Review of Conflict, War, and Terrorism

Summary

1. President Eisenhower long ago warned of the dangers of a military industrial complex in the US, which has an enormous defense budget and can be characterized by militarism. 
2. Patterns of interaction regarding conflict include segregation such as Jim Crow in the South, expulsion such as the internment of Japanese Americans in camps during World War II, and genocide such as the annihilation of Indigenous people and culture during colonialism and through part of the twentieth century. 
3. Interstate wars occur between nations such as with US involvement in the Vietnam War and intrastate wars occur within nations such as the Civil War in the US.
4. Terrorism includes many forms depending on who the perpetrator is and whom they're targeting, such as transnational terrorism, domestic terrorism, and state terrorism. 
5. War is best regarded as a social phenomenon rather than a biological phenomenon. Decisions to go to war are sometimes based on noble reasons, but they also involve deceit, prejudice, and other concerns. 
6. War serves several functions according to structural functionalist theory, but can also have latent functions or be dysfunctional. Conflict theory emphasizes the military-industrial complex and the role the power elite play in it. Symbolic interactionist theory focuses on the experiences of soldiers in the military and civilians in wartime as well as symbols and subjective meanings of conflict, war, and terrorism. 
7. White supremacy fuels conflict and terrorism, including historical mistreatment of Black Americans and Indigenous people and contemporary white nationalist extremist terrorism. 
8. Civilians and veterans are both victims of war. Civilian deaths in war are almost inevitable, and atrocities are far from rare. American veterans are at greater risk for PTSD, unemployment, and several other problems that also affect their families. Sexual assault is also a common occurrence in war and in the US military. 
9. The US has the highest military budget in the world by far. Debate continues over the size of this budget, with critics saying that the US would have a higher quality of life if the military budget were reallocated to be spent on unmet social needs.
10. Strategies to prevent conflict, war, and terrorism include arms control, disarmament, and nonproliferation as well as various forms of diplomacy. Efforts to reduce prejudice and white supremacy would also reduce these problems. Antiwar social movements and other collective action have long been a part of US history as strategies to end war. 

   

Questions

1. Which of the three theoretical perspectives on conflict, war, and terrorism do you most favor, and why?
2. Why do you think that the nation's flag has so much symbolic importance in American society?
3. Do you think that the US response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks has been appropriate or do you think that it has been overdone, and why?
4. Do you feel that the US defense budget should be increased, reduced, or stay about the same, and why?
5. If we do reduce the size of the defense budget in favor of addressing other social problems, which social programs or policies do you think are most important to reallocate funds to?
6. What do you think is the worst problem that veterans have faced in returning from the wars in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan?
7. Do you think that deceit was involved in the decision of the US to go to war against Iraq in 2003, and why or why not?
8. Which strategies to prevent conflict, war, and terrorism or address their consequences do you feel are the most important, and why?

  

Action Steps

1. Use your sociological imagination: When you learn of an intrastate war in another nation, think of and research which structural factors contribute as causes of that war. 
2. Support nonprofits and similar organizations: Volunteer at or donate to a local or national agency that provides veterans services such as for mental health, housing, or accessing government benefits. 
3. Use your individual agency: Form or join a group on your campus or in the local community that calls attention to patterns of conflict, war, or militarism.
4. Engage in collective action: Research local or national groups that are engaged in peaceful/nonviolent antiwar collective action, select one, and figure out how to get involved in their efforts.