Politics, War and Terrorism

Roadmap

Essay Questions Government of the Nation Leadership You and your country Political priorities Democracies Dictatorships International Politics War, terrorism, and more Hard to Classify Miscellaneous Society and Globalisation

For Your Viewing Pleasure Special: Iraq Links (c.f. News Sources) Books: Non-Fiction Books: Fiction Movies Teachers' Latest Links J2 Term 1 - Politics Leadership Political Systems Singapore Terrorism War Current Affairs

Introduction

Students will have the opportunity to acquire a foundation in understanding issues related to politics and political theory, and its relation to history, current world events, and international conflict. They will also consider the origins of war, its role in society and its myriad manifestations, including terrorist and guerrilla wars.

Discussions related to the Third World will typically cover the concept of the term 'Third World', poverty, the North-South Divide, over- and under- population and global economics. Issues may also include the media portrayal of the Third World, the legacy of colonialism and imperialism, and the role of science & technology in alleviating poverty.

Special: Iraq

Iraq: Websites and online readings

• Conflict with Iraq (BBC News, World Edition). Latest news, timeline, background, maps, etc.
• Iraq and the War on Terrorism by Henry Kissinger (8 Aug 2002)
  Supports war but notes the risks. Kissinger was secretary of state under Nixon and Ford.
• Don't Attack Saddam: It would undermine our antiterror efforts by Brent Scowcraft (15 Aug 2002)
  Scowcraft was national security adviser under Ford and the first Bush.

Iraq: Books

• War in a Time of Peace: Bush, Clinton, and the Generals by David Halberstam (2002)
  Describes how the US was drawn into the conflicts in Haiti, Somalia, and the Balkans, and highlights nonpolitical factors, e.g. generation shift in leadership, media and technology. Better on Clinton in the 1990s than the first Bush.

• The Reckoning: Iraq and the Legacy of Saddam Hussein by Sandra Mackey (2002)
  Argues that by removing Saddam Hussein, America could give itself even greater problems. Compares the fragile patchwork of Iraqi national identity to the situation in the Balkans. Good coverage of Iraqi events and Saddam's career.

• The Threatening Storm: The Case for Invading Iraq by Kenneth Pollack (2002)
  "It is often said that war should be employed only in the last resort. I reluctantly believe that in the case of the threat from Iraq, we have come to the last resort." Influential book by the former Director for Gulf Affairs for the National Security Council.

• The War on Freedom: How and Why America was Attacked, September 11, 2001 by Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed

For Your Viewing Pleasure

Websites

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UNHCR)
• Amnesty International and its report on Singapore
• One World
• Third World Traveller
• United Nations
• United Nations Development Report
• A fascinating exhibition from the Cornell University library website, considering the significance of the death of six twentieth century dictators.
• Megastories: Kosovo
  Calls itself a complete desktop documentary, features punchy summaries and photos.

Online Readings

• Chris Bertram, Political Philosophy Lectures
• Jonathan Swift, A Modest Proposal (1729)
  Ireland is overpopulated. We're short of food. Swift's proposal: let's eat Irish babies. A 17th century classic of political satire.
• Thomas Malthus, "Essay On World Population" (1798)
  "I think I may fairly make two postulata. First, That food is necessary to the existence of man. Secondly, That the passion between the sexes is necessary, and will remain nearly in its present state."
• Rudyard Kipling, "White Man's Burden"
  Colonialist poem, describes us natives as "Half devil and half child". This source also supplies background info and images

Non-Fiction Books: Close to Home

• The Air-Conditioned Nation: The Politics of Comfort and Control in Singapore, 1990-2000 by Cherian George
  "Perfectly controlled environments provide comfort but can chill the emotions." (Chai Kim Wah, FEER, 2001). Thought-provoking, readable essays. Highly recommended

• Can Asians Think? by Kishore Mahbubani
  "... a wake-up call to Asians and Westerners alike ... argues that Western consciousness has become trapped in intellectual rigidity." (Time, Amazon.com reviews)
• The Singapore Story: Memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew by Lee Kuan Yew

• Freedom From Fear by Aung San Suu Kyi
• My Experiment With Truth by Mahatma Gandhi (autobiography)

Non-Fiction Books: Politics

• Vaclav Havel, Open Letters (1992)
  Letters and notes, from the playwright who became president of Czechoslovakia.

