War and terrorism: Concepts

Some Context

  • Remember Mills’ ‘sociological imagination’–people and societies are in part products of the historical times in which they live
  • Post 9/11–how have the attacks of 9/11 affected Americans, which Americans, which people live in America, which other societies in the world?
  • Governments and war
    • Protecting their citizens
    • Projecting power, regional and in some cases globally
    • Foreign policy–perceptions at home and abroad
    • In the US–the Military Industrial Complex
  • How are war and related issues framed for public consumption?

Terrorism

There’s no one agreed upon definition, but there are some common elements

  1. First, intent to terrorize someone or some group, to ‘provoke a state of terror.’
  2. Second is the use of violence. Usually this is distinct from war-related violence–more likely targeting civilian populations.
  3. Role of governments. Some definitions include this component–resistance to try to change the behavior of governments. Others admit that governments are often involved in similar activities that meet many of the above criteria.
  4. Asymmetry–Some definitions focus on the this–especially when it is a form of protest or resistance against governments or powerful entities with overwhelming force advantages (see ‘weapons of the weak’ below). Usually considered to be perpetrated by non-state actors, but you can imagine how overwhelming asymmetry could benefit the state (think of 1984, for instance).
  5. War vs crime–there is disagreement over how to treat terrorism, as either an act of war, or as a crime.
  6. Where are incidents occurring around the world (at least getting reported)?
  7. And the Trump Administration? Terrorism seems to be any act that is unfavorable to the president’s interests (such as Attorney General Pam Bondi calling vandalism of Tesla vehicles terrorism, while violent rioters from Jan 6 were considered ‘hostages’ and pardoned by Trump). 

Blowback

  • Unintended consequences, usually of government’s secret (covert) operations
  • Limited public knowledge
  • How can the public put events such as the attacks on 9/11 in context if they were based in part on American acts uncovered in the commercial media?
  • Covert US Foreign Policy
  • Perceptions abroad

”Weapons of the Weak‘

Marginalized populations cannot compete with governments for power–governments tend to have a virtual monopoly on force. Populations often find ways to resist, however, what they perceive as illegitimate power exercised against them. Often these ‘weapons’ manifest themselves as ‘ordinary, every day forms of resistance.’ In a village, this might mean sabotage, theft, killing of livestock, etc. Political Scientist James Scott says this type of resistance, to effect real social change, must:

  • be collective and organised rather than private and unorganised;
  • be principled and selfless rather than opportunistic and selfish;
  • have revolutionary consequences; and
  • negate rather than accept the basis of domination (Yee, 1994)

False Flag operations: How do presidents gain public support for war / invasion?

Military Industrial Complex

President Eisenhower gave his now-famous speech as he left office in 1961. Military spending has mushroomed since then, partly driven by fears of the ‘Cold War‘ with the Soviet Union. He was warning of an alliance between the military branch of government, defense industries, and Congress, leading to ever-higher defense expenditures, justified as necessary to protect and defend the country and its citizens against attack. Some of the graphs below will give you a picture of the growth of the arms industry:

Links (Academic Year 2024-25)

 

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All truth passes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Second it is violently opposed. Third it is accepted as being self-evident.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer
Dr. Bill Grigsby
Dr. Bill GrigsbyProfessor of Sociology

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