Oil smoke and mirrors documentary

Journal 1

POLSC 250 / International Relations

LECTURE / DISCUSSION / DEBATE

SECURITY THEORY AND PEAK OIL THEORY

Terms and concepts to know:

Arms control Arms limitations

Arms reductions Geneva Protocols

NPT SALT I and II

ABM Treaty CFE Treaty

INF Treaty START I and II

National security International security

Transstate security Global security

“De-targeting/alerting” Peak Oil

Study and discussion questions:

1. Discuss the reasons for studying international violence. How do they conflict

with the goals of peace studies theory?

2. Debate the three theories of arms-tension-war. Which of the three appear to

you to be the best theory for describing how wars begin?

3. Have arms treaties historically lessened tension in the world? Why or why not

do you believe they have or have not?

4. Discuss the complexities associated with domestic political support for arms

spending and high military budgets. Can the current military budget be justified?

5. Of the five theoretical approaches to security, which do you think our foreign

and defense policies should be formulated upon? (Group discussion and review).

6. Discuss the Klare interview on global resource wars. What are the major

theoretical underpinnings of his argument?

7. Robert Kaplan has been described as a “21st century realist.” What does this

mean and how does his writing reflect this?

8. Explain the main arguments being presented in the film Oil, Smoke and

Mirrors? What is the alleged connection between “peak oil” and the 9-11 attacks

and the subsequent “war on terror”?

Readings:

www.peakoil.com

Kaplan, Klare, Smith

Video:

Oil, Smoke and Mirrors. A documentary film by Ronan Doyle.

Journal 2

POLSC 250 / International Relations

LECTURE / DISCUSSION / DEBATE

INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY

GLOBALIZATION AND THE NORTH

Terms and concepts to know:

Globalization Economic globalization

Military globalization Environmental globalization

Social/Cultural globalization Isomorphism

“Price scissors” BEMs

LDCs Bretton Woods

World Bank / IMF GATT / WTO

MNCs

Study and discussion questions:

1. What is the purpose and significance of such international economic

organizations as the IMF, World Bank, and WTO, and international political

organizations as the United Nations? What was the American role in creating

those institutions?

2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of interdependence?

3. Explain which of Keohane and Nye’s “globalizations” is the most significant.

4. Discuss the pro’s (greater efficiency, lower costs) and con’s (protection of

domestic industry) of “free trade.”

5. Which of the following three should prevail in world trade: (1) free trade ideals;

(2) national laws protecting the environment, food safety, and labor standards; or

(3) powerful corporations and industries demanding protection from foreign

dumping, import barriers, and subsidies to their industries? Support your answer.

Readings:

Readings from the “Conventional Perspectives” section on the WEB.

Video:

The End of Poverty? (Part One) A documentary film from Cinema Libre Studios

Journal 3

POLSC 250 / International Relations

LECTURE / DISCUSSION / DEBATE

INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY,

GLOBALIZATION AND THE SOUTH

Terms and concepts to know:

Less developed countries (LDCs) Newly industrializing countries (NICs)

Least developed countries (LLDCs) Approach to development

Liberal approach Structural approach

Primary products Dependencia model

Neocolonialism Mercantilist approach

NIEO Modernization

Capital needs Hard currency

Debt crisis Nationalization

Study and discussion questions:

1. Of the three approaches to development, which do you feel would be the best

for developing countries to follow? Support your answer.

2. What duties, if any, do wealthy countries have toward the world’s poor?

3. How do we explain the vast gulf between the world’s few rich countries and its

many poor countries? Why have a few LDCs successfully developed and most

others failed? Why can’t all poor countries be equally successful?

4. What causes a revolution of rising expectations, and why does it often lead to

a revolution of rising frustrations and political instability?

5. Of the four sources of hard currency for developing nations, which one

appears to be the best one to satisfy capital needs and development?

6. Which of the NIEO demands are just, and which are unreasonable? Which

have been partially or completely fulfilled, and which neglected?

