The document discusses the aftermath of the Arab Spring uprisings and the rise of ISIS in Iraq and Syria. It analyzes these events in relation to two lectures by Professor Miguel Centeno on the contributions of war. While ISIS has established a state through insurgency and terrorism, confirming Centeno's arguments, it may not have realized contributions like democracy and equality. Centeno's views on insurgency as a tactic are also validated by events in Iraq and Syria. Though the Arab Spring and Iraq war failed to bring stable democracies, insights on the sociology of war from Centeno remain relevant to understanding current conflicts.
American Research Journal of Humanities & Social Science (ARJHSS) is a double blind peer reviewed, open access journal published by (ARJHSS).
The main objective of ARJHSS is to provide an intellectual platform for the international scholars. ARJHSS aims to promote interdisciplinary studies in Humanities & Social Science and become the leading journal in Humanities & Social Science in the world.
How to build a peace scenario and cooperation between nations and peoplesFernando Alcoforado
How to build a scenario of peace and cooperation between nations and peoples around the world? This is an old challenge and thought by many philosophers as is the case of Immanuel Kant when approaching this theme in his work Perpetual peace. In 1795, Kant released this booklet that had great success with the educated public of his time. It was a project aimed at establishing a perpetual peace among the European peoples, and then spreading it throughout the world. It is an Enlightenment manifesto in favor of permanent understanding between men. Kant's primary goal was to eliminate the war that was always seen by him as something that distorted mankind's efforts toward a decent future for human beings. How to achieve this goal?
The cult of personality as an important feature of totalitarian propagandaPrzegląd Politologiczny
The totalitarian system, in contrast to the system of representative democracy (based on
impersonal procedures), is strongly related to the position of the leader. Therefore, the cult of the individual not only serves to consolidate the power of a totalitarian leader, but also contributes to the
legitimacy of the entire political system. The article presents the propagation and creation of the cult of
the individual around three leaders of totalitarian states: Stalin, Mussolini and Hitler.
Communist Party of the Philippines
Contribution to the 13th International Communist Seminar:
"The Strategy and Tactics of the Struggle against Global US Imperialist War"
Brussels, 2-4 May 2004
Superpower War of the 21st Century - Declining America and Fading Capitalism ...Economic Policy Dialogue
It is yet a first quarter of the 21st century and the wheel looks turning away from not only the US as a superpower, but also from the centuries’ old capitalism as a dominant system. All signs are signalling that China is ascending as a superpower and communism is winning over capitalism. This commentary examines how and what has led this to happen.
Governability and democracy threatened in brazil with ascension to the power ...Fernando Alcoforado
The facts of history demonstrate that when the economic crisis deepens, the crisis of governability materializes with the paralysis of the government that can occur in Brazil after the elections of 2018 produced to a large extent by the struggle between the political forces of right and left which may result in a civil war followed by the establishment of a right-wing or left-wing dictatorship. The greatest possibility is that a right-wing dictatorship is implanted either with Bolsonaro's victory to keep him in power and Haddad's victory after overthrowing him.
This is presented during a session "Strategic cultures" at the symposium “Lessons of 1914 for the future of Asia” on 14-15 July 2014 held at Temple University Japan Campus. This symposium is organized by Andreas Herberg-Rothe, Faculty of social and cultural studies, University of Applied Sciences Fulda, Germany and supported by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Japan.
American Research Journal of Humanities & Social Science (ARJHSS) is a double blind peer reviewed, open access journal published by (ARJHSS).
The main objective of ARJHSS is to provide an intellectual platform for the international scholars. ARJHSS aims to promote interdisciplinary studies in Humanities & Social Science and become the leading journal in Humanities & Social Science in the world.
How to build a peace scenario and cooperation between nations and peoplesFernando Alcoforado
How to build a scenario of peace and cooperation between nations and peoples around the world? This is an old challenge and thought by many philosophers as is the case of Immanuel Kant when approaching this theme in his work Perpetual peace. In 1795, Kant released this booklet that had great success with the educated public of his time. It was a project aimed at establishing a perpetual peace among the European peoples, and then spreading it throughout the world. It is an Enlightenment manifesto in favor of permanent understanding between men. Kant's primary goal was to eliminate the war that was always seen by him as something that distorted mankind's efforts toward a decent future for human beings. How to achieve this goal?
