Anti War protesters raided (by militarism?)

The Waning of America by Hiro

Tomgram: Dilip Hiro, The Waning of America | TomDispatch
Read for information about China's militarism and rising economic power
JFG.

Trailer for The Day After Peace Documentary

Enjoy this trailer about what one person with one idea can do.. JFG.

Peace One Day 2010 Celebration - Webcast Trailer

Visit http://www.peaceoneday.org/en/welcome  JFG.

Tariq ali

The costs of militarism are discussed in relation to the worst disaster in UN history. JFG.

Why We Fight Documentary

Excellent Documentary on Militarism. This a  full  length version courtesy of free internet university and google video. JFG

Charles Bowden article on militarism and Mexico.

An article by Charles Bowden on Mexico and militarism...
http://www.hcn.org/issues/42.4/the-war-next-door/article_view?b_start:int=1&-C=


This  information as well as the previous posts  on militarism and Mexico are thanks to Ryan Bemis of 
PCGJ

Narcotrafficking in Mexico: Neoliberalism and a Militarized State

Narcotrafficking in Mexico: Neoliberalism and a Militarized State

The War Next Door----Charles Bowden discusses border violence

Related to the posting on an Overview of Militarism  by James Grant, you can find

A short bibliography of Militarism  on  Amazon  at :

http://www.amazon.com/wishlist/39QL6M6SFVZXA/ref=cm_wl_rlist_g

Please do not buy me any books, I only put this here because some people like to see and read about the books on Amazon. 

Another short bibliography on militarism can be found at WorldCat at:

http://www.worldcat.org/profiles/reheadedw/lists/1989317

and a longer bibliographical list is at:

http://www.worldcat.org/profiles/reheadedw/lists/1989260

JFG.

Docs Reveals Blackwater-Linked Companies Provided Intel & Security to Multinationals Like Monsanto, Chevron

The circulating elites and the interrelationships of militarism and the private sector. The Article can be read at  Nation  http://www.thenation.com.   JFG

Speaking Freely 4: Chalmers Johnson on American Hegemony

Part one of an on going work in progress on Militarism by Jim Grant

          Militarism: an Overview of what thoughtful people are saying in our time

                                                     

                                                                  by

                                                       James F. Grant

                                              jamesfgrant@gmail.com

Researchers and clinicians treating families of alcoholics and addicts summarize the denial of the problem, as the “elephant in the living room.” Ignored, the elephant continues to grow, yet remains invisible to the family members. When the situation becomes untenable, someone finally says, “There is an Elephant in the living room.” Only then do they start seeking treatment for the problem! Other professionals prefer to call this phenomenon “the merry- go - round of denial.

If you substitute country for family, a similar phenomenon exists when it comes to militarism in the USA.  Currently, militarism is the “invisible elephant” in the daily lives of the citizens of the United States. While the families of alcoholics or addicts fail to see the Elephant, their friends and neighbors do indeed see it clearly. This seems to be also true of the militarism in the United States, whereas most of the citizens are blind and in denial, other citizens of the world unmistakably see the results of our militarism.  We must pay attention to those scholars, journalists, and writers who have been describing what they have seen and are trying to break through our denial and to educate us about militarism.

Basevich in The New American Militarism says that as early as the 1990s the main feature of US policy was the “marriage of a militaristic cast of mind with utopian ends" and he further stated his book would examine the origins of this marriage and his recommendation for its annulment. Bacevich points out that after the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, many voices claimed militarism and identified it in the following “books.

