US War Research Articles

“I would not wish for anything better than to be invited to this unification of forces”: accession of The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands to the First League of Armed Neutrality (1780)

The Declaration of Armed Neutrality, proclaimed by Empress Catherine II on 10 March (O.S. 28 February) 1780, constituted one of the most significant Russian international legal acts of the eighteenth century. During the US War of Independence (1775–1783), which resulted in a war between Great Britain and a coalition of states, the primary objective of the principles set forth in the declaration was to safeguard the rights of maritime neutrality. This allowed ships of neutral countries to continue trade with the belligerent powers without impediment. As a result of the endeavours of Russian diplomacy, the First League of Armed Neutrality (1780–1783) was established. The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands was among the inaugural members. Historically, the Republic’s accession to the League of Armed Neutrality has not been a subject of extensive examination. Consequently, this article represents an initial contribution to the field of research on this matter. The study draws on the documents of the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, more specifically the reports of Dmitry Golitsyn, Envoy Extraordinary of the Russian Empire to the States General of the Republic. The envoy’s reports are written in French and have been translated by the author of the article. The study focuses on documents from the period between 1778 and 1781, providing a detailed account of the foreign and domestic political life of the Republic. The author addresses several key issues, including the perception of the Russian Declaration of Armed Neutrality in the United Provinces, the rationale behind the States General’s decision to join the League of Armed Neutrality, and the operational dynamics of the Republic’s political decision-making process. The author presents a compelling argument that the accession of the United Provinces to the First League of Armed Neutrality was a strategic move that aligned with the Republic’s long-standing policy of maintaining neutrality towards foreign countries, a stance it had adopted since the mid-1750s. Additionally, the author highlights the Republic’s interest in strengthening its ties with Russia, which was a significant factor in its decision to join the League. Nevertheless, the opposition of England and the subsequent outbreak of the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War prevented the United Provinces from becoming an active participant in the League of Armed Neutrality.

Prosthetic Memory: Children Remembering the Remnants of Suffering

This study draws on site observation and worksheets from a field trip to examine children’s narratives of the exhibitions at the War Remnants Museum in Hô Chí Minh City, Vietnam, with a specific focus on the portrayal of the victims of Agent Orange through both “photographic” and “life” exhibitions. In applying Landsberg’s concept of “prosthetic memory,” the findings reveal how the photographic exhibition with its visual documentary evidence, and the life exhibition, through its interactive engagement, play important roles in the formation of children’s prosthetic memories of the US war in Vietnam. These exhibitions provide context, depth, and immediacy to the portrayal of the ongoing suffering of the Agent Orange victims, enabling children to integrate historical and personal memory. This dual approach influences their perceptions, interpretations, and remembrance of the war, enhancing their learning experience by offering a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the historical event.

Cybernetic States: Communication, Control, and State-Space in the Advanced Research Projects Agency

While political geographers have researched state restructuring extensively over the past forty years, few have explored the role of cybernetics in this process. Conversely, although a wide spectrum of scholars outside of geography have shed light on aspects of cybernetic governance, they have yet to incorporate insights from political geography. In both cases, the political geography of cybernetic state power remains largely unexplored. To bridge this gap, the article explores the nexus of cybernetics and state restructuring in the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), a Cold War US defense research agency, circa 1958 to 1969. It analyzes Congressional testimonies by ARPA-sponsored scientists and engineers alongside their academic publications and other papers to grasp how they conceived of and actively sought to transform state-space. The article makes two arguments. First, while geographers treat state restructuring as a function of neoliberalization or War on Terror securitization, the process was set in motion near the start of the Cold War. It was then that ARPA's appeal to cybernetics to resolve geopolitical conflicts cemented the logical, organizational, and technical foundations for neoliberal and War on Terror state mutations. Second, the main thrust of ARPA responses to Cold War crises involved restructuring state-power in the mode of a cybernetic feedback control system. These efforts bring into relief a distinct object of analysis, the state control system (SCS), which offers geographers fresh perspectives on state restructuring and opens new pathways for interdisciplinary research.