The cult of personality as an important feature of totalitarian propagandaPrzegląd Politologiczny
The totalitarian system, in contrast to the system of representative democracy (based on
impersonal procedures), is strongly related to the position of the leader. Therefore, the cult of the individual not only serves to consolidate the power of a totalitarian leader, but also contributes to the
legitimacy of the entire political system. The article presents the propagation and creation of the cult of
the individual around three leaders of totalitarian states: Stalin, Mussolini and Hitler.
Communist Party of the Philippines
Contribution to the 13th International Communist Seminar:
"The Strategy and Tactics of the Struggle against Global US Imperialist War"
Brussels, 2-4 May 2004
Superpower War of the 21st Century - Declining America and Fading Capitalism ...Economic Policy Dialogue
It is yet a first quarter of the 21st century and the wheel looks turning away from not only the US as a superpower, but also from the centuries’ old capitalism as a dominant system. All signs are signalling that China is ascending as a superpower and communism is winning over capitalism. This commentary examines how and what has led this to happen.
Governability and democracy threatened in brazil with ascension to the power ...Fernando Alcoforado
The facts of history demonstrate that when the economic crisis deepens, the crisis of governability materializes with the paralysis of the government that can occur in Brazil after the elections of 2018 produced to a large extent by the struggle between the political forces of right and left which may result in a civil war followed by the establishment of a right-wing or left-wing dictatorship. The greatest possibility is that a right-wing dictatorship is implanted either with Bolsonaro's victory to keep him in power and Haddad's victory after overthrowing him.
This is presented during a session "Strategic cultures" at the symposium “Lessons of 1914 for the future of Asia” on 14-15 July 2014 held at Temple University Japan Campus. This symposium is organized by Andreas Herberg-Rothe, Faculty of social and cultural studies, University of Applied Sciences Fulda, Germany and supported by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Japan.
B.A. Sociology thesis: The Commercialization and Commodification of Higher Ed...Stephen Cheng
This is my thesis which I wrote during my fourth and last year, 2010, at Vassar College with Professor Leonard Nevarez ( http://faculty.vassar.edu/lenevare/ ) as my advisor. As the title indicates, I argue that higher education has become, essentially, a business. Within the framework of the history of the United States of America, I trace the evolution of higher education from the mid-nineteenth century into the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries in order to make my case. In the process, I also touch upon the political economy of the US during its own "industrial revolution" and its journey to a world power. In the end, I developed a work of social and economic history (or historical sociology) for Vassar's sociology department. Likewise, given its emphasis on the evolution of an institution, readers may also see it as an attempt at historically grounded institutional analysis.
Four years after the invasion of Iraq. Hizb ut-Tahrir report released a report entitled "Iraq: A New Way Forward", which was widely circulated amongst thinkers, academics, journalists, columnists, politicians and think tanks.
The report comprehensively refutes the false justifications for the continued foreign intervention in Iraq - including the need for foreign forces to referee Iraq's sectarian conflict, the idea that more chaos would arise if troops left and the notion that Western governments have the moral authority for nation building. The report also argues that "any discussion of withdrawal from only Iraq will not serve to end the legacy of Western colonialism in the Middle East" because "for the long term stability of the region it is essential that foreign troops withdraw from the entire region, for their meddling has led to almost a century of tyrannical rule, brutal occupation and instability."
The report advocates the withdrawal of all foreign military personnel in Iraq and the wider region, an end to the West's support of dictatorial leaders in the region, allowing the Muslim world to decide its own political destiny without interference, freeing the region's vast energy reserves from the control of monarchies and multinationals, recognition of the illegality of the occupation of Palestine and an end to double standards over nuclear power in the region.