• The Sorrows of Empire; Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic, by Chalmers Johnson

• Hegemony or Survival: America’s Quest for Global Dominance, by Norm Chomsky;

• Masters of War: Militarism and Blowback in the Era of American Empire, edited by Carl Boggs

• Rouge Nation: American Unilateralism and the Failure of Good Intentions, by Clyde Prestowitz

• Incoherent Empire, by Michael Mann, with its concluding chapter called “The New Militarism." ¹

Chalmers Johnson, a Historian states, “As distinct from other peoples on this earth, most Americans do not recognize-or do not want to recognize-that the United States dominates the world through its military power. Due to government secrecy, they are often ignorant of the fact that their government garrisons the globe. They do not realize that a vast network of American military bases on every continent except Antarctica actually constitutes a new form of empire.” ²

Boggs tells us, “The ceaseless global expansion of US military power since the early 1940s is matched by an astonishing public refusal to incorporate an understanding of that power into the various discourses political, educational, media, cultural. The more omnipresent power has become, the more it permeates virtually every corner of international and domestic life, the more it seems to be ignored or deflected, suppressed or forgotten, kept safely outside the established public sphere.”³ Howard Zinn, in the graphic adaptation of A People’s History of American Empire wrote, “Throughout US history our military has been used not for moral purposes but to expand economic, political, and military power.” ⁴

“A century ago, Woodrow Wilson, then an academic, described an America in which “comparatively small groups of men,” corporate managers, “wield a power and control over the wealth and the business operations of the country,” becoming “rivals of the government itself.”.⁵

All of these writers and others have been telling us about U.S militarism and imperialism. Is the message being heard or are they preaching to the choir?

When I began my research to answer the question: What are thoughtful people saying about militarism in our time, it never occurred to me how many thoughtful people are saying nothing or very little about militarism. Is it denial or educational deficit at work?

As Boggs reports  “ A survey of 36 widely used college texts in the fields of history, political science, and sociology- those disciplines expected to address the US role in world affairs- reveals some fascinating but disturbing information. No fewer than twenty-seven of these required course readings, ranging in length from three hundred to six hundred pages, contain absolutely nothing about the American military in any of its dimensions.”⁶

The mystery of denial also occurs in academia with many disciplines paying little or no attention to militarism. Political Science, for example, in their main professional journal has ignored military power ever since the Vietnam War which was forty years ago. Boggs in his reading of Political Science and International Relations continues to identify major works that he several times applauds for the scholarship of the authors but points out again and again how they either ignore or pay scant attention to the issues of militarism. The disciplines of History and Sociology given their broader perspective and more students and faculty from outside the mainstream would be expected to do a much better job of addressing militarism than the discipline of Political Science but according to Boggs readings the differences in attention to militarism is slight. Boggs continues to be generous in his praise of certain works of sociology, some of which are texts and classic works in the field. He continues to point out the absence or the minimal attention paid to militarism or even the military. There is no “sociology of military" while there is a “sociology of” many other topics. Norm Chomsky, Tariq Ali, and Chalmers Johnson, are identified as writers who will thoughtfully examine, with a critical eye, militarism in the U.S}⁷

How can it be that militarism is so big and it is neither seen nor discussed?  We will need to look at the history of militarisms growth and then describe its size and its global reach.  That will be the next installment of what thoughtful people are saying about militarism in our time

¹ Bacevich, 2006 p3

² Johnson, 2004 p1

³ Boggs, 2005 p.xx

⁴ Zinn, 2008 p.7

⁵ Chomsky,.2010

⁶ Boggs, 2005 p xxiv-xxv

⁷ Boggs 2005, pxxv-xxxii

Galtung on the fall of America's Empire

From a man who has been active in field for over twenty-five years. I especially like what he says about http://english.aljazeera.net/ as I think it and Democracy Now are both good news sites. JFG

Galtung on the fall of America's Empire part two

From Life & Peace Institute............sites and NGO's.............JFG

Research 

Deparment of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University (DPCR) 
The Department of Peace and Conflict Research was established in 1971 to conduct peace research and offer courses in peace and conflict studies. At present some 200-300 students are enrolled every academic year. Courses offered include undergraduate and post-graduate courses, as well as a Ph. D. programme. In addition, there are shorter advanced courses and special seminars. 

DPCR hompage 

European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) 
ECMI’s three main spheres of activity are: (1) Information Services, (2) Research and (3) Constructive Conflict Management. 

