The main “hawks” of world politics. How effective are they?

what is this bird

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a “hawk” (warhawk) is someone who calls for war. One of the first mentions of the term in socio-political discourse and in the American press dates back to 1792, when the US Federalist Party criticized the Democratic-Republican Union representatives for their active use of military rhetoric in peacetime.

Over time, opponents of “hawk” coined the term “chicken hawk.” [трусливый ястреб или ястреб-уклонист]stigmatized by supporters of armed escalation who avoided personal involvement in conflicts. This pejorative nickname has been used repeatedly by former US President Donald Trump and former national security adviser John Bolton.

Additionally, there is another type of foreign policy predator, sometimes referred to as “liberal hawks”. Among them are American politicians who, while remaining adherents of liberal views, advocate the military-technical superiority of the United States in the world. Among the most prominent are John F. Kennedy, Hillary Clinton and Tony Blair. Among them are Cold War veterans Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzezinski.

Representatives of such hawks are sometimes called foreign policy hawks, this indicates their commitment to a harsh foreign policy, but not their readiness to escalate the conflict.

HORSE Research Political scientists Michael Horowitz and Allan Starn, conducted in 2014, argue that leaders who serve in the military but do not take part in conflicts are most prone to offensive military rhetoric.

Naturel Environment

“Hawks” exist in world politics to this day. The most archetypal representatives of this category of politicians can be found in the USA. As a rule, representatives of the Republican Party are often called “hawks” in American politics.

Until recently, one of the most prominent “hawks” in American politics was Elliot Abrams, who held foreign policy positions in government for forty years.

As assistant secretary of state in the Reagan administration, Abrams was a key advocate of arms transfers to rebels in Nicaragua during the 1981-1990 civil war. Abrams was later prosecuted for failing to disclose the US role in this war.

Abrams later served as deputy national security adviser to former President George W. Bush, where he shaped the administration’s policy in the Middle East. Abrams is currently teaching.

With the start of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine, the American “hawks” greatly accelerated, but even before February 24, a number of politicians on Capitol Hill advocated a tougher course against Russia, China, Iran and other USA. foreign policy opponents on the world stage.

For this reason, Republican Senator Tom Cotton, personally involved in the US Afghan and Iraq campaigns, repeatedly advocates for Washington’s intervention in resolving the Taiwan issue, demanding the military involvement of the US Armed Forces in the event of a Chinese attack on the island. Cotton takes a similar stance on the Russian question.

Another Republican, Marco Rubio, is known for his stance on Venezuela. The politician has repeatedly urged US authorities to support a coup in a Latin American country. In addition, Rubio was one of the most ardent supporters of tougher sanctions pressure against Russia in connection with the events of 2014.

Ted Cruz, who has repeatedly called for increased arms supplies to Ukraine, takes no less harsh stance towards Russia. Other hawks include Mike Gallagher, Elise Stefanik, and Mike Turner.

In China, public performances of “hawks” are rare. Senior party officials prefer to voice certain theses through anonymous notes in the state media or through department speakers. However, some communists prefer to speak openly with harsh rhetoric.

In 2016, Lieutenant General Wang Hongguang, retired from the People’s Liberation Army of China, stated that “it is time to liberate Taiwan”. It is noteworthy that at the same time, the Armed Forces of the PRC began to conduct regular raids near the island. The retired general is also famous for announcing that the day American equipment is stationed in Taiwan will be the day China “liberates” Taiwan.

Shintaro Ishihara, the former mayor of Tokyo and head of the Japan Renaissance Party, is known among Japanese “hawks”. The obnoxious politician adhered to right-wing views throughout his career and is considered one of the initiators of the Sino-Japanese conflict over the territorial connection of the Senkaku archipelago. [кит. — Дяоюйдао]. Ishihara also advocated the transfer of the American military base near Tokyo to the control of the Japanese authorities.

hawk manipulation

The role of the “falcon” can pay dividends – and in some cases, the outcome of the political struggle to determine not only the external, but also the internal political vector of the country’s development is at stake.

The popularity of the “hawks” among the electorate is explained by the peculiarities of their rhetoric, which sometimes hit the weak points of human psychology.

“Psychologically, we are open to not only hawkish arguments in favor of war, but also arguments against negotiated solutions,” psychologist Daniel Kahneman and political scientist Jonathan Renshon wrote in an article. Why the Hawks Win (Why the Falcons Win) For Foreign Policy.

“The instinctive feeling that something is of less value simply because the other party offers it is called “reactive devaluation” in academic circles. The fact that the concession was granted by someone seen as an enemy undermines the content of the offer. What is said is less important than who says it,” the authors wrote in 2009.

“The Falcon” is, first of all, a metaphor that unites a wide variety of people: someone takes this position due to their upbringing, and someone, the dean of the Faculty of Political Sciences of the Moscow Social Higher School, solidifies with his surroundings. and Economics, candidate of Historical Sciences, Vasily Zharkov told socialbites.ca.

“This position is determined by the momentary political tasks that a particular politician is solving. International relations theorists generally disagree with this type of rhetoric. Specifically, Hans Morgenthau [основатель школы классического реализма в теории МО]Having the status of adviser to Kennedy, he spoke out categorically against the Vietnam War. “During the 1960s, he publicly defended the anti-war agenda in the American media.”

Professor MHSES also pointed out that the concepts of power are divided into two in the science of international relations. [власть] and force [сила].

Realists share these two concepts. As a rule, the use of force and the violence associated with it reveals a lack of power in the international arena. This should be done very carefully and only in the most exceptional cases, ”Zharkov summarized.

The concept of “falcon” appeared in American political discourse in the early 18th century. Since then, comparisons to this bird of prey have been honored by a variety of politicians, from direct warmongers to supporters of a moderately harsh foreign policy. Are there hawks left in modern politics? Who they are and how their militant rhetoric allows them to score political points – socialbites.ca understood this.



Source: Gazeta

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