Abstract: This study examined United States and democratization in Iraq. The study was anchored on the
democratic peace theory as propounded by Immanuel Kant in 1795. The study adopted ex-post research design
while data was gotten from secondary source such as textbooks, journal articles, newspapers, magazines and
internet and the data generated was analyzed through content analysis. The findings of the study showed that The
United States efforts to adoptive democracy was widely implemented by a range of governmental and nongovernmental actors in Iraq, but it has yielded far less than what was promised and United States interest has had
negative effects on democratization in Iraq as the dissolution of the Iraqi army has resulted to security vacuum in
Iraq. Based on the findings the study recommended among others; Democracy should not be seen as a United
States import but rather an indigenous adaptation of general principles by Iraqi people.
BY THE MID 20TH CENTURY 2
By the Mid-20th Century
Strayer University
The superpower status of the United States of America ensures that she is constantly intervening militarily in countries where conflicts occur. In the years gone-by, the US used to launch its own military actions against states that they considered despotic. Nevertheless, the dynamics of international politics nowadays dictate that the United Nations endorses any military interventions. Even with such changes, the US still plays the leading role. The military incursions by the United States are a subject that has always courted controversy whenever it is instigated. In the recent past, the United States has ha military activities in the Libya and Syria alongside its allies, a phenomenon that stirred opposition both abroad and home. However, the interventions are necessary as the objective is normally to try and bring stability in escalating situations.
US Interventions in Last Five Years
In the year 2010, the Arab world was faced with an unprecedented level of uprising that was christened the Arab Spring. Various countries were the subject of expressions of dissatisfaction by an enraged populace (Haas, 2013). Libya, under Muamar Gaddafi, was the most hit by the uprising. This led to the intervention by the NATO forces, which were led by the United States. The US as has been the case in the past led the airstrikes that finally ousted the incumbent Gaddaffi.
Moreover, the United States is currently involved in the complex Syrian conflict. The intervention in Syria was warranted due to a multitude of factors. In a classical play of interventionism, which is the foreign policy that the United States has pursued since World War II, the US started by sending in military personnel to aid the Syrian rebels who were fighting against the dictator Basar Al Assad. Mr. Assad had been accused in using chemical gas against the people of Alepo. According to the International Criminal Court, this is a crime against humanity. Secondly, the threat of the caliphate group known as the Islamic State (ISIS) compelled the US, together with its allies, to start a series of airstrikes against the group in Syria.
Factors that Made the US a Superpower
The United States is the sole superpower in the world. The status was achieved via a lot of struggle and even bloodshed. However, there are factors that cemented this status for the US. Firstly, the collapse of USSR was fundamental to America’s quest of becoming a world superpower. Secondly, the practice of capitalism. Thirdly, the Central Intelligence Agency and its brilliant strategies also played a key role.
US Policing Role Since World War II
In the aftermath of the World War II, the US has partaken of policing duties in various situations. The first role involved the conflicts between the Koreas. The first Iraqi war in the 1990s was another situation that the US policed (Herring ...
Running head HISTORY OF WAR1HISTORY OF WAR5History .docxjeanettehully
Running head: HISTORY OF WAR
1
HISTORY OF WAR
5
History of War
Student’s Name
University
History of Wars
War is a period with armed conflict, like mercenaries, rebels, and armies, among countries, governments, communities, and unofficial militant groups. Utilizing regular and irregular armed forces, this is generally defined by brutal violence, violence, destruction as well as mortality. Warfare relates to activities and features of war styles and wars in particular. Barta (2008) stated that war is warfare that is not confined to solely legitimate targets and, therefore, can lead to huge suffering and deaths of civilians or any other non-combatants. In history, the use of war has acquired control over regions through people, governments, or political groups. The earliest records of ancient warfare belong to Site 117 of a Mesolithic Cemetery that is estimated to be about 14,000 years of age. About 45% of a skeleton showing signs of horrific death there. The fundamental truth of Australian history has always been one people's conquest of a state, as well as one people's enslavement, with merciless destructive nature, of others. The reported impacts of this attack are just as apparent because they are horrible (Barta, 2008). Of the African race who have lived in a world as "Aborigines," "from the start," and have created diverse dialects, cultures or social groups on more than 50,000 years to tribal society, just minority groups survived the first century of contact to white settlers (Veracini, 2011). Therefore, this essay explores how the historical conquest eco in the modern world, French philosopher Montesquieu's statement of an empire founded by war, must maintain itself by war as well as whether the colonial frontier is remembered as genocide and not war (McNiven, 2017).
