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"GEOPOLITICS & GEOCULTURE" (IMMANUEL WALLERSTEIN).   Term Paper ID:20795 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Critical review of work on future of world-system after decline of communism and capitalism, compared to other works on future of global politics & role of U.S.... More...

6 Pages / 1350 Words 5 sources, 14 Citations, APA Format $24.00 Return to List of Papers

Paper Abstract: Critical review of work on future of world-system after decline of communism and capitalism, compared to other works on future of global politics & role of U.S. Paper Introduction: This study will critically discuss Immanuel Wallerstein's Geopolitics and Geoculture: Essays on the Changing World-system (1991). The study will argue that Wallerstein is right in his analysis of the world of the future. The author says that the future is uncertain, but we have opportunities to make choices which will make that world a better place for human beings. Wallerstein is writing for readers in the West, so he speaks to their fears and hopes. He says that the changes happening in the capitalist world are the most important changes happening today. These changes are deep and permanent and will lead to the end of capitalism. Wallerstein says that capitalism is "bifurcating" (14-15), and he defines bifurcation as "the appearance of a new solution of the equations for some critical value" (234). Wallerstein does not pretend to know what this "new solution" to Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. He warns, first, that "the decline of the West, the declineof the American empire, the decline of capitalism" (Wallerstein, 1991, p.237) are happening, whether we like it or not. the United States . . . The map is gone and no new map has been found yet. . In The Third Century, Joel Kotkinand Yoriko Kishimoto accept the fact that the world is changing and willnever be the same, but they refuse to see that the United States will notbe the central power that it was in the past. Wallerstein criticizes the socialist-oriented Brandt Report, but onlybecause it is dishonest about the relationship of the rich and poornations. This loss is world-wide, becausethe Cold War served as a map to make sense of the world for almost fiftyyears. As long as it sees itself as the guiding lightof all mankind, it will fail and it will bring misery to others around theworld. What role for America? . . This study will critically discuss Immanuel Wallerstein's Geopoliticsand Geoculture: Essays on the Changing World-system (1991). In the words of John Adams, America represented "the opening of a grand scheme" for "the emancipation of the slavish part of mankind" (Kotkin & Kishimoto, 1988, p. of creating a new and better historical system, provided we judge well (with care, with imagination, with courage) (Wallerstein, 1991, p. has neither the power nor the will todictate even to "weak" countries what their actions should be. Wallerstein is not optimistic overall, but he is most optimistic whenhe writes about socialism. 3 5-3 8.Kotkin, Joel, and Yoriko Kishimoto (1988). Ifthey refuse to do this, the entire world will suffer economically,socially, politically, and environmentally. Objective reality sets limits on policy-makers. Ten issues in search of a policy. . . 1 3). . Wallerstein's book might not be a very hopeful one, but it isvaluable because it faces hard issues honestly and with fresh insight. If the U.S. the "decline and fall" thesis. . . New York:Crown.Ollapally, Deepa (1993, April). This is in line with Wallerstein's claim that the U.S. . 175-179.Smith, Gaddis (1993, April). Kotkin and Kishimoto stillsee the United States as the only nation that can save the world: By extending the nation's mission to the whole of mankind, . Wallerstein's work seems even more insightful when we compare it toother works on the world of the future. . . 179). 237). The Third Century. (1993, October). are overwhelmed by the barbarians. . The great civilizations "decline and fall" and . A number of articles in Current History are more accurate withrespect to the world of the future. They offer the possibility . The message is that, once the American empire has declined, the world will go to pieces. One is tempted to ask Kotkin and Kishimoto where they have been forthe last fifty years when the U.S. in the future, guided by the fear andgreed of capitalism, tried to open more grand schemes, the same disasterswould occur. Smith says:"Not since Franklin Roosevelt in 1933 has a president chosen to concentratealmost exclusively on domestic affairs---and the results were then mixed atbest. Oldways won't work any longer, but new ways will not always work either. In other words, the entire world-system is whatwe should be mainly concerned with, not simply the fate of the UnitedStates, Japan, or any other single nation. Forexample, he agrees with other analysts that Japan "is destined to play anincreasingly central role" in the unstable capitalist world-system, but headds that because of this instability Japan will not become as central asit would otherwise become. that utopianism is at an end. He says that the changes happening in the capitalist world arethe most important changes happening today. With the cold war over, developing countries matter even less for the North (Ollapally, 1993, p. . CurrentHistory, pp. The developing countries' bargaining power . 235). . Gaddis Smith writes that the world isso interdependent today that President Clinton will not be able to avoidforeign involvements even if he wants to. Cambridge:Cambridge University Press.