Education, although sometimes painful, is always worth it.

Quote Originally Posted by Taiko View Post
Question: What impact has the compression of time and space had on the level and intensity of violence during and between wars in the past/present/future.
If we can agree that 'compression of time and space' is an artifact of globalization, could your question be restated as: What impact has globalization had upon warfare?

Very broadly, and by contrasting the battlefields of Iraq (OIF) with those of WWI Europe, I would say that a focus upon rapid removal of governance (individuals and structures) using an overwhelming force synchronized with realtime ICT (information and communication technology) results in reduced casualty rates for both sides. I also wonder about reduced post war recovery rates for both sides...by contrasting the ongoing recovery versus the interval from 1918 to 1939. A comparison of costs indicates that war is, and will always be, expensive in lives and treasure.

Perhaps a better contrast would be to examine the Iraq wars with the British (British Mandate 1920 -1932) and with the US (1991 and 2003-2010)?

How does globalization account for these differences in levels and intensity of violence? The IMF defines four aspects of globalization: 'trade and transactions, capital and investment movements, migration and movement of people and the dissemination of knowledge.' Current themes in the media which relate to this topic include trade, energy, 'Chimerica', high finance, growth rates, innovation...

Some references for a later read on this topic might include:

  • The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
  • The Scientific Way of Warfare by Antoine Bousquet
  • Globalization, A Short History by Jurgen Osterhammel and Niels P. Pietersson
  • The Quest by Daniel Yergin
  • The Ascent of Money by Niall Ferguson
  • The American Phoenix by Charles Dumas and Diana Choyleva
  • How Soccer Explains the World by Franklin Foer