An example of the modern conquest is the Iraq invasion by the United States of America. Fifteen years earlier, Iraq had been cast into the darkness among the most devastating wars in contemporary history initiated by the US government under George W. Bush (Tuathail, 2003). President Bush reassured Iraqis with his infamous address declaring the beginning of "Operation Iraqi Freedom" that "that day of their freedom was near." However, as a consequence of such military action, rather than being a bastion for freedom and democracy within the country, Iraq was destroyed as millions of Iraqis were exposed to horrors that few of us on this planet had ever encountered or thought. According to the Hinnebusch (2007), the country had experienced ravaged by war as well as converted to wars zone starting from north to south and also from east to west, as competing terrorist groups, foreign forces and political groups compete for leadership at the cost of the Iraqi citizens (Tuathail, 2003). The Iraq invasion had worldwide effects, far from impacting; only Iraqis-which was horrible enough. The absolute failure by the American attempt to promote a system of democracy in Iraq has emp ...
The clash of civilizations and the advancement of terrorismFernando Alcoforado
The terrorist attack in Paris on November 13 near past whose responsibility was assumed by the Islamic State (EI or ISIS) seems to confirm the prediction of Samuel Huntington, exposed in the book O Choque de Civilizações (The Clash of Civilizations) (HUNTINGTON, Samuel. O Choque de Civilizações (The Clash of Civilizations). Objetiva, 1997). According to the theory proposed by Huntington, there was an imminent risk of a clash between the eight civilizations, classified as Western, Islamic, Confucian Buddhist, African, Shinto Nippon, Slavic-Orthodox, Hindu and Latin American, and such conflict would take place in the period post-Cold War. The conflict between these cultures so different was inevitable because of the differences between these civilizations, especially that concerning the particular values of each. Huntington points out a particularly profound divergence between the Western and Islamic civilizations.
Here is another installment of PlanetCNC writings. Again, looking back and needless to say, I grew up under the influence of Cold War anticommunism. A good part of my life so far has been me reasoning my way out of a right-wing political culture. I mentioned before that I’m based in Long Island, New York, the United States of America. It’s a stronghold for right-wing politics in the U.S. Some of the essays here reflect that political influence—an influence I’ve come to thoroughly, completely reject. In any case, feel free to take a look. It’s another collection of curios, knick-knacks, etc. You’ll also get a glimpse of a then-adolescent writer’s mindset.
Stephen Cheng
Saturday, January 16, 2021
Well, as a follow-up to the previous series of PlanetCNC writings on the Command & Conquer franchise, I’m posting another collection here. I found myself laughing as I compiled these writings and, along the way, re-read the very last composition. Looking back, and needless to say, I realize I grew up under the influence of Cold War anticommunism and a good part of my life so far has been me reasoning my way out of a right-wing political culture. For one, I’m based in Long Island, New York, the United States of America—Long Island is a stronghold for right-wing politics in the U.S. Some of the essays here reflect that political influence—an influence I’ve come to thoroughly, completely reject. In any case, feel free to take a look. You’ll get a glimpse of one then-adolescent writer’s mindset.
Stephen Cheng
Thursday, January 5, 2021
Without regrets from the owner, Kane's Diner closes down Stephen Cheng
Translator’s note: I translated this World Journal article in August 2020. There’s already an official translation: http://voicesofny.org/2019/04/kanes-flushing-diner-sold-to-chinese-developer/. Interested readers may compare my version against the linked, published translation. All errors and misunderstandings are, of course, mine.
Readers can find English-language media coverage as well: https://qns.com/story/2019/05/01/kanes-diner-in-flushing-shuts-its-doors-on-may-1-after-more-than-50-years-in-the-business/; https://flushingpost.com/flushing-diner-to-close-wednesday-after-over-50-years-of-business; https://patch.com/new-york/flushing-murray-hill/kanes-flushing-diner-permanently-closes-after-50-years-report.
