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marxism and the study of foreign policy
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what is marxism? some questions
what is marxism? what does the term suggest to you?
is marxism dead? did it die with the failureof communism in the former soviet union?
is marxism relevant to the study ofu.s. foreign policy? after all, american policy
makers aren’t marxists
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what is marxism? key points
first and foremost, marxism is a theory of history:it’s a theory of how history unfolds and of the primaryforces that shape history
second, marxism is a theory of capitalism: it’s a theory about the dynamics and logic of capitalism
third, marxism is a preeminently structuraltheory
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what is marxism?
marxism as a theory of history is premised on the concept of historical materialism
the fundamental proposition of historical materialism
is embedded in the following quote by marx …
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what is marxism?
introduction to marxismmarxism foreign policy
It is not the consciousness of men that determines their existence, but their social existence that
determines their consciousness.
It is not the consciousness of men that determines their existence, but their social existence that
determines their consciousness.
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what is marxism?
historical materialism is premised on a fundamental “fact”: in order for human beings to
survive from generation to generation, it is necessary for them to produce and reproduce the
material requirements of life
this basic insight has profound implications: for one, it tells us that societies are governed
by the forces of production
more simply, those who control the forces of production,
control society
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what is marxism?
control of society by those who dominate or own the forces of production is pervasive, although
not always obvious
the key is to recognize that the economy is the foundation of any society, and that social
institutions serve to maintain the foundation: this is encapsulated in marx’s concept of base
and superstructure
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Base
Superstructure
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The educational system of capitalism is designed to produce a mass of good, disciplined “worker
bees”
Religion is the “opium of the masses”; designed to keep workers
docile and obedient
“The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent
and repress them”
Justice system protects “private property” first; police, courts
serve the interests of the dominant class
“The ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas,
i.e., the class which is the ruling material force of society, is at
the same time its ruling intellectual force.”
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what is marxism? relevance to foreign policy
marxism tells us the world is dominated by the capitalist class, who control not only the means of production, but the dominant institutions of
society
these institutions, to repeat, include the state and all its agencies--including the military,
the police and the courts
to understand marxism’s relevance to foreign policy, then, one must recognized that much of
what happens in the world, domestically and internationally, is an expression of the
interests and power of the dominant classes
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what is marxism? relevance to foreign policy
marxism tells us that class interests--not national interests--are behind most important action of states: from wars, to free trade agreements, to foreign aid, to alliances and so on
to put it bluntly: marxist analysis tells us that state actors are merepuppets of the capitalist class
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capitalists
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this cartoon provides another good illustration--albeit very simplified--of themarxist perspective on foreign policy
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the influence of american capitalists on u.s. foreign policy can be seen veryclearly in the activities of such companies as the United Fruit Company
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what is marxism? some caveats
most contemporary marxists are careful not to reduce everything to class interests and power
most recognize, for example, that states are not purely instruments of the dominant class; they acknowledge, in other words, that states have
relative autonomy
in the complex capitalist societies of today, marxists also recognize that class interests are
rarely defined in black and white: even among capitalists, interests can diverge in dramatic ways (in this way, marxists analysis also tells
us to examine intra-class struggles)
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applying marxist analysis:marxism and the invasion of iraq
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applying marxism: behind the war in iraq
to understand the iraq war, we need to begin with a basic recognition of how world capitalism
shapes the behavior of states, and, in particular, creates a framework in which state power is used to protect, secure, and enhance
the interests of the dominant class
iraq is a microcosm of how class interests have shaped foreign policy, not just in the u.s. but
also among western powers in general
to see this consider the following quote, from more
than 80 years ago …
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applying marxism: behind the war in iraq
“in Baghdad an authoritarian regime, backed by military force, exercises a powerful grip over
Iraq and poses a direct strategic threat to the interests of the major Western power in the
region. A military expedition against the regime is mounted and, after a campaign that proves more difficult and costly than anticipated,
Baghdad is captured and a new political order established under Western military and political
control
But just as it seems that direct foreign rule is establishing the shape of the future for Iraq,
rebellion breaks out …on the streets of Baghdad and throughout the Shi'ite centre and south of
the country, putting the whole enterprise in jeopardy.”