• Nicolo Machiavelli, The Prince   (or read it online)
  A chillingly practical take on power politics from the sixteenth century. Think Sun Tzu's Art of War, but more cynical.
• Thomas More, Utopia (1516)   (or read it online)
  Imagines a journey to a perfect country, for which the word "utopia" still exists today. Of course, the 16th century idea of a utopia was a bit different from ours. You might also like to try the play on Thomas More's life, A Man for All Seasons — it's good reading.
• Plato, The Republic
  A dialogue between Socrates and his friends, imagining how they would engineer the ideal society. Besides the immortal philosophy, also contains surprising proposals for meritocracy (people of gold and silver) and women's education. Think about Singapore when you read this.
• Julien Benda, The Treason of the Intellectuals (1927)
  Defines intellectuals as those "who denounce corruption, defend the weak, defy imperfect or oppressive authority". Claims they have capitulated to "the cult of success" and "the desire to abase the values of knowledge before the values of action".
• Thomas L. Friedman, The Lexus and the Olive Tree (2000)
• Richard J. Evans, In Defence of History

• Francis Fukuyama, The End of History and the Last Man
• Bell Hooks, Where We Stand: Class Matters
  Class in the family, class in feminism, class in race, class within race, class consciousness, class power, the politics of greed. By a successful black woman.
• Bill Moyers (ed.), Reflections on the Eve of the Twenty-first Century

Non-Fiction Books: International Relations

• Samuel P. Huntingdon, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order (1998)
  Argued that war will arise between civilisations in the future, rather than nations. Foresees Islam armed by China against the West. Provocative and influential.
• Henry Kissinger, Diplomacy (1994)
• Willy Brandt, North-South: A Programme for Survival (1980)
  Showed the inequality between the countries of North and South, and argued that this is the greatest challenge of our time.
• Chris Brown, Understanding International Relations
• Lawrence Freedman, Terrorism and International Order
• Paul Harrison, Inside the Third World: The Anatomy of Poverty (1993)
• John Keegan & Andrew Wheatcroft, Zones of Conflict: An Atlas of Future Wars

• American, Russia and the Cold War 1945-1996 by Walter LaFeber (2001)
• Mike Mason, Development and Disorder: A History of the Third World since 1945

Non-Fiction Books: Miscellaneous

• Bertrand Russell, Power
• Gerald Segal, The World Affairs Companion
• Geoffrey Stern, The Rise and Decline of International Communism
• Geoffrey Stern, The Structure of International Society
• Various, At Century's End: Great Minds Reflect on Our Times
• Kenneth Waltz, Man, the State and War
• Jonathan Wolff, An Introduction to Political Philosophy

Non-Fiction Books: Politics in Popular Culture

• Noah Chomsky, Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media (1988)
• Umberto Eco, Apocalypse Postponed (1994)
  Reveals the culture in Peanuts and communist comic strips. Was an eye-opener to intellectuals who thought pop culture a disaster.

• Ariel Dorfman, The Empire's Old Clothes: What the Lone Ranger, Babar and Other Innocent Heroes Do To Our Minds

Non-Fiction Books: Politics and Education

• Bell Hooks, Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom
• Ivan Illich, Deschooling Society
• Louis Kampf and Paul Lauter (eds.), The Politics of Literature: Dissenting Essays on the Teaching of English

Books: Fiction

• Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness (1902)
  What does it mean to lose yourself in another culture? This book makes that your worst nightmare. Really makes you wonder what Raffles thought of our continent, dark or not.
• William Golding, Lord of the Flies
• Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
  A chilling tale of a future where everyone is kept happy through genetics, drugs, orgies, etc.
• George Orwell, 1984 (1949)
  Big Brother and the Thought Police are watching you. The classic novel warning against totalitarianism.

• George Orwell, Animal Farm (1946)
  Downtrodden animals rise up against evil tyrant Farmer Jones. Then the pigs sell out the revolution. I read it when I was eight and never forgot it.