ECMI homepage 

European Platform for Conflict Prevention and Transformation (ECCP) The European Platform for Conflict Prevention and Transformation is a network of European non-governmental organisations involved in the prevention and/or resolution of violent conflicts in the international arena. 

ECCP homepage 

Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR), George Mason University 
The mission of the Institute is to advance the understanding and resolution of significant and persistent human conflicts. 

ICAR homepage 

International Peace Research Oslo (PRIO) 
PRIO conducts research on three main themes: Conditions of War and Peace, Ethnic and Nationalist Conflicts, and Foreign and Security Policies. 

PRIO homepage 

Peace Research Information Unit Bonn (PRIUB) 
Peace Research Information Unit Bonn (PRIUB) is a national and international advice, information, and service centre. 

PRIUB homepage 

The Richardson Institute 
Among the Richardson Institute's aims are to be a centre of excellence in peace and conflict research and to offer opportunities for undergraduate and postgraduate study and research. 

The Richardson Institute homepage 

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) 
Publishers of the SIPRI Yearbook on armaments, disarmament and international security. Conducts a range of research in both "hard" and "soft" security. 

SIPRI homepage 

TRANSCEND 
TRANSCEND is a peace and development network for conflict transformation by peaceful means. 

TRANSCEND homepage 

Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research (TFF) 
TFF is a foundation dedicated to researching peace and resolving conflicts with ever less violence to humans, cultures, and nature. TFF believes that alternatives to the main trends of our time, including those of the media, are needed. The website offers critical and constructive analyses and viewpoints. 

TFF homepage 

United States Institute for Peace (USIP) 
Congressionally funded USIP conducts peace research and provides grants. 

USIP homepage 

Uppsala Program on Religion and Conflict 
The Uppsala Program on Religion and Conflict is an attempt to link scholars in different research institutions sharing a research interest in the relationship between religion, conflict, and peace. While not a formal institution, the Program is a platform for research and publication initiatives of cross-scientific nature. It is guided by a steering group consisting of scholars from three different institutions: Uppsala University, the Life and Peace Institute, and the Church of Sweden. 

Uppsala Program on Religion and Conflict homepage 

Useful Media Sites for News About Conflict and Peace - Peace and Collaborative Development Network

Useful Media Sites for News About Conflict and Peace - Peace and Collaborative Development Network


The International Peace and Conflict web site and organization has a wealth of information
and is a good place to meet "kindred spirits" to talk with. Here they have posted some useful websites. The link will also take you to their website which can be explored. JFG

Online Communities for International Do-Gooders - Peace and Collaborative Development Network

Online Communities for International Do-Gooders - Peace and Collaborative Development Network

USIP: Learn about us -- Who we are and What we do

This is an introduction to The USA's USIP and their new building in WAshington, D.C. JFG

militarism a definition

militarism |ˈmilətəˌrizəm|
noun chiefly derogatory
the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests.
DERIVATIVES
militarist noun & adjective
militaristic |ˌmilətəˈristik| adjective
ORIGIN mid 19th cent.: from French militarisme, from militaire (see military ).

Arundhati Roy on global militarism

Arundhati Roy - War Resisters' International, india 2010 from War Resisters' International on Vimeo.

Arundhati Roy is worth listening to and reading. You can read a lot of material on Z mag online or her many books. She is very good on Democracy. JFG

TomDispatch web site and excerpt from How Washington Rules

Tomgram: Andrew Bacevich, How Washington Rules | TomDispatch:

This is a good web site for information on Militarism. Be sure to check out his free podcasts on ITunes , many of which are on Militarism. This link (post) has a excerpt from Bacevich's latest book How Washington Rules. JFG. Click on Tomgram: above

Conversations with History: Chalmers Johnson

A Historian who tells it like it is.JFG.

A People's History of American Empire by Howard Zinn

A wonderful and creative way for Howard Zinn's take on history of militarism and American Empire.
This as a must watch video. You will not be sorry if you watch this. JFG.

Democracy and militarism

Howard Zinn is always worth listening to. JFG.

Roots and shoots , Jane Goodall

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Jane Goodall
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party