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applying marxism: behind the war in iraq
what does the preceding quote tell us?
do events from more than 80 years agohave relevance today, especially in
explaining u.s. foreign policy toward iraq?
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behind the war in iraq: basic points
understanding the history of western action toward iraq is
important in that is helps us see more clearly that iraq has always been much less a threat
than an opportunity
iraq’s history with the west also allows us to uncover important patterns or themes …
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what are these? what do the authors tell us? what is the central argument in “behind the
war in iraq”?
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introduction to marxismmarxism and foreign policy
applying marxism: behind the war in
iraq
three themes
domination exclusion
resistance
In march 1917, British commander Lt.-General Stanley Maude, issued a proclamation upon entering Baghdad declaring that “Our armies do not come into your cities and lands as conquerors or enemies, but as liberators.” British “liberators” proceeded to use poison gas against Iraqi rebels.
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behind the war in iraq: the three themes
domination
the attempt by imperialist powers (representing major economic interests) to dominate Iraq--and other oil-producing countries in the region--in
order to grab its vast oil wealth
in this regard there is hardly a dividing line between oil corporations and their home
governments, with the governments undertaking to promote, secure, and
militarily protect their oil corporations.
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behind the war in iraq: the three themes
remember: in the marxist framework, “capital” plays a central role in shaping state behavior …
in iraq and the middle east, major oil companies
were the key players
for much of the 20th century, these were known as the seven sisters: the Anglo-Persian Oil
Company (later British Petroleum), Royal Dutch Shell (Dutch/British), Standard Oil*,
Gulf Oil and Texaco
* There were three Standard Oil Companies: New Jersey, New York and California. They later became known as Esso, Mobil and Chevron respectively -- subsequent years brought mergers and more name changes
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behind the war in iraq: three themes
exclusion
the attempt by each imperialist power to exclude
others from the prize
introduction to marxismmarxism and foreign policy
early 20th century: the british attempted to exclude other western powers, especially
germany and france mid-20th century: the united states attempted
to exclude the soviets
late 20th century until today: the u.s. wants total domination, but especially keen on
freezing out france, russia, and china
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behind the war in iraq: three themes
resistance
the vibrancy of nationalist opposition among the people of Iraq and indeed the entire region to
these designs of imperialism
this is manifested at times in mass upsurges and at other times in popular pressure on whomever
is in power to demand better terms from the oil companies or even to expropriate them
historically, resistance provokes a very strong, usually very violent counter-reaction on the
part of imperialists (those who resist imperialists are often branded aggressors or
terrorists)
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applying marxism: behind the war in iraq
the three themes--domination, exclusion, and resistance-- provide the critical
context within which to examine recent american policy towards iraq and the
middle east
such context is essential the decisions the united states has made: from
supporting saddam during the iran-iraq war, to encouraging his invasion of kuwait, to the decision to decimate
iraq’s infrastructure after the invasion of kuwait, to the imposition of
sanctions,to the pre-emptive war against iraq, to the last five years of nation-
building
let’s consider briefly these decisions and events …
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why did the u.s. support iraq against iran?
(consider from a marxist and realist perspective)
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an aside: during the iran-iraq war, the united states was complicity
in iraq’s use of chemical and biological weapons: “it
was just another way of killing people …” according to one official of the pentagon
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why did the not prevent iraq’s invasion of kuwait? why did the u.s. destroy iraq’s civilian
infrastructure ? why did the u.s. let saddam survive?