Stephen Cheng
Wednesday, August 19, 2020
This op-ed article by Moritz Gathmann from Cicero (https://www.cicero.de/; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicero_(magazine)) entered my e-mail account a couple of days ago. Cicero is a German-language magazine with a “liberal conservative” political orientation—essentially “classical liberal” (in present-day U.S.-American political parlance: libertarian). I don’t share Cicero’s political outlook, but I try to follow sources I disagree with. I also thought I’d translate this essay given its aptness in relation to how Russia, or rather stereotyped, propagandistic, and chauvinist perspectives on Russian politics and government, has appeared in U.S.-American political discourse since the 2016 presidential election.
Cicero published another op-ed today that is critical of Putin. I’ll see about translating it. For now, readers may peruse this translation. The original German-language article is linked here: https://www.cicero.de/aussenpolitik/verfassungsreferendum-russland-wladimir-putin/plus
All errors and misunderstandings are, of course, mine.
Stephen Cheng
Saturday, July 4, 2020
An article in 'The Guardian' about Flushing's gentrificationStephen Cheng
This Guardian article (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/13/flushing-queens-gentrification-luxury-developments) by Sarah Ngu, published Thursday, August 13, 2020, is invaluable media coverage on Flushing’s ongoing gentrification. It’s required reading for anybody who cares about affordable housing—not only within a community in Queens but any urban area.
Letter to the New York Times (October 2, 2020)Stephen Cheng
On October 2, 2020, I wrote this letter in response to two 'New York Times' op-ed articles: Michael Tomasky’s “Why Recent Republican Presidents Have Been Economic Failures” (August 20, 2020) and Steven Rattner’s “The Economic Recovery That Isn’t” (August 23, 2020). While I do not disagree that the U.S. economy has made gains under Democratic administrations such as Bill Clinton’s and Barack Obama’s and that President Donald Trump’s boasting of economic progress during his administration is based on little or no evidence, such facts do not indicate that the Republican and Democratic parties have diametrically opposed economic policies. Those facts do not indicate, either, that the Democrats have economic policy proposals that will help working-class and lower-middle-class people in the U.S.
The New York Times: Ninety-nine percent of people on Flushing’s streets insis...Stephen Cheng
From the City Council, District 20, campaign Facebook page "Hailing Chen for the People": https://www.facebook.com/hailingchenforthepeople/.
This World Journal article about a New York Times study, performed late last month with biostatistician Dr. Melody S. Goodman's assistance and published yesterday, indicates ninety-nine percent of randomly sampled people on Main Street, Flushing's primary thoroughfare, insist on publicly wearing masks during the pandemic. By the way, that's actually the average--one hundred percent of women and ninety-eight percent of men wore masks. This shows that being considerate in public is possible... and that practically everybody can do it.
Even during a pandemic.
In one word, community. Or solidarity.
Our government must step up and continue giving supplies to communities in need. We need to refocus on all our communities and keep every single New Yorker secure.
Let’s do our part to bring peace and harmony to all New Yorkers. Safe practice is a good practice!
Please see attached for the translation. The original article is in Mandarin Chinese.
This is a revised and expanded version of a message I wrote to a friend who politically identifies as a libertarian (or "classical liberal" if you're a stickler to traditional political theory terminology) and an anarcho-capitalist.
Taiwan and Israel sign reciprocity agreement on driver's licenses (Spanish to...Stephen Cheng
This press release from the government of Taiwan, officially the Republic of China, is shameful and disappointing. The Taiwanese government, by signing two agreements with Israel this year, has decided to continue supporting apartheid in the “Near East”. Given Operations Cast Lead and Protective Edge, the ongoing annexation of the West Bank, Donald Trump’s declaration of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the recent signing of the Abraham Accord between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, and the current Israeli bombing of Gaza, Taiwan’s, or rather the Taiwanese government’s, decision to keep on cooperating with the Israeli apartheid regime is unconscionable.
