In a world experiencing both the engagement and pushback of globalization, scholars seek to understand how neoliberal behavior affects the world. Thomas Friedman, in his book The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, offers an explanation of one significant interaction in today’s world – that of economic interdependence and conflict between states. This economic interdependence refers to global supply chains – a necessity for companies who wish to remain competitive. His theory, titled “The Dell Theory of Conflict Prevention” after a study of the Dell supply chain, states that “no two countries that are both part of a major global supply chain will ever fight a war against each other as long as they are both part of the same global supply chain.” While his argument explains recent historical scenarios, about which the next section will go further in-depth, Friedman fails to consider a neorealist and constructivist approach to his thought. The Dell Theory of Conflict Prevention only carries explanatory power in an idealized world and cannot predict conflicts involving interests and identity, even within the realm of economic activity. Thomas Friedman first considers his theory of conflict prevention in his 1999 novel The Lexus and the Olive Tree as the Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention. He develops this based on the observation that no two countries with McDonald’s restaurants had fought a war against each other since each country got its
There are roughly 800,000 people living within the United States that is under the protection of an executive order during the Obama administration called Deferred Action Against Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. These children, commonly referred to as “Dreamers,” have grown up in the United States. They attended elementary school here, many graduated high school here, and many went on to become successful adults living in the United States, but as of September 5th, 2017 the DACA program was shut down by the Trump administration, pending a trial in Congress. This means that those hundreds of thousands of individuals living under the DACA arm will no longer be legal residents in the United States.
In general, conflict theory is to explain the conflict between authority groups and powerless groups through the uneven distribution of power and resources in society (Lai, 2013). It is based entirely in power and how those in power do all they can to hold the majority of the population down and to keep them from gaining power, so as to secure their own position. Conflict theorists all assume that the existing social order is not a product of consensus and mutual benefit but rather a function of power differentials in society. These perspectives recognize that societal resources are limited and contend that opposing groups are in a constant struggle for a greater share of the resources and power that comes with them. As groups struggle to gain
According to the hegemonic stability theory, “a hegemonic power is necessary to support a highly integrated world economy.” (Nau 2007, 280) Nau explains that as long as there is a relative distribution of power, no one power can affect the system as a whole (280). When there are several equally competitive countries, the global economy reaches the model of a perfect market. Each state acts according to their self-interest, and such behavior leads to higher gains for everyone because “competition maximizes efficiency” (Nau 2007, 280) in a perfect market. However, there is no place for violence in a perfect market because a hegemon assures security by deploying a police force (Nau 2007, 280). Since there is usually no such force in the international system, many competitive nations have to fear violence. This is what the realists meant when they stated that in the multipolar world, nations cannot be sure about alliances. In addition, the United States and the Soviet Union were the two great powers after World War II; thus, they developed an example of a bipolar world, in which there are separate and self-governing “half-world” economies that includes very little trade with each other (Nau 2007, 280).
The author initiates her first argument to be that in reality we are all consumers of war, thus connected to war. We are connected through our investment practices,
Friedman explains the diplomacy of the twenty-first century in the following: "The world has become an increasingly, interwoven place, and today, whether you are a company or a country, your threats and opportunities increasingly derive from who you are connected to" (392). Ever since the invention of such advanced systems, it has indeed become easier to enforce power and priority over individuals and nations of lesser power, and it is now possible to engage in war against powerful rivals to a horrific degree. The consistent and credible threat of a nuclear warfare is not too difficult to uphold, despite the distance or the size of the nation. Friedman also mentions the rise of new superpowers such as the global market thanks to the Internet, an easy accessible network with the entire world. With the global market, any company or individual who utilizes this invention is able to easily manipulate the flow of the economy very similarly to how a nation does. Therefore, the potential of a smaller group of people or even an individual can match that of an entire nation. His closing remark introduces a fate which discourages the presence of security which the United States, a nation which gained its independence and security from other national
I feel Comm 3010: Communication and Conflict would be beneficial to my career because it would help prepare me for any arguments I may encounter. I plan to work in the medical field so I will constantly be surrounded by numerous people day in and day out. Learning communication strategies will help me reason better with my colleagues and my superiors. Comm 4004: Intercultural Communication will provide me with a better understanding of how to communicate with people from different countries. I noticed this class said special attention given to Health Care which is perfect because that is right in my field. I may have foreign colleagues and chances are, I will more than likely have foreign patients, and this class will help me better communicate
In this theory analysis, I will discuss two theories to explain why officers commit callous acts, why they tend to use excessive force against certain types of citizens and why there are only a few officers who perform these acts. Over the years police departments have received a considerable amount of public scrutiny due to their use of excessive force. As discussed before, police serve a vital part in society as prosecutors; however, police brutality is very common. One may ask, why do some law enforcement officers participate in abusive behavior against citizens, despite knowing their obligation to ensure the public safety? Using two theories, social conflict and control balance I will attempt answer that question.
