAR
1. Non-Western civilizations isolate themselves from the Western-dominated global community.
2. "Band-Wagoning" can lead non-Western countries to join with the West and accept its values and institutions.
CAUSES OF WAR
• Nationalism
• Ethnicity
• Religion
• Culture
“KIN-COUNTRY” SYNDROME
•
States try to rally support from states that
share a similar culture.
REDEFINING CIVILIZATION IDENTITY
Samuel Huntington’s Three Requirements For Torn Countries To Redefine Its Civilization Identity:
• The Country’s economic and political elites have to enthusiastically endorse the transition.
• Its public has to endorse whatever new definition is adopted.
WEST VS. THE REST
• Samuel P. Huntington stresses that
civilization-consciousness is increasing and that global politics will be focused on "the West and the Rest".
• This applies to conflicts between the Western powers, especially the United States, against "others".
• The first conflict(s) will be between the West and several Islamic-Confucian states.
AMERICAN MILITARY POWER
• The main reasons for the US to maintain such a high military expenditure are:
• US commitments on a global basis. US military forces must be able to project power to regions located thousands of miles away.
• US forces require high technology in order to defeat its enemies with limited casualties.
Human beings are the ultimate weapon. Biological weapon development is presented in this PBS Special “The Living Weapon. All slides from this point incorporate information from the PBS website
dedicated to “The Living Weapon”:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/weapon/index.html.
Chapter 1: (2:37)
"Teaser" introduction for The Living Weapon on American Experience.
Chapter 2: (3:15)
In December 1942, the U.S.
government holds a secret meeting at the National Academy of Sciences to discuss a biological warfare program.
Chapter 3: (4:16)
During the summer of 1942, the British conduct secret anthrax tests on the Scottish island of Gruinard.
Chapter 4: (5:11)
American scientists begin secret biological warfare research at Camp Detrick in
Maryland.
Chapter 5: (4:00)
New weapons of mass destruction are deployed during World War II.
Chapter 6: (10:32)
Surprising news of German and
Japanese biowarfare research emerge at the end of World War II.
Chapter 7: (5:59)
The U.S. biological weapons program escalates during the Cold War.
Chapter 8: (10:05)
In 1954, American scientists begin testing biological agents on human subjects.
Chapter 9: (5:13)
The U.S. biological weapons program comes under public scrutiny.
Chapter 10: (1:38)
The United States ratifies international agreements leading to the end of the U.S. biological weapons program.
Title Unknown (Botulism) (9:43)
This experiment was conducted to determine whether primates would make suitable research subjects in a study of botulism. Researchers inject a monkey with botulisum toxin to determine if he will exhibit the same effects as human victims.
Operation Cover Up (9:04)
This film questions how long military personnel would be able to remain in
protective suits and gas masks in the event of an operation within a biological or
chemical weapons area.
Incapacitation by Enterotoxin (5:40) The film shows the effect of enterotoxin, a form of food poisoning, when delivered as an aerosol spray to monkeys.
• Foreign
policies
are
the
strategies
governments use to guide their actions in
the international arena.
– Spell out the objectives state leaders
have decided to pursue in a given
relationship or situation.
– Foreign policy process: How policies
are arrived at and implemented.
• Range of views on foreign policy issues
held by the citizens of a state.
• Has a greater influence on foreign policy in
democracies
than
in
authoritarian
governments.
– Legitimacy
– Propaganda
– Journalists as gatekeepers
• In democracies, public opinion generally
has less effect on foreign policy than on
domestic policy.
– Attentive public
– Foreign policy elite
– Rally ’round the flag syndrome
– Diversionary foreign policy
• Comparative foreign policy.
– Study of foreign policy in various states
in order to discover whether similar
types of societies or governments
consistently have similar types of foreign
policies.
• Foreign policy outcomes result from
multiple forces at various levels of
analysis.
• Conduit through which interest groups and public opinion can wield influence.
– Presidential systems; separate elections.
• Legislatures play a direct role in making foreign policy.
• Different rules apply, however, to the use of military force.
– Rally ’round the flag.
– May challenge the president if they have power
of the “purse”.
•
Parliamentary systems; political parties are
dominant
• Often parliamentary executives do not need
to submit treaties or policies for formal
approval by the legislature.
• Call elections; new executive
• Legislatures play a key role in designing
and implementing foreign policy.