ЯНИС СРЕЩУ МИНОТАВЪРА: ЛЕГЕНДАТА ПРОДЪЛЖАВА (РАЗМИСЛИ ПО ПОВОД НОВАТА КНИГА НА ЯНИС ВАРУФАКИС)

A new book by Yanis Varoufakis, Technofeudalism - What Killed Capitalism, has recently been published. Do you remember Varoufakis? In early 2015, at the height of the Greek debt crisis, the little-known (at the time) university lecturer was appointed finance minister and quickly became a star. He was certainly not the first to oppose the so-called Washington Consensus and neoliberalism in economics, but he was perhaps the most eloquent and the most extreme in his criticism, backed by a deep knowledge of the workings of the modern market economy. His time in power was less than half a year, but he will certainly be remembered for a long time. After him, Greece now has its sixth finance minister, but I am sure that even there few people know their names. I allowed myself this extravagant title as I am still under the strong impression of one of his previous books, The Global Minotaur, in which Varoufakis examines economic history and crises, focusing on the role of the US in the post-World War II global economy. The author uses the myth of the Minotaur as a metaphor to explain the complex system of global financial flows that fuelled the US economy and contributed to the accumulation of global economic imbalances that ultimately led to the global financial crisis of 2007-2009.

Professionalized Heroism? Comparing US, UK, and Norwegian War Decorations From the War in Afghanistan

This article compares the awarding of the three highest war decorations in Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States for actions undertaken in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2018 to examine contemporary expressions of military heroism. The comparison shows Norway tends to award leadership, and gaining respect from prestigious allies, whereas the United States and the United Kingdom tend to award individual acts of courage, involving great risk to one’s own life. In the case of the United States, these acts were predominantly aimed toward rescuing fellow soldiers, whereas the U.K. cases were aimed toward defeating an enemy. The Norwegian war decoration regime, in which the highest decorations are detached from the traditional military value of sacrifice, illustrates that while professional forces may act heroically, heroism, contrary to war decoration regimes, cannot be professionalized.

To what extent did US-China trade war affect the global economy

This research paper discusses the impacts on the global economy and international market affected by the US and China trade war, which started in 2018-19. Led by the previous president of the US, Donald Trump, succeeded by the current president Joe Biden, trade protectionism was brought out to restrict Chinese exports to the US. Due to political, social, economic, and many other factors, both US and China ended up imposing additional tariffs on each other’s imports and setting up more and more restrictions on the international market. These imposed trade barriers between the two major economies in the world significantly influenced the two countries themselves, other bystander economies, and the international market balance. The paper discusses and reveals how the economic conflict affects US and China, both consequences and benefits, and how some countries found opportunities from this conflict, and some resulted in losses. Suggestions for possible solutions which each government can take are also being explained.

AMERICAN WAR ON DRUGS AND NARCOTICS IN CENTRAL AMERICA: A CASE STUDY OF COLUMBIA

The main focus of this research is the American war on drugs in Colombia. It presents a comprehensive case study that delves into the country's drug policies and the influence they have had on Colombian society. The article will analyze the history of drug trafficking in Colombia, the measures implemented by the United States to fight against drug trafficking, and the impact of these policies on the social and economic realm of Colombian life. Additionally, it examines the unforeseen outcomes of US policies, such as the displacement of rural communities and the emergence of new criminal factions. This article conducts a thorough review of literature, primary as well as secondary data to critically assess the US War on Drugs in Colombia. It also offers suggestions for an enhanced and long-lasting drug policy.

