Western Political Thought Dr. John Paul Tabakian

Political Science 5 Fall 2012 – Power Point #9

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 5. Natural Resources

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 • Legislatures

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.

•Muckrackers are journalists who expose political and commercial corruption.

HOW THE MASSES PERCEIVE THE PARTIES

Activists are most likely to participate in campaign activities. These are the most partisan among typical voters. Two of the most common activities aside from voting is donating personal labor and financial resources. Political pandering refers to how parties cater to their core base of activists. Those found in the Republican Party tend to be more conservative than the average Republican voter. Democratic activists on the other hand tend to be more liberal than the average Democratic voter.

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?

Hollywood + Religion Race Based Politics

OBAMA & APPLE Constituents have witnessed influential campaign advertisements that are authored by the average person. The clip on the left was created from an Obama supporter with commonly available computer equipment who manipulated the famous 1984 Apple commercial that introduced the world to Macintosh.

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".

• Samuel P. Huntington adds "...and the responses of non-Western civilizations to Western power and values.”

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.

3. Non-Western countries can attempt to "balance" the West by developing an alternative economic and military power and ally with one another to effective counter Western dominance.

CAUSES OF WAR

• Nationalism • Ethnicity • Religion • Culture • Natural Resources

“KIN-COUNTRY” SYNDROME

• States try to rally support from states that share a similar culture.

• Replaces political ideology and traditional balance of power as the principal basis for cooperation and coalitions.

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.

• Dominant groups in the recipient civilization have to embrace the convert.

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.

• Samuel Huntington made these arguments in the article “The Clash of Civilizations (1993)”.

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.

• US maintains a much more expensive all-volunteer force.

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.

BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS – ETHICS (1)

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.

BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS – ETHICS (2)

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.

BIOLOGICAN WEAPONS – ETHICS (3)

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.

BIOLOGICAN WEAPONS – ETHICS (4)

• 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.

MAKING FOREIGN POLICY (1)

• 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

PUBLIC INFLUENCES POLICY (1)

• 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

PUBLIC INFLUENCES POLICY (2)

• 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.

MAKING FOREIGN POLICY (2)

• 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”.

LEGISLATURES (1)

• 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.

LEGISLATURES (2)