The contemporary social issue I have selected is the discrimination of Muslims in America. I selected this issue because it appears to be a growing problem in the United States, and I believe it is rooted in racism, making it a two-part issue. Muslim is not a race, but in many Middle Eastern countries, Islam is the majority religion. Even though anyone from any race could be Muslim, it is only Middle Eastern Muslims that are targeted. As someone who is in the social work field, it is distressing for me to see a group of people be treated unjustly and experience many societal challenges based on their faith and race. Conflict theory is one theory that can improve people’s understanding of this issue. One of the main concepts of conflict theory is that “power is unequally divided and some groups dominate others” (Overview of Theories, 2008). In the social issue I chose, white Christians are the dominant group, and they hold more power than Middle Eastern Muslims. Power is not
Conflict perspectives are often viewed as the opposite of the structure-functional viewpoint; meaning, not all family practices are good or beneficial for each family member. Conflict is often viewed in a negative manner, but there are many benefits of having healthy conflict in the home. In my family experience, conflict has brought compromise, solutions, and opportunities to learn other's perspectives. Conflict has also brought a better understanding of how to improve relationships and solve disagreements.
One of the major realist dimensions for the Western political order is American hegemony. With the end of the Cold War, American hegemony appeared to be the supreme power of the world (Deudney and Ikenberry, 1999). It can be seen, American economic power revealed in international financial institutions such as IMF, WB and WTO. As a dominant member in WTO, the United States Forced the weaker states to accept the organization’s rules on international trade, otherwise, they will lose if they choose not to follow the rules (Hawthorn, 1999). In addition, Deudney and Ikenberry (1999) state that liberals see transnational relations as the establishment of alternative system that will
As the U.S. continues to fight the Global War on Terrorism, Barnett makes a compelling argument that that the U.S. will continue to utilize military action within those regions and countries that have been unable to accept globalization. Additionally, future engagements will not be with countries of similar size to the U.S., rather smaller states that have significant political, social, and economic challenges. These regions prove to be a threat to the U.S. strategic policy and the theory of globalization and free democracy.
Huntington’s essay on the Clash of Civilizations is persuasive in historical anecdotes and real world current events. Most of Huntington’s essay need not say anything more then what is already repeated on major media outlets around the world. The essay states what has long been opposed by the far left; namely, that people choose to interact, trade and form alliances with “like peoples”. It then, shouldn’t come as a surprise that the author needs to say little in order to sway an audience to his hypothesis by simply relating real world events such as rising nationalism in Russia2, Greece3 and France. One only has to look at the Anglo sphere of alliances in areas of conflict in the Middle East to find that Huntington’s persuasive argument is a narrative of real world events4. Non-Western nations that hope to transition into modern nations form alliances with Western nations but such alliances only serve to further destroy the credibility of the elites within those non-western countries. The elites are viewed simply as “puppets” of foreign interest. The rise of extremist organizations such as Hezbollah5 that have successfully achieved legitimacy through the democratic process of their respective nation states further proves that the will of the people in non-western
Conflict theory is the theory that human behavior in social contexts is the result of conflicts between competing groups, as different social groups, be they class-, gender- or race-defined, have unequal power and access to power, yet all groups compete for limited resources. This inevitably gives rise to tension and conflict, albeit often of the subtle variety, as oftentimes the conflicts between groups have been institutionalized in society to such a degree that the conflicts and tensions are such an expected part of society that the conflict, and inequality, itself disappears from public sight, and consciousness. For example, an adherent of a world systems theory of conflict would point to the global competition for resources, particularly the inequality between rich and poor nations struggling to provide the basic necessities of life to their inhabitants, as evidence of global conflict. Conflict theories seek to explain the interactions of groups within society, and assert that social order is preserved involuntarily through the exercise of power one social class holds over another (Lindsey, 2010, 7). The conflict between groups is not always obvious or apparent, so it must be unraveled and examined in order to identify and establish the impact of such conflict on society as a whole, as well as individual members and social groupings.
Alper, S., Tjosvold, D., & Law, K. S. (2000). Conflict management, efficacy, and performance in organizational teams. Personnel Psychology, 53(3), 625-642. This study looked at the management of conflict and linked it empirically with organizational team and efficacy research. There were sixty-one teams with nearly 500 employees studied, all belonging to a leading manufacturer of electronic products. A structural equation analysis was used to show that a cooperative approach to conflict is more effective than a competitive approach to same. Making use of autonomy can also make a person or a team more productive.
This is a research about conflict which should be considered and resolute during a project. Although, six experts are from different background, there are many sufficient methods to deal with different kind of issues during the working. The great mode has used in the research is Thomas-Kilmann’s conflict mode instrument. (Thomas, K. W., & Kilmann, R. H. ,1974). There are five effective approaches are discussed. Each approaches have its positive and negative effects. Also, there are many problems that each expert should consider about themselves which can devote their effort to help finish the project successfully. Achieving mastery through a comprehensive study of all of these methods can finally bring a huge success to the whole project.