This topic is a personal matter to me, too, because my family is from Taiwan and they lived under a right-wing military government led by Chiang Kai-shek and the Kuomintang/Guomindang (國民黨; literally “National People’s Party” but the standard English-language translation is “Nationalist Party”). The government of the United States supported that dictatorship for the same reasons it supported so many other right-wing military dictators and paramilitaries…. to say nothing of the Israeli government. Taiwan democratized in the early-to-mid 1990s and its current head of state is Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the Democratic Progressive Party (民主進步黨/民進黨).
It’s dismaying, but perhaps unsurprising, to see that even with changes of regime and governing party, some things remain the same. Here, Taipei opted for a deal with the devil, if only to remain in the good graces of Western imperialism and colonialism a la Donald Trump, the Republican Party, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Likud Party. It’s not unlike Seoul, Tokyo, Islamabad, New Delhi, and others doing the same in the vain hope of enjoying decent diplomatic relations with “the West”.
As for the press release, it is from the Taiwanese government’s Spanish-language service. I translated it into English this morning. I employed a more “liberal” approach with this translation while staying faithful to the source text’s meaning. All errors, as always, are mine.
Stephen Cheng
August 28, 2020
Jewish Resistance to Nazi Germany (a Coursera essay)Stephen Cheng
This essay on the Holocaust, or Shoah, goes back several years ago—possibly the early-to-mid 2010s. I wrote it for a Coursera course called “The Holocaust: The Destruction of European Jewry”, which Professors Murray Baumgarten (https://literature.ucsc.edu/faculty/emeriti-faculty.php?uid=dickens) and Peter Kenez (https://humanities.ucsc.edu/academics/faculty/emeriti.php?uid=kenez; https://news.ucsc.edu/2016/04/kenez-emeriti-award.html) co-teach.
Professors Baumgarten and Kenez, respectively specializing in literature and history, are affiliated with the University of California, Santa Cruz.
I’m putting it up to demonstrate writing ability as well as an interest in historical topics.
Stephen Cheng
June 20, 2020
Fariborz Kamkari: Kurdish art is always political Stephen Cheng
This is an interview that Yeni Özgür Politika’s Luqman Guldivê did with Fariborz Kamkari, a Kurdish film director from Iran who is currently an expatriate in Italy. The original interview, posted on Wednesday, April 22, 2020, is linked here: https://yeniozgurpolitika.net/kurt-sanatcisi-apolitik-olamaz/
English- and German- language versions of this interview appeared on ANFNews: https://anfenglishmobile.com/culture/filmmaker-kamkari-kurdish-artists-cannot-be-apolitical-43191 & https://anfdeutsch.com/kultur/fariborz-kamkari-kurdische-kunst-ist-immer-politisch-18710
A few weeks ago, I happened to find the German- language version as I was looking for updates on Kamkari’s work. Before I found the aforementioned, above-linked English- language translation, I already decided to do my own translation and began accordingly.
As for Fariborz Kamkari, I first heard of him a couple of years ago when I discovered his The Flowers of Kirkuk (Golakani Kirkuk), a film with a story I found moving. I may write about this movie in the future.
But for now, readers may check out my translated version of this interview. All errors, of course, are mine.
Stephen Cheng
Sunday, May 31, 2020
Writings on the Command & Conquer game series (originally from PlanetCNC)Stephen Cheng
Now this is a blast from the past. Back when I was an aspiring writer as a teenager, I decided to write essays about the “Command & Conquer” franchise—it was, and still is, a noted real-time strategy computer game series. These articles appeared on the PlanetCNC fan site, which used to be active in the 1990s and 2000s. An archived, or mirrored, version is available at this link: http://planetcnc.gamespy.com/index.html
I’ve moved on from gaming a long time ago, but I thought I’d put these writings up in one document. It’s a chance for readers to check out my early work… and to see something that’s “out of the way”, practically a curio (or a series of curios).
Stephen Cheng
May 22, 2020
Ready to Lose Again: Joe Biden & the Democratic Party Stephen Cheng
This is a brief op-ed I wrote. It's also posted to the 'Insurgent Notes' Web site: http://insurgentnotes.com/2020/04/ready-to-lose-again-joe-biden-the-democrats-and-the-november-2020-election/
It's about the Democratic party's decision to tack right by having Joe Biden as the 2020 presidential candidate. I decided to post a revised-draft version of this essay here.