Movies

• Stanley Kubrick All Quiet on the Western Front
• Tian Zhuang, Blue Kite
• Oliver Stone, Born on the 4th of July
• Richard Attenborough, Cry Freedom
• Richard Gordon II & Carma Hinton, The Gates of Heavenly Peace
• Edward Zwick, Glory
• Peter Brook, Lord of the Flies (1963)
• Spike Lee, Malcolm X
• Oliver Stone, Nixon
• Oliver Stone, Platoon
• Mike Nichols, Primary Colors
• Ravenous
• Steven Spielberg, Schindler's List
• Zhang Yimou, To Live

Essay Questions: Government of the Nation

Questions: Leadership

• "Political systems do not matter, only the quality of the leaders." What is your opinion?
• Discuss the qualities required of a great national leader. Illustrate your answer with specific examples.
• "Leadership is no longer about integrity and ability but charisma." Discuss.

Questions: You and Your Country

• 'Patriotism is a dangerous emotion.' Discuss. (1973)
• To what extent is the individual beholden to the state?
• Write a letter to the relevant minister explaining one major change you would like to see in your country.
• Discuss one policy/problem that you think is hindering your country's progress.

Questions: Political Priorities

• Is government necessary?
• What do you think are the main duties of a government?
• Is equality for all a realistic and desirable aim within a society?
• Is it wrong to put economic prosperity and social stability above individual liberty?
• 'Politics has nothing to do with idealism; it is all about hard-headed decisions, money and power.' Do you agree? (Prelim 2001)
• "Human beings have unlimited desires but limited resources." Is it possible to reconcile the two?
• How far and in what circumstances has the state the right to restrict the freedom of the individual? (1981)
• What priorities would you set for government expenditure and why?
• 'As society becomes more complex, we have more government and less freedom.' Discuss. (1989)

Questions: Democracies

• What do you understand by the term "a democratic society"?
• Is equality for all a realistic and desirable aim within a society? (1994)
• Is 'one man one vote' the best way to choose a government? (1987)
• 'Democracy can mean different things to different people at different times.' Discuss. (1977)
• "The trouble with rule by the majority is that history shows the majority to have been invariably wrong." Discuss.
• How can the interest of the minority be preserved and promoted in a democracy based on majority decisions?

Questions: Dictatorships

• "A benevolent dictatorship is better than a corrupt democracy." Do you agree?
• "It would seem that the best form of government is a benevolent dictatorship." Discuss.
• What lessons can be learnt from a study of past dictatorships? (1980)
• Why is military government so common in many countries? (1978)
• Why is a military government so common?

Essay Questions: International Politics

Questions: War

• Has war ever been justifiable? (1988)
• In what circumstances is the invasion of one country by another justified? (1982)
• When and in what circumstances would you consider the use of violence justified?
• 'Pacifism is cowardice.' Do you agree? (JC2 CT3 93)
• It has been stated that 'War has never achieved anything, and never will.' How far do you agree with this statement? (1966)
• All war is nothing more than 'an organised crime'. Do you agree? (JC1 Promo 02)

Questions: Terrorism

• Can terrorism ever be justified? (1987)
• Why does terrorism continue to attract followers and practitioners?

Questions: More International Politics

• What are the main causes of international tensions today? (1989)
• Is it ever right for one country to become involved in the internal affairs of another? (Nov 97)
• How do you think the world's politicians could promote more understanding and better relations among different nations? (1985)
• Can the developed and developing nations ever hope to bridge the gap between them?
• What factors have contributed to the problem of poverty in Third World nations?
• "Poverty is the price of wealth." Discuss.
• "Give an man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish, and you feed him for life." Do you agree?
• Discuss the causes and consequences of the refugee problems in the modern world. (1988)

Essay Questions: Hard to Classify

Questions: Miscellaneous

• 'All modern revolutions have ended in a reinforcement of the power of the state.' Discuss. (1973)
• "Public campaigns are hardly ever effective." Is this true?
• Consider the various factors needed to build a unified nation. (Promo 2002)
• Is a world without racial conflict an impossible dream?
• Examine some forms of prejudice in the world and consider the ways in which they might be tackled. (Nov 97)
• Why do you think sport has become so bound up with politics in recent years? (1983)

Questions: Society and Globalisation

• "Traditions cannot remain constant." Do you agree?
• 'Coca Cola' and 'McDonalds' are two of the most recognisable symbols in the world. Consider how American culture has influenced your country.
• Consider the advantages and disadvantages of the tourist industry for your country.
• How far would you agree that immigrants are necessary for a society to be successful today?
• What do they mean by 'Asian values'?
• Do we need to preserve cultural uniqueness in an age of globalisation?