Critical/Non-Traditional Security Studies Flashcards
(36 cards)
What was George W. Bush’s view on the underlying causes of conflict, as mentioned in the lecture?
George W. Bush believed that conflict was about human psychology, the psychology of leaders, and manhood
What was George Carlin’s satirical “Bigger Dick foreign policy theory” about?
Carlin’s theory suggested that men compete with each other to feel better about themselves, and war is seen as the ultimate competition driven by inadequate feelings about their masculinity
According to J. Ann Tickner (1988), what is a dominant characteristic of international relations?
Tickner argued that “international relations is a man’s world, a world of power and conflict in which warfare is a privileged activity”
According to George Carlin, which groups of people have been the primary targets of US bombing?
Carlin sarcastically suggests that the US has a “hobby” and “new job” of “bombing brown people,” citing examples like Iraq, Panama, Grenada, and Libya. He contrasts this with the limited historical examples of bombing white people, mentioning only the Germans in World War II, and implying it was due to competition
What shift occurred in security studies in the 1990s, moving away from traditional military concerns?
In the 1990s, security studies broadened its agenda to increasingly emphasize environmental issues, resource conflicts, and human security, moving away from the Cold War focus on traditional military and nuclear matters
According to feminist critics, where can threats to women’s security originate?
Feminist critics argue that threats to women’s security can come from members of their own households or representatives of their own states, not only from external military threats
Besides guns and bombs, what other factors do feminist critics identify as threats to security?
Feminist critics highlight threats such as inadequate access to nutrition, health care, and birth control as critical security concerns
What is a key feminist critique of nuclear strategy and the broader community of defense intellectuals?
A major feminist critique is that nuclear strategy is often framed within a “technostrategic language” that focuses on technical aspects of weapons and marginalizes the survival of human beings, potentially militarizing one’s thinking
What are the two principal approaches within feminist scholarship on security?
The two main approaches are: “Women and security (and in need of security)” and “Gendered understandings of security”. The former often includes other vulnerable groups, while the latter focuses on socially constructed expectations about men and women
What is the focus of “Gender Analysis and Foreign Policy”?
Gender analysis in foreign policy involves seeing international relations through the prism of more than half the world’s population and considering gendered actors (both men and women) and how masculinity and femininity, embedded in language and social structure, influence international affairs
How were masculine values and worldviews seen to have influenced US diplomacy and international relations, using the example of Cuba?
Masculine values were seen in the framing of discourse for intervention in Cuba, using rhetoric of “rescuing the damsel in distress” and the idea that not intervening would be considered unmanly, thus proving American manhood
How was the Soviet Union viewed through a gendered lens, according to George Kennan?
Kennan likened the relationship between Soviet citizens and their government to a disillusioned wife staying with her husband for the sake of the children. The Soviet people were stereotyped as feminine, and the Soviet government as a masculine authority figure, even a “rapist” exerting “unceasing pressure”
What is a potential impact of gendered discourse on foreign policy decisions, using the lead-up to the Spanish-American War as an example?
It is argued that the jingoistic discourse of masculinity in the lead-up to the Spanish-American War may have pushed leadership into a war they didn’t necessarily want, suggesting gendered issues can facilitate foreign policy decisions
What was the focus of Laura Bush’s radio address in November 2001 regarding Afghanistan?
Laura Bush’s address aimed to highlight the “brutality against women and children by the Al Qaeda terrorist network and the regime it supports in Afghanistan, the Taliban,” framing the intervention partly in terms of women’s liberation
What is the main goal of a Feminist Foreign Policy Agenda, as seen in countries like Sweden and Mexico?
The goal is to prioritize gender equality, environmental integrity, peace, and human rights, aiming to disrupt colonial, racist, patriarchal, and male-dominated power structures
What are some key components of a Feminist Foreign Policy Agenda?
Key components include: increasing funds for gender equality abroad, correcting gender imbalance in diplomatic service, using levers of power to pressure foreign governments, vetting security assistance for its effects on women, inclusion of women in defense and peacebuilding, and the goal of demilitarization and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons
What is the traditional focus of security, and how does human security differ?
Traditional security focuses on securing states, with the assumption that this ensures the security of people within those states. Human security, however, is a broader concept encompassing the security of people, including their physical safety, economic and social well-being, dignity, and human rights
According to the 1994 UN Human Development Report, what are some categories of threats to human security?
economic security
food security
health security
environmental security
personal security
community security
political security
What does the 1994 UN Human Development Report say about the origins of insecurity for ordinary people?
It states that a feeling of insecurity for ordinary people arises more from worries about daily life than from the dread of cataclysmic world events
What is “environmental security”?
Environmental security concerns the idea that the environment is at risk from human activity and that environmental change can pose risks to states, although its direct causal link to war and terrorism is controversial
How might environmental change affect the military?
Environmental change may affect the risk/likelihood of future conflicts, likely result in more missions associated with public health crises, and could have implications for the procurement of military equipment
What are some ways in which war can damage the environment, using the example of the war in Ukraine?
Environmental damage from war can be an unintended consequence (e.g., shelling leading to wildfires) or part of a military strategy (e.g., destruction of dams). The Ukraine war has seen the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka Dam, impacting ecosystems, human health, and food production
What was Robert Kaplan’s argument regarding environmental security in the 1990s?
Kaplan argued that environmental security would be the national security issue of the 21st century, forecasting a grim future of conflict linked to instability and migration due to environmental crises, as detailed in his book “The Coming Anarchy”
How will most of the world’s population growth be distributed in the mid-21st century?
Most population growth is expected to occur in poorest countries and in urban areas, with an estimated 75% of the world’s population living in urban areas by 2050
