• The meaning of environmental security by Jon Barnett
• Web of Deceit by Mark Curtis
• Syria: neither bread nor freedom by Alan George
• A war on terror by Paul Rogers
• The ordinary person's guide to empire by Arundhati Roy
by Jon Barnett.
Reviewed by Deanna Douglas.
The Meaning of Environmental Security is the kind of book I buy and then park on my coffee table - only to kick myself for taking so long once I actually start reading it. It's thin, but while author Jon Barnett keeps the language and arguments accessible, it's quite dense and academic in tone and approach. But stay tuned - it's well worth the read.
Barnett begins by offering helpful definitions and discussions of security and various related topics, including of course environmental security. Environmental security is a relatively new field that is a bit of a minefield for analysts and politicians alike due to its interdisciplinary nature, complexity, and the extreme responses it generates (everything from the inevitability of the "coming water wars" to a "problem? I see no problem" approach). His analysis is thorough, and what particularly impressed me was his ability to maintain his principles while advocating changes to the West's beliefs and politics that are surprisingly pragmatic - and, I hope, achievable.
As one of the reviews on the jacket states, Barnett "offers an alternative view in which peace and justice are not regarded as add-ons to environmental security but central to it". For me, that is key to what he brings to the table.
He takes the time to tell us what security is and how the environment fits into that. He focuses on the idea of ecological security, which is about much more than the resource losses economists worry about (desertification, increased water needs, deforestation, and dropping agricultural production). Instead, he reminds us that both humans and the environment itself are more affected in the long run by the harder to replace effects of ecological pollution and destruction. He dialogues with the military and its effect on the world, but keeps his focus on the bigger picture and reminds us that quick enviro-fixes often come at the expense of both peace and justice.
Barnett argues convincingly for a new approach to security that is concerned less with national sovereignty and more with the real threats to most people in today's world - economic oppression and ecological problems. Current discussions about security often convince us that lasting peace can't happen and that war is inevitable. But rather than give in to that, Barnett takes Gandhi's approach to history and reminds us that the lion's share of disagreements between individuals, groups and nations are resolved peace-fully. Rather than developing into another excuse to go to war, environ-mental issues can become a tool for nations (particularly neighbouring ones) to improve their working relationships.
One element of Barnett's reasoning that peace activists will find particularly interesting is the focus on the need to stop seeing security as the subjectively defined holy cow Western states use as an excuse to increase their powers generally and military spending in particular. Rather, the current global security situation can help us to move past the "us and them" dualism of modernity to the rich complexity of the interconnected world we live in. We need to ask "whose security, against what, and how?". These questions remind us that the most vulnerable in today's world are not the West's nationalistic elite, consumed with the threat of terror, but starving communities in other parts of the world. Rather than furthering the status quo of our self-absorbed consumerist society, security can serve as the dynamic force that fosters real change and reminds us that there are many ways to solve our problems.
Indeed, Barnett advocates working with the military to address environmental security problems, both because they are one of the world's largest polluters, and because they could (with appropriate training) be part of the solution in improving global environmental conditions. But most of all, if we can bring about a shift in the concerns of security theorists and practitioners we will go a long way towards addressing the biggest safety issues for most of the world's population - fear of hunger, and violence from the very security forces designed to protect them.
The Meaning of Environmental Security: Ecological Politics and Policy in the New Security Era, Jon Barnett
Zed Books, 2001
isbn 1-85649-786-0, £14.95
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by Mark Curtis.
Reviewed by Matt (this review was first published in Peace News).
The reality of US foreign policy has been dissected by a large range of analysts but the grim realities of British foreign policy appear to have received comparatively little attention. Mark Curtis is one of the few to have subjected Britain's post-WWII role to proper critical scrutiny.
The basic thesis of Web of Deceit is that "Britain's basic priority - virtually its raison d'etre for several centuries - is to aid British companies in getting their hands on other countries' resources" and that the policies of British elites are "helping to make the world more insecure, unequal and abusive of human rights".
These conclusions will not surprise many conscience members. However what is impressive about Web of Deceit is its broad sweep and the huge array of evidence - including declassified government files housed at the Public Records Office - that it presents to support its claims.
The book is divided into four parts. In part one Curtis examines Britain's relations with Iraq, Kosov@, Afghanistan, Israel, Russia and the US, and New Labour's policy on arms exports. In part two Curtis examines Britain's role in promoting what he terms "liberalisation theology", as well as Britain's "forgotten past" in the Middle East, supporting corrupt and repressive elites - a policy which persists to this day.
Part three uses declassified documents to examine Britain's role in the overthrow of governments in Iran and British Guiana and Britain's brutal counter-insurgency wars in Kenya and Malaya.
Finally, part four examines the role of the media, British complicity in mass murder in Indonesia, and the ongoing outrage of Diego Garcia (whose indigenous population was dispossessed in order to turn the island into a US bomber base). Curtis's passionate outrage is palpable throughout.