7. Please respond with your thoughts on the film we have been watching, The

End of Poverty, which takes a critical view on the process of globalization. What

would proponents of unfettered globalization say in response to this

presentation? Did this film expand your understanding of the concept (positively

or negatively)?

Readings:

Readings from the “Critical Perspectives” section on the WEB.

Video:

The End of Poverty?, (Part Two

Journal 4

POLSC 250 / International Relations

LECTURE / DISCUSSION / DEBATE

RELIGION AND NATIONALISM

Terms and concepts to know:

Nationalism Ideology

Secularization Islam

Muhammad Muslim

Caliph Koran

Ummah Jihad

Sunni Shi’ite / Shia

Study and discussion questions:

1. Examine the statements about contemporary religion put forth by James Carroll. He

appears to believe that, under the proper conditions, religion can be a positive force in

international affairs. Would you agree or disagree with this notion?

2. Discuss the differences between Jihad and “McWorld.” Which one of these forces

does the United States represent? Also, examine the “four imperatives” of McWorld.

Are they really incompatible with the forces of jihad?

3. What do you think a Muslim would say about the “unswerving embrace of objectivity

and impartiality” of science and modernism (enlightenment) in general?

4. Do you agree with Barber that “capitalism and democracy have a relationship, but it is

something less than a marriage”? Discuss Barber’s image of jihad and its natural, innate

conflict with “McWorld.” What are some of the examples he points to?

5. Interestingly, Lewis suggests in his article that “Anglo-French rule and American

influence, like the Mongol invasions, were a consequence, not a cause, of the inner

weakness of Middle Eastern states and societies.” What direction then does this point

those nations of the Middle East to go in order to regain “strength and greatness”?

6. Discuss Mead’s analysis of the relationship that the evangelical community in the U.S.

has in influencing our foreign policy. Does Mead see it as a net positive or negative?

Do you agree or disagree with him?

7. The documentary Beyond Our Differences makes the case that the world is too

largely focused on the negative aspects of contemporary religion, particularly the

Western tradition, and not enough on the positive. Did you agree or disagree with this

essential message of the film and why?

Readings:

Carroll, Lewis, Mead, and Barber.

Video:

Beyond Our Differences. A documentary film from the Bill Moyers Journal.

Journal 5

POLSC 250 / International Relations

LECTURE / DISCUSSION / DEBATE

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT

Terms and concepts to know:

“Tragedy of the Commons” Ecosystem

Carrying capacity Population explosion

Malthusianism Sustainable development

Anthropocentrism Contempocentrism

Market failure “Greenhouse Effect”

Ozone depletion Deforestation (biodiversity)

Desertification “Acid rain”

Study and discussion questions:

1. What is the “tragedy of the commons?” How does it serve as a metaphor for the fate

of the earth?

2. What accounts for the world’s population explosion? Describe its most likely

consequences. What measures have been taken to slow population growth? Are these

enough?

3. Describe how the world’s environmental problems are interrelated. Are you relatively

optimistic or pessimistic about humanity’s ability to overcome these problems? Why?

4. Who should pay for pollution? What level of pollution should be tolerated? Should

property owners be free to do as they want on their land? Explain your answers.

5. Few effective international agreements have been reached to solve the problem of

global warming. Given the several difficulties associated with managing this problem,

what creative international solutions can you think of? What would be the strengths and

weaknesses of your solutions in the short term and in the long term?

6. Victor Wallis’s article draws distinctions between both capitalist and socialist

responses to contemporary ecological thought. Examine his argument and discuss your

position on his arguments.

7. Many activists (such as Wallis) are skeptical of Hawken’s “natural capitalism”

approach. What do you think of Hawken’s ideas and of the notion of “free market

environmentalism” in general?

8. Explain in your own words the ideas presented in the short documentary The

Ecological Footprint. What sort of solutions presented in the video seem plausible for

Americans to carry out?

Readings:

Traditionalists: Hardin, Hawken. Critical Theorists: Magdoff, Foster, Wallis.

Video:

The Ecological Footprint. A documentary film featuring Dr. Mathis Wackernagel.