----------------------- 7 Whether in the areas of political economy, security, or ideology, the space of the global agenda for third world concerns has shrunk. However, he will find (as inSomalia and Haiti) that the U.S. But they are equally not occasions for cultural optimism. 96). 233). Goble saysneither Bush nor Clinton "has been prepared for the multitude of challengesthe end of the Soviet Union poses for the United States" (Goble, 1993, p.3 5). Deepa Ollapally agrees with Wallerstein that the poor nations are worse off with the fall of the Soviet Union: Unlike the western world, the developing world [has] little to celebrate with the ending of the cold war. At least Wallerstein iscautious in offering the hope that he does offer. ReferencesGoble, Paul A. Wallerstein does not pretend to know what this "new solution" to theworld's problems is, and neither does he even say that it will be disasteror prosperity. For example, The lesson of the Reagan era is that machismo as a response to US decline is certainly not more, and probably a lot less, effective than the Nixon-Ford-Carter 'realist' approach. TheU.S. The important point Wallerstein makes is that we should not confusethe survival of American capitalism with the survival of the world. . Then he says that thesedeclines are not occasions for cultural pessimism. . a derived notion which is . 48). Geopolitics and Geoculture. could begin to fulfill the greatest aspirations of its founders. 154). 14). In fact, he even sees the possibility of a utopia: I do not believe . As Wallerstein says, only when the U.S., accepts the fact thatit is only a nation among nations can it take its rightful place in theworld-system of the future. Current History, pp.15 -154.Wallerstein, Immanuel (1991). He wants something in between the two---a democraticsocialism. When it does try theold ways---as in Somalia with force or in Haiti with threats---they nolonger work. . . Wallerstein points out that there have been a number of attempts byAmerican leaders to meet the changes in the world-system, but none of themhave been effective. The problem with such cautious hope is that human beings have notshown much care or imagination or courage in creating historical systems inthe past. advantage, but one cannot command the waves to halt (Wallerstein, 1991, p. continues tothink of itself as the leader of the world, it will be left behind by othernations and groups of nations which will not stand for such nonsense in thefuture. These changes are deep andpermanent and will lead to the end of capitalism. . Wallerstein says that the richer nations of the world must see thattheir own futures are tied up with the futures of the poorer nations. The major point of Wallerstein's book, and his argument forsocialism, is that capitalism and nationalism are failing, and that if theworld-system of the future succeeds it will have to create an economy and aculture which will bring people together rather than divide them byideologies and nationalities. Paul Goble writes about America's loss of direction and purposebecause of the fall of the Soviet Union. Wallerstein concludes that "The only program for survival is thecreation of a socialist world order" (Wallerstein, 1991, p. Capitalism is failing, he says, and communismhas already failed. Kotkin and Kishimoto represent capitalist thinking which preventspeople from letting go of the old models of the past and starting to seethat those old ideas will not work in the future. Quite the contrary. . . . 35). Current History, pp. It will not be easyto put Humpty-Dumpty back together again" (Wallerstein, 1991, p. Wallerstein says that the fall of communism is not a good thing forWestern capitalism in the long-run, because "it has removed the last majorpolitically stabilizing force within the world-system. was trying to open just such a grandscheme to free mankind in Vietnam, Chile, Central America, Somalia, Iran,Cuba, and elsewhere. The South looks North: the Third Worldin the new world order. But, of course, if the scientific model of bifurcating tells us anything, it tells us that we cannot predict that the outcome will be a pessimistic one (Wallerstein, 1991, p. is weaker than it was, but it cannot just give up its role in theworld-system to take care of its domestic problems. Wallerstein says thatcapitalism is "bifurcating" (14-15), and he defines bifurcation as "theappearance of a new solution of the equations for some critical value"(234). The study willargue that Wallerstein is right in his analysis of the world of the future.The author says that the future is uncertain, but we have opportunities tomake choices which will make that world a better place for human beings.Wallerstein is writing for readers in the West, so he speaks to their fearsand hopes. . Inother words, capitalism has "triumphed" over communism, but the world-system in which capitalism exists will perish because of the destabilizingeffect of the fall of communism. The construction of socialism in this world, if it is to occur, is still before us---as an option, but scarcely as a certainty (Wallerstein, 1991, p. . Clinton is unlikely to have that choice" (Smith, 1993, p. Perhaps it is only now that we can invent utopian utopias. What usually guides leaders when they create systems are greed,fear, hatred and the desire to get and keep power. . have steadily eroded since the onset of the debt crises. One can defer negatives, minimize losses, maneuver to retain some . If the U.S. In any case, he says that the role of any singlecountry in the world-system "may be only marginally relevant to the debate"(Wallerstein, 1991, p. Hepoints out that other empires and civilizations have fallen, and the worldhas survived and progressed: There is . will have toexperiment to find its place in a world-system which is still forming. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.