The Russia-Ukraine war: unravelling the challenges to the liberal international order

With the diffusion of power in global affairs, a convergence of multiple threats began to intersect and challenge ‘the liberal international order’. On the one hand, the US, the sole hegemon, has been frequently abusing the rules and institutions of ‘the liberal international order’. Besides, ‘the post-Cold War US grand strategy of liberal internationalism’ has been under pressure from ‘the revisionist states such as Russia and China’ and the right-wing populist leaders in advanced Western democracies. On the other hand, the global society is witnessing the return of great power politics, imperial ambitions, and Moscow’s desire to gather Russians and re-establish a Russian sphere of influence in its neighbourhood by unleashing war against Ukraine. These geopolitical challenges aggravate the great powers’ competition, undermining the American dream of the universal liberal order. With the return of ‘the tragedy of great power politics’, the United States needs to maintain a strategy of coexistence rather than confrontation. Washington ought to prefer stability over democracy promotion, shore up its democratic alliance, and shred its imperial character such as NATO enlargement to preserve the rules of the liberal international order.

“What Means This Carnage?”: Civil War Soldiers’ Bodies, Recuperative Projects, and the Army Medical Museum

This essay is about bodies in war and a bone collection. In 1862 during the American Civil War, the US War Department established the Army Medical Museum with the mandate to collect morbid anatomy from the battlefield. It was a dramatic response to the existential crisis posed by wounded and dead Union soldiers. Its creation engaged two differing mid-19thc. epistemological orientations devoted to the care of the human body: the emerging field of medical science and antebellum mourning rituals. Treating the museum as an object of material culture, I track its visual strategies to grapple with war’s carnage and national dissolution.

The Indo-Afghan Nexus and its Implications for Pakistan from 2001 to 2014

India and Pakistan have been colonized at different times, but Afghanistan has never been colonized. The people of Afghanistan have always had friendly ties with the people of the United Subcontinent. However, the development of a new country called Pakistan was seen as both a threat and a way for the people of Afghanistan and India to become less connected to each other historically. The friendship pact of 1950 strengthened the relationship between India and Afghanistan. In fact, Afghanistan was the only country that voted against Pakistan's membership in the UN. Pakistan and Afghanistan have a lot in common, including language, culture, and religion, but their relationship has not been strong. With its many-sided strategies, India has been trying to undermine Pakistan's peace and security ever since it was formed. India's plan to cut Pakistan off from its neighbors is a very bad sign for Pakistan. Pakistan is very worried about the Indian presence in Afghanistan because there are consulates in Kandahar and Jalalabad, which are close to the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Afghan Taliban were very angry at Pakistan because of the US war on terror and Pakistan's change in policy towards the Taliban.

The Illogical Logics of America’s Wars in the Middle East: Vietnam and Iraq

Introduction: Describing the US wars in Vietnam and Iraq, many critics assert the similarity between US decision making in both wars. The critics of U.S. administration often link between Iraq and Vietnam, charging George W. Bush and his policy makers that they had rejected the lessons of Vietnam War 1965–73 and involved the country in a similar kind of conflict. Purpose: This study aims to draw parallels between Iraq and Vietnam wars which mainly center on the role of misinformation and deception in the run-up to the two wars, the political and military problems that the United States confronted in each case, and the ebbing of public support in the face of two similarly draining conflicts. Study questions: The study raises many substantive questions concerning the two wars: How did America become involved in Vietnam? How did it launch war in Iraq? What were the main motivations in both wars? What were their main aims? Did the decision makers in George W. Bush’s administration learn the lessons of Vietnam or they repeated the same mistakes? Methodology/Approach: The study depends on the analytical and comparative approaches to analyze thoroughly how USA became involved in Vietnam and Iraq, its motivations, and its aims, trying to find satisfying answers to the questions it raised.