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“sanctions [were] … an important instrument for the united states
to prevent other imperialist powers from getting a foothold in
iraq”
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sanctions proved to be double-edged sword: they were effective in excluding other
imperial powers, but they also precluded american
exploitation of iraq’s oil (with an estimated value of
several trillion dollars)
when, in june 2001, france and russia proposed removing restrictions on foreign
investment in the iraqi oil industry, the “united states”
knew it had to act …
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world systems theory and u.s. foreign policy
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world systems theory (wst)
wst is a contemporary version of marxist analysis
wst is based on holistic understanding of the world: the basic unit of analysis is the world-
system itself
the modern era is marked by two interrelated, but competing sub-systems: global capitalism and
the interstate system
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world systems theory
global capitalism is based on openness or transnationalism—i.e., the maximum fluidity and mobility of goods, capital, and labor in order
to secure greater profits
the interstate system is basically closed and biased toward nationalism: the maximization of
power, status, territory and security for individual states
thus, the capitalist world system is founded on two contrary tendencies among its subsystems:
this has driven the system for half a millennium
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world systems theory
in understanding the capitalist world system, we must be aware of its four main attributes …
possesses spatial limits (in principle) posits a complex, symbiotic division of labor
among core, semi-peripheral and peripheral units division of labor is hierarchical and inherently
exploitative mobility for individual units within division of
labor is possible: core states can move down, peripheral states can move up
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world systems theory: focus on the united states
how can we use world systems theory to explain u.s. foreign policy?
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world systems theory: focus on the united states
most generally, we can use wst to explain the rise of the united states to its hegemonic position
in the 20th century
we can also use wst to explain u.s. behavior as a hegemonic power-… and do so in a way that is
more sophisticated and more accurate than realism
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world systems theory: focus on the united states
consider the following questions …
why did the u.s. subsidize the rebuilding of europe after the second world war?
why did the u.s. allow japan, south korea, and taiwan to rebuild their economies through neo-mercantilist
policies (and why does the u.s. no longer support these same policies)?
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world systems theory: focus on the united states
consider the following questions …
why did the u.s. underwrite the postwar bretton woods system?
why did the u.s. intervene in korea and vietnam?
why does the u.s. persistently and intensely claim to be the leader of the “free world”? and why is such rhetoric
seemingly so important?
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world systems theory: focus on the united states
one of the best ways to understand the logic of wst
is to consider the falling dominoes scenario, which was used to justify u.s.
military intervention, first in vietnam, but later in
dozens of small conflicts around the world …
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world systems theory: focus on the united states
but, what did it really matter if a bunch of small countries fell to “communism”?
why would that threaten u.s. national security and interests, especially in those
countries half way around the world?
in the 1950s, why did the u.s. care an iota about vietnam--a country few americans had
even heard of and one that could pose no direct threat to the united states?
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consider the falling statement by dwight d. eisenhower,
the first articulation of the following dominoes principle
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response to a reporter’s question on the strategic importance of indochina
“You have, of course, both the specific and the general when you talk about such things. First of all, you have the specific value of a locality in its production of materials that the world needs. Then you have the possibility that many human beings pass under a dictatorship that is inimical to the free world.
Finally, you have broader considerations that might follow what you would call the "falling domino" principle. You have a row of dominoes set up, you knock over the first one, and what will happen to the last one is the certainty that it will go over very quickly. So you could have a beginning of a disintegration that would have the most profound influences (…)
Now, with respect to the first one, two of the items from this particular area that the world uses are tin and tungsten. They are very important.
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Then with respect to more people passing under this domination, Asia, after all, has already lost some 450 million of its peoples to the Communist dictatorship, and we simply can't afford greater losses.
But when we come to the possible sequence of events, the loss of Indochina, of Burma, of Thailand, of the Peninsula, and Indonesia following, now you begin to talk about areas that not only multiply the disadvantages that you would suffer through loss of materials, sources of materials, but now you are talking really about millions and millions and millions of people.
Finally, the geographical position achieved thereby does many things. It turns the so-called island defensive chain of Japan, Formosa, of the Philippines and to the southward; it moves in to threaten Australia and New Zealand. It takes away, in its economic aspects, that region that Japan must have as a trading area or Japan, in turn, will have only one place in the world to go -- that is, toward the Communist areas in order to live.