Stephen Cheng
May 21, 2020
The Iraqi War--A Ten-Year Anniversary (written in 2013) Stephen Cheng
I originally wrote this Web blog entry back in 2013 to mark the tenth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. It’s something of a “handwringing” remembrance op-ed given that the Iraq war of 2003 was, essentially, a crime against humanity by the George W. Bush administration. Some of my future writing may deal with this war and its aftermath. For now, I’ve decided to place a copy of this entry on my SlideShare account.
Stephen Cheng
May 14, 2020
The (British) "national question" remainsStephen Cheng
This is an compiled rough-draft version of two e-mailed commentaries that I wrote in late December 2019 regarding Boris Johnson's general election victory in the United Kingdom and Brexit. I may expand upon these commentaries later.
This is a brief message I wrote in February 2020 to a “New” Democrat, that is, a pro-Clinton and pro-Obama Democrat, who I know personally. In light of Joe Biden’s Super Tuesday victory, due in no small part to Barack Obama’s intervention, I thought I should post it to my SlideShare account to spark a discussion as to what the Democratic Party truly stands for.
No need for free market utopias and thoughts on political organizingStephen Cheng
These thoughts on paper come from two Web log entries I wrote a couple of years ago. Here, I discuss the virtues of social democracy in relation to neoliberalism as how as how Hillary Clinton and the "New" Democrats lost the way they did to Donald Trump and the Republicans in 2016. We may see a 2016 redux, or replay, come the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
In Augusto Pinochet's Shadow: Chilean Democracy, Protests, and Dictatorial Le...Stephen Cheng
This article by Heidi Tinsman originally appeared in English on The Abusable Past Web page for Radical History Review (https://www.radicalhistoryreview.org/abusablepast/?p=3520). Angela Vergara translated it into Spanish for North American Congress on Latin America (https://nacla.org/news/2019/11/19/la-democracia-chilena-las-protestas-y-las-herencias-de-la-dictadura). I decided to translate the article back into English for practice.
All errors are mine. I came up with the title--it's a modified and expanded version of the original title.
In Augusto Pinochet's Shadow: Chilean Democracy, Protests, and Dictatorial Le...
Paradoxes of War last essay
1. Introduction and Background
Over the past few years in the Middle East, the Arab Spring and its promise of democracy
gave way to civil wars in Libya and Syria, the re-imposition of military government in Egypt,
and the possibility of takeovers by religious fundamentalists influenced by various currents of
political Islam. For those people (myself included) hoping to see a positive outcome in the form
of new democratic governments throughout the Middle East, the aforementioned consequences
are all bitter pills to swallow. Nevertheless, the Arab Spring’s aftermath provides grim reminders
as to how war is still the “continuation of politics by other means” (Carl von Clausewitz).
Additionally, Iraq, a country-turned-battleground for a protracted, ill-conceived, and
disastrous war that began in spring 2003, has shown every sign of being a failed state. Those
signs have become more evident after the official and substantial withdrawal of US-American
military forces. Key characteristics include Sunni-Shia communalist strife and the rise of the
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Furthermore, ISIS has been successfully waging struggles
in Iraq and Syria alike. Its two-front war may become a single-front conflict should its newly
proclaimed Islamic caliphate last long enough as a serious military and political entity. The
success of such a new regime demonstrates a viable form of political-religious nation-building
that is a product of insurgency and terrorism.
The above events mostly confirm and somewhat contradict the arguments by Professor
Miguel Centeno in “Lecture 8: Social Aspects of War: Nation State and Nationalism” and
“Lecture 10: The Rise of the Rest.”
Analysis
In Lecture 8, Centeno refers to the three contributions that war makes to society: 1) the
nation-state, 2) democracy and citizenship, and 3) social equality. He emphasizes the essential
relationship between the nation-state and modern warfare. For example, he touches on the
organizational efficiency that the state provides so that a society can militarily prepare for war.
That relationship between the state and warfare also applies to events in the Middle East, but
with some nuances.