In his final chapter Curtis offers some brief prescriptions for what a truly "ethical" foreign policy might look like. However he is under no illusions that effecting such change will be easy. Indeed in Curtis's view no fundamental improvement in foreign policy will take place unless policy-making is transformed from "elitist, secretive and totalitarian [as it is at present] to popular, open and democratic". Consequently, "establishing democracy in Britain, alongside deepening the sense of global interdependence among people, is the big challenge in transforming Britain's foreign policy".
If Curtis's book manages to open a few more eyes to these realities he will have performed a valuable service.
Web of Deceit: Britain's Real Role in the World, Mark Curtis,
Vintage, 2003
isbn 0-099-44839-4 256pp, £7.99
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by Alan George.
Reviewed by Red (this review was first published in Peace News).
The day the statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad's Firdos Square was pulled down, Donald Rumsfeld accused Syria of sheltering senior Ba'athists, leading many to believe that Syria was next in line for attack.
These plans appear to be on hold for the moment, but anti-war activists in the US, Britain and elsewhere will want to learn more about Syria, and Alan George's new book provides a good place to start.
George's book divides into three parts: a brief overview of Syria's post-WWII history; an account of the rise and subsequent repression of the "Damascus Spring" civil society movement that sprang up with the death of Hafiz al-Asad; and a devastating account of modern day Syria's media, economy, parliament and legal system.
George is fond of comparisons with George Orwell's 1984 and successfully paints a vivid picture of Syria's totalitarian political system, corrupt bureaucracy and economic malaise. However he is also quick to point out that external threats have served only to bolster the hardliners within the regime.
Activists will need to go elsewhere for the facts about Syria's alleged WMD programmes or links with "terrorism", but George's book will provide them with valuable background reading.
Syria: Neither Bread nor Freedom, Alan George, Zed Books, 2003
isbn 1-84277-213-9 224pp, £13.95
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by Paul Rogers.
Reviewed by Deanna Douglas.
Paul Rogers, well known author and Professor of Peace Studies at Bradford University, writes prolifically on the subject of security and related issues. This short and readable book is a compilation of articles Dr Rogers contributed to the independent web journal OpenDemocracy between October 2001 and December 2002.
It is a good read on a number of levels. Obviously, the main reason for reading a book on the war on terror and Afghanistan during that period is to learn about the events that occurred there, to reflect on the participants and their various roles, and their very significant effects on the current political and security environment.
It accomplishes that nicely, and while the week by week analysis method of presentation has its weaknesses (references to events that are no longer in public memory, repetition, lack of natural fluidity), the benefits become clear over the reading of the text. Principally, the gradual unfolding of events highlights the fact that many of the problems associated with the war on terror and the situation in Afghanistan are directly attributable to the actions of the United States (and to a lesser extent Israel), as well as other world powers - rather than simply to Al Qaida.
There were a number of things to take away; the benefits of a detailed, regular, and professional analysis in evaluating and analysing complex situations and events is important - and all too rare in the mass media. The US strategy from the start of eliminating an enemy (Iraq) - rather than having it meet specific objectives - was sobering. Perhaps most of all, however, the glaring fact that this kind of "war" cannot be fought through the traditional method of attacking any particular nation state came through very loud and clear.
I certainly recommend A War on Terror as a quick, instructive guide to interpreting current realities. Some of it seems less relevant a few years after the fact, and it would perhaps benefit from the removal of some of the more repetitious sections. But its strength is in reminding us of the true nature of America's security predicament in the region, its unwillingness to address that, and the impact on the rest of us makes it well worth the read.
A War on Terror: Afghanistan and After, Paul Rogers,
Pluto Press, 2004 isbn 0-74532086-4 210pp, £12.99
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by Arundhati Roy.
Reviewed by Deanna Douglas.
Another short collection of essays by a well known author on global issues, Roy's Guide to Empire is a strong indictment of the "benevolent hegemony" of the US empire. Michael Moore has been referred to as the ordinary person's Noam Chomsky; she hits even closer to the mark.
Through a study of power and its uses by the current (as well as recent) US administration, Roy provides an accessible portrait of the picture of reality seen by the majority world. She argues against the dualistic perspective (us good, them evil) of the Bush administration and spends a lot of time painting a picture of the systemic oppression and suffering that result from globalisation.
Once again, the book suffers somewhat from the effect of taking presentations that were delivered a few years ago and compiling them together in one unedited text. Again, however, the information and foundational concepts are both interesting and important - and are key to the current international political and economic dialogue.
The book centres around the fact that our "free" global economy is a thoroughly undemocratic system for maximising multinationals profits. She takes on misleading labels used by our political and media leaders such as renaming "corporate globalisation" with the much clearer "imperialism", and rescuing the Iraqi army from being called a "militia".
Her recommendation? To remember that they (the big companies) need us more than we need them. We cannot and will not convince the US administration that their actions are feeding the problem. Instead, we need to realise that we, the people, are in the majority - and it's time we acted accordingly.
The Ordinary Person's Guide To Empire, Arundhati Roy, Flamingo, 2004 isbn 0-00718163-9 240pp £8.99
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