Gareth Porter
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520239487
- eISBN:
- 9780520940406
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520239487.003.0009
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This chapter reviews the evidence for the critical influence of unequal power relations on the four crucial Vietnam policy decisions. It evaluates the “unipolar moment” in global politics and U.S. ...
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This chapter reviews the evidence for the critical influence of unequal power relations on the four crucial Vietnam policy decisions. It evaluates the “unipolar moment” in global politics and U.S. foreign policy. It is suggested that the process of making policy toward Vietnam resulted in policy decisions which did not reflect the best judgment of the president about Vietnam. The April decision on troop deployment appears to have represented the apogee of influence of Johnson's inner circle of advisers. It is stated that the aggressiveness of the national security bureaucracy in asserting the necessity for a military approach to Vietnam in both the John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson administrations was not a function of the specific personalities involved. It is also suggested that unipolar experience shows that the problem of inadequate domestic restraints may be exacerbated by the tendency of the national security bureaucracy to assert itself in policy making.Less
This chapter reviews the evidence for the critical influence of unequal power relations on the four crucial Vietnam policy decisions. It evaluates the “unipolar moment” in global politics and U.S. foreign policy. It is suggested that the process of making policy toward Vietnam resulted in policy decisions which did not reflect the best judgment of the president about Vietnam. The April decision on troop deployment appears to have represented the apogee of influence of Johnson's inner circle of advisers. It is stated that the aggressiveness of the national security bureaucracy in asserting the necessity for a military approach to Vietnam in both the John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson administrations was not a function of the specific personalities involved. It is also suggested that unipolar experience shows that the problem of inadequate domestic restraints may be exacerbated by the tendency of the national security bureaucracy to assert itself in policy making.
Diana Marre and Laura Briggs (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814791011
- eISBN:
- 9780814764473
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814791011.001.0001
- Subject:
- Anthropology, American and Canadian Cultural Anthropology
In the past two decades, transnational adoption has exploded in scope and significance, growing up along increasingly globalized economic relations and the development and improvement of reproductive ...
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In the past two decades, transnational adoption has exploded in scope and significance, growing up along increasingly globalized economic relations and the development and improvement of reproductive technologies. A complex and understudied system, transnational adoption opens a window onto the relations between nations, the inequalities of the rich and the poor, and the history of race and racialization. Transnational adoption has been marked by the geographies of unequal power, as children move from poorer countries and families to wealthier ones, yet little work has been done to synthesize its complex and sometimes contradictory effects. Rather than focusing only on the United States, as much previous work on the topic does, this book considers the perspectives of a number of sending countries as well as other receiving countries, particularly in Europe. The book also reminds us that the United States also sends children into international adoptions—particularly children of color. The book thus complicates the standard scholarly treatment of the subject, which tends to focus on the tensions between those who argue that transnational adoption is an outgrowth of American wealth, power, and military might (as well as a rejection of adoption from domestic foster care) and those who maintain that it is about a desire to help children in need.Less
In the past two decades, transnational adoption has exploded in scope and significance, growing up along increasingly globalized economic relations and the development and improvement of reproductive technologies. A complex and understudied system, transnational adoption opens a window onto the relations between nations, the inequalities of the rich and the poor, and the history of race and racialization. Transnational adoption has been marked by the geographies of unequal power, as children move from poorer countries and families to wealthier ones, yet little work has been done to synthesize its complex and sometimes contradictory effects. Rather than focusing only on the United States, as much previous work on the topic does, this book considers the perspectives of a number of sending countries as well as other receiving countries, particularly in Europe. The book also reminds us that the United States also sends children into international adoptions—particularly children of color. The book thus complicates the standard scholarly treatment of the subject, which tends to focus on the tensions between those who argue that transnational adoption is an outgrowth of American wealth, power, and military might (as well as a rejection of adoption from domestic foster care) and those who maintain that it is about a desire to help children in need.
Gananath Obeyesekere
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520243071
- eISBN:
- 9780520938311
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520243071.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, History of Ideas
This chapter discusses the British hypothesis and savage fear of Hawaiian cannibalism, and the Hawaiian hypothesis and fear of British cannibalism. It focuses on the dialogue between the anxious ...
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This chapter discusses the British hypothesis and savage fear of Hawaiian cannibalism, and the Hawaiian hypothesis and fear of British cannibalism. It focuses on the dialogue between the anxious Hawaiians and the ethnographers on the issue of cannibalism. The chapter discusses Polynesian cannibalism within the complex dialogue between Europeans and Polynesians. This dialogue centered on the history of contact, unequal power relations, and the cultural values, fantasies, and the common dark humanity they share. The discourse on cannibalism, once initiated, affects a variety of cultural practices in which it is embedded. A discourse is not a matter of speech alone; it is embedded in a historical and cultural context, and is expressed often in the frame of a scenario or cultural performance. It is about practice: the practice of science, the practice of cannibalism. Insofar as discourse evolves, it begins to affect the practice.Less
This chapter discusses the British hypothesis and savage fear of Hawaiian cannibalism, and the Hawaiian hypothesis and fear of British cannibalism. It focuses on the dialogue between the anxious Hawaiians and the ethnographers on the issue of cannibalism. The chapter discusses Polynesian cannibalism within the complex dialogue between Europeans and Polynesians. This dialogue centered on the history of contact, unequal power relations, and the cultural values, fantasies, and the common dark humanity they share. The discourse on cannibalism, once initiated, affects a variety of cultural practices in which it is embedded. A discourse is not a matter of speech alone; it is embedded in a historical and cultural context, and is expressed often in the frame of a scenario or cultural performance. It is about practice: the practice of science, the practice of cannibalism. Insofar as discourse evolves, it begins to affect the practice.
Guy Davidov
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780198759034
- eISBN:
- 9780191818790
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198759034.003.0003
- Subject:
- Law, Employment Law
This chapter articulates the unique characteristics of employment relations. It explains in what sense employer–employee relations are different from client–independent contractor relations. ...
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This chapter articulates the unique characteristics of employment relations. It explains in what sense employer–employee relations are different from client–independent contractor relations. Employment is characterized by two inherent vulnerabilities: democratic deficits (subordination, broadly conceived) and dependency (for economic as well as social-psychological needs). These vulnerabilities explain the need for labour laws. The chapter proceeds to consider two additional ideas that share a similar structure, i.e. seeing labour law as a response to a ‘labour problem’. One is the prevalence of market failures and the other is inequality of bargaining power. It is argued that both concepts are useful as well, but only to a limited extent.Less
This chapter articulates the unique characteristics of employment relations. It explains in what sense employer–employee relations are different from client–independent contractor relations. Employment is characterized by two inherent vulnerabilities: democratic deficits (subordination, broadly conceived) and dependency (for economic as well as social-psychological needs). These vulnerabilities explain the need for labour laws. The chapter proceeds to consider two additional ideas that share a similar structure, i.e. seeing labour law as a response to a ‘labour problem’. One is the prevalence of market failures and the other is inequality of bargaining power. It is argued that both concepts are useful as well, but only to a limited extent.