Comparing Fictional War Hero, Paul Baumr, and US Marine, Sam Siata: A Trauma Study of PTSD Victims in Soldiers

This research focuses on new PTSD symptoms highlighted in C. J. Chiver's case study in "The Fighter" published in the New York Times under the trauma theoretical perspective with the aim to interpret the same in the character of Paul Baumer, the fictional war hero of All Quiet on the Western Front by Eric Maria Remarque. The research first defines PTSD in modern psychiatric terms and reviews it in light of the psychiatric theoretical studies outlined by Miriam Reisman and the trauma theorized by Dominick LaCarpa and Judith Herman. Reviewing the relevant literature to form a theoretical framework for the analysis of PTSD in Baumer, the research seeks to prove that Baumer suffers from PTSD signs. The research finds that Baumer is a soldier tougher than Siam Siatta, the US marine, who suffered the same during his Afghanistan tour. The research also highlights Baumer's peaceful death as compared to Sam Siatta's pulverization of the social fabric to highlight its significance as well as demonstrate ways to cope with such war victims.

Employing American Smart Power in the Middle East

The United States of America is one of the most influential countries in international politics since the end of World War II until today. The reason for this is its clear superiority in using hard power in its foreign policy. American soft power did not play a major role in the policies of hegemony that the Americans followed at the international level for many decades. However, the major changes witnessed in the global arena after the end of the Cold War and the emergence of new major powers on the international scene made the United States reconsider its absolute dependence on its hard power. After the US wars in Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2003), American decision-makers reached a firm conviction to diversify the sources of their power. This conviction centered on the necessity of combining hard and soft powers into one force, which was called smart power. Through its use of smart power, the United States seeks to continue its leadership of the global system and impose its will on the international arena despite its many competitors.

“Re-membering” South Korea’s Militarized Landscapes in Pax Americana: Post-Cold War US Military Camps, Camptowns, and Former Camptown Women

The continued US military presence for nearly eighty years in South Korea has produced militarized landscapes of postcoloniality in South Korea. Here, militarized landscapes denote both official American military camps and their vernacular camptowns (kijich'on) as well as social-cultural expressions affected by this spatial militarization, such as the former camptown women’s experiences. As the contours of these militarized borderlands are shifting today with the consolidating of the American military footprint in South Korea, this study seeks to connect these contemporary manifestations with their historical developments. In so doing, it hopes to contribute to what Homi Bhabha conceptualizes as “re-membering”－ “a putting together of the dismembered past to make sense of the trauma of the present.” While camps are becoming even more insulated Americanized spaces and the once marginalized camptowns are caught in a liminal stride toward internationalism, this study examines how these borderlands, which had not only embodied Korea’s coloniality but also catalyzed changes in the greater bilateral relations, are “re-membered.” It then discusses how former kijich'on women and civic organizations that constitute the “Camptown Women’s Human Rights Coalition” are at the forefront of this postcolonial “re-membering.” Through the subjectivity-formation and trans-border activism of those once rendered voiceless victims sacrificed by the state, the former camptown women themselves have demonstrated how they are the main agents of their own historical integration. Their re-membering, moreover, contributes to bringing to the national center the marginalized history of Korea’s militarized landscapes in Pax Americana, which in turn forces us to re-member our shared postcolonial trauma.

PERANG AFGANISTAN ANTARA AMERIKA SERIKAT DAN TALIBAN TAHUN 2021: ANALISIS TRINITAS PERANG CLAUSEWITZ

This article analyzes the Afghanistan war between the United States and the Taliban in 2021 through the Clausewitz war trinity in terms of the success or failure of the war. Analysis used a qualitative-explanative approach and literature study methods in collecting data, and using the Trinity of War theory as an analytical tool. The results of the study show that the trinity of war aspect, which consists of the people, the military and the government, has a major influence on the outcome of the US war in Afghanistan. The US decision to withdraw all its troops and allies in the Afghanistan war is considered a form of failure in this war. Nevertheless, this article does not deny that these conditions do not describe the failure to achieve the US political goals themselves, namely the assassination of the leader of the international terrorist organization (al-Qaida) Osama bin Laden as the main objective of the war

