Transcript Linear Regression 1

Sociology 2:
Class 19: Globalization &
Conflict 3
Copyright © 2010 by Evan Schofer
Do not copy or distribute without permission
Announcements
• Final exam coming up…
• Format similar to midterm
• Topics: All course material… with main emphasis on
material covered in weeks 5-10
• Final Exam Time: Friday, March 19, 10:30-12:30pm
• Final exam review sheet
• Handed out last week
• Available on the web (& TAs have extra copies)
• Today’s Class: Culture & Conflict
• Afghanistan
In the news: Violence in Nigeria
• Toll From Religious and Ethnic Violence in Nigeria Rises to
500. New York Times
• Officials and human rights groups in Nigeria sharply increased the count of
the dead after a weekend of vicious ethnic violence, saying Monday that as
many as 500 people — many of them women and children — may have
been killed near the city of Jos, long a center of tensions between
Christians and Muslims.
• The dead were Christians and members of an ethnic group that had been
feuding with the Hausa-Fulani, Muslim herders whom witnesses and police
officials identified as the attackers. Officials said the attack was in reprisal
for violence in January, when dozens of Muslims were slaughtered in and
around Jos, including more than 150 in one village.
• But, in another account by the BBC:
• These killings are often painted by local politicians as a religious or
sectarian conflict. In fact it is a struggle between ethnic groups for
fertile land and resources in the region.
• The situation is exacerbated by Nigeria’s system of classifying its citizens
as “indigenes” and “settlers.” This system is nationwide but in Plateau
State it perpetuates the local divisions. The Hausa-speaking Muslims are
classified as “settlers” even if they have lived there for generations and
have no knowledge of their “home” region. “Settlers” are banned from
taking some positions in state government and the state does not pay for
their education, meaning these groups feel discriminated against.
Readings
• Two readings on the history and current status of the
War in Afghanistan.
• Schaeffer, Robert K. 2009. “Revolution and War in
Afghanistan.” Pp. 259-280 (chapter 11) in
Understanding Globalization (4th ed). (21 pages)
• Shane, Scott. 2009. “The War in
Pashtunistan.” The New York Times, December 5,
2007. (4 pages)
• Questions to reflect on…
– Are these really conflicts about ancient religious hatreds?
– Do external resources and weak states make resolution
cause or exacerbate the conflicts?
Readings
• Articles discussing Bush and Obama
• Approaches to the “war on terror”
• Daalder, Ivo H. and James M. Lindsay. “The Bush
Revolution.” Pp. 152-165 in Kreiger, Joel
(ed). 2006. Globalization and State Power: A
Reader. New York, NY: Pearson Education. (14
pages).
• Beinart, Peter. 2009. “Obama Shrinks the War on
Terrorism.” Time Magazine, December 7, 2009 (5
pages).
• Questions:
– To what extent does the theory of realism (& hard vs. soft
power) guide the thinking of these presidents?
Review: Anti-Western Movements
• “Modern” anti-Western movements are just
like other social movements. They rely on:
– Ex: Al Qaeda
• Resource mobilization: resources, organizational
capacity
• Political opportunity structure: allies, lapses in
repression
• Framing: Use of symbols, imagery (often religious).
Review: Weak States & Conflict
• Hironaka: Weak states & external resources
are the primary drivers of civil war
• Not “ethnic” or Islamic” identity
– Weakness in Afghanistan allows a continuing
insurgency
• ALSO: weakness in Pakistan, creates a safe haven
– Ex: External resources
• Original funding for Taliban came from Pakistan
– Part of US funded efforts to fight the Soviet Union
• Money & weapons coming from: Iran, Saudi Arabia,
Pakistan, former soviet republics, etc. etc., etc…
Weak States & Conflict
• Video: Return of the Taliban
• http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/taliban/
• Chapters 1-3, 6-7
– Chapters 4-5 if time allows…