As reports indicate, ISIS already declared its caliphate. It thus waged war in favor of its
desired form of government: a supranational political-religious state. Additionally, ISIS’s
commitment to a state that may be a theocracy calls into question the existence of democracy,
citizenship, and social equality thanks to modern warfare. Here, we can see the confirmation and
contradiction of Centeno’s arguments.
Although ISIS has established a state, albeit one that is not quite a nation-state, via military
means, it may not have realized other contributions like democracy, citizenship, and social
2. equality. However, to be fair and to provide perspective, Centeno, in this part of the course, was
speaking in a Western/European political-historical context and he had yet to touch on the “rise
of the Rest” and insurgency and terrorism, all of which became relevant in lecture 10.
As for the tenth lecture, Centeno’s arguments hold true. He includes the quote that
insurgency, guerrilla warfare, is a “war of the flea” that is meant to debilitate a more powerful, in
conventional military terms, enemy. This idea took on new life in the Middle East. The previous
section of this essay already provides two examples.
First, shortly after the Arab Spring began, Bashar al-Assad of Syria and Muammar al-
Gaddafi of Libya cracked down on nonviolent protests with extreme brutality. In turn, dissidents
of both countries turned to armed struggle and two civil wars started. Given that rebel forces did
not necessarily have the conventional means that their opponents had, insurgency became the
primary mode of struggle. However, in the Libyan case, rebel forces received French and US-
American military support.
Second, soon after the US-American invasion of Iraq in 2003, Ba’athist Party loyalists
and religious fundamentalists began their resistance. Likewise, they used guerrilla means to
combat US-American and allied occupation forces. As a result, Iraq became a Vietnam War-like
quagmire for the US-American government and its allies.
Furthermore, with the entrance of ISIS, the first and second examples have become
merged given that this particular religious fundamentalist organization has ably taken advantage
of the Arab Spring so as to fight on the rebels’ side of the Syrian civil war and to demolish the
US-American-backed post-Ba’athist/Saddam Hussein Iraqi government. Terrorism, alongside
insurgency, has become a key tactic for ISIS in light of its public mass executions of its
opponents. In this way, ISIS mirrors the Jacobin faction (known as the “Mountain”) that took
over in revolutionary France in 1792 – both groups, in their attempts to establish ideal states on
this earth (for ISIS, a theocracy, for the “Mountain” Jacobins, a republic), have resorted to terror
and pursued such a tactic to its logical end.
Thus, Centeno’s views in Lecture 10 have validity in relation to events in Iraq and Syria.
Conclusions
Although the Arab Spring has proven to be short-lived and the vaunted, disingenuous
neoconservative project of democratic nation-state construction in Iraq (and likewise
Afghanistan) has turned out to be a failure which exposed the ongoing imperial intentions of the
US-American government, important sociological insights on war continue to be relevant and
true. Furthermore, there may be new ideas to be had on war. In this case, we know what ISIS
3. established through insurgency and terrorism, thus confirming some notions we have had on war
while challenging others.
References:
Chulov, Martin and Rory Carroll. “Isis captures more Iraqi towns and border
crossings.” The Guardian. June 22, 2014.
Link: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/22/isis-take-border-crossings-iraq-
syria-jordan?CMP=EMCNEWEML6619I2
Chulov, Martin, Fazel Hawramy, and Spencer Ackerman. “Iraq army capitulates to Isis
militants in four cities.” The Guardian. June 11, 2014.
Link: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/11/mosul-isis-gunmen-middle-east-
states?CMP=EMCNEWEML6619I2
Peralta, Eyder. “Sunni Extremist Group ISIS Declares New Islamic Caliphate.” National
Public Radio. June 29, 2014. Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-
way/2014/06/29/326703823/al-qaida-splinter-group-isis-declares-new-islamic-caliphate
Schmitt, Eric and Alissa J. Rubin. “U.S. and Iraqis Try to Fragment Extremist
Group.” The New York Times. July 13, 2014.
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/13/world/middleeast/us-and-iraqis-try-to-fragment-
extremist-group-.html
Tran, Mark. “Who are Isis? A terror group too extreme evenfor al-Qaida.” The
Guardian. June 11, 2014. Link: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/11/isis-too-
extreme-al-qaida-terror-jihadi