Afghanistan, Racial Melancholia, and Loss That Exceeds Loss

What does it mean for mourning and racial melancholia to inhabit (and exceed) the geography of Afghanistan, structured by serial wars and serial foreign occupations? As Afghans are subjected to immense forms of loss, what forms of melancholia take hold? This article builds on the critical scholarship on racial melancholia and mourning with a focus on the decades-long (and ongoing) US war and occupation of Afghanistan and considers how to think with loss that exceeds loss. Yet this is not a chronicling of the material and other losses that have transpired in Afghanistan, their quantifications, or thick (or even thin) descriptions of the serial deaths, sufferings, hardships, and forms of degradation over the past forty-five years. When summoned to evidence Afghan pain and Afghan injury, for whose recognition does one catalog this loss and to what end? In refusing to narrate loss with the requisite ethnographic and other authority, this article interrogates the demand for evidence of loss, and signals the decades of refusal to attend to Afghanistan as a place being brutalized. While refusing to narrate loss, the article demands sitting with the Afghans who are living and those who have left this world, introducing the Afghan corpse as witness to the violence of serial imperial war, and witness to the violence of Afghanistan as erasure.

Orientalism in US digital entertainment media and anti-Americanism in the Arab world: an integrative review

ABSTRACT The digitalization of cultural spheres has profoundly impacted intergroup relations and power dynamics. Our understanding of digital anti-Americanism and Orientalism is embryonic. This integrative review provides a comprehensive appraisal of this research focus. Using databases, websites, and publication citations we integrated 36 studies (2001–2021) on anti-Americanism in the Arab Muslim world and neo-Orientalism in US war films and videogames. The findings indicated that digital culture underpins intergroup ambivalence. US digital epistemic power impedes intergroup rapprochement because digital entertainment media disseminate fear and instigate bias. However, research overlooked the correlation between digital Orientalism and anti-Americanism. We recommend further exploration of the influence of war culture on the waxing and waning of intragroup schisms and intergroup conflicts to promote global peace.

Antiheroes in Mock-heroic Battles: Post 9/11 Alternatives in Jess Walter’s Novel The Zero

Placing Jess Walter's The Zero within a post 9/11 counter discourse, the present study examines the novel as a modern mock-heroic fictional work. The novel is critically analyzed as a parody of both the detective fiction genre as well as the early post 9/11 fiction adopting the American official narrative. The argument proceeds through three sub-headings. The first part queries the novel's representation of antiheroism in response to the discourse of heroism prevalent in American culture. The second part ponders on the mock-heroic battles and situations taking place as part of the US war against terror. The last part tackles the multilayered parody by which the novel addresses the hyperreal world by the mainstream media create to overshadow the event's factual enigma.

Guantánamo's Legacy

The military detention facility at the Guantánamo Bay naval base is the most enduring manifestation of the US “war on terror.” It is also materially and symbolically central to US torture, war crimes, and other egregious violations of law in the post-9/11 era. Since the first detainees arrived in 2002, Guantánamo has been the subject of controversy and debate, as well as a key setting for legal challenges to government policies. This article traces the legacy of the prison and the military commissions across four administrations. It demonstrates that the lack of a common understanding or shared narrative about what Guantánamo means or has meant is a product of entrenched partisanship that characterizes contemporary US politics more broadly. Guantánamo's confounding legacy reflects the lack of a national consensus about the role of laws and courts as guarantors of even the most basic rights.

The case of Pfc. Charles McAllister

In 2004, the remains of two First World War US soldiers from France were delivered to the US Government for identification and burial. One set of remains was identified and buried, and the other went into a cold-case status. In 2019, the second individual was identified using multiple lines of evidence. The possible individuals that could be associated with the remains were reduced based on material evidence recovered with the remains and the spatiotemporal historical context of the remains. The First World War personnel records then offered sufficient biometric criteria to narrow the possible individuals associated with the second recovered individual to one person, Pfc. Charles McAllister. A family reference DNA sample from a direct matrilineal descendant of the individual added statistical weight to the identification, although the mtDNA was not a decisive or necessary factor in the identification. Due to bureaucratic reasons, the legal identification of Pfc. Charles McAllister is still pending.