Making Enemies Humiliation and International Conflict

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This volume is a path-breaking work that skillfully explores the deeper intricacies between war and peacemaking from a social psychological lens. Lindner cogently argues that there is a strong relationship between humiliation and international conflict. She defines humiliation as "enforced lowering of a person or group, a process of subjugation that damages or strips away pride, honor or dignity." The analysis focuses on the humiliating effects of words and actions, and those related to incidents of violent conflicts. Specific incidents of humiliation discussed include the humiliation of the Hutu by a dominant Tutsi minority, which resulted in the 1994 Rwandan genocide; Germany's humiliating defeat in WW I made worse by the harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles; and the placing of an American flag on a statue of Saddam Hussein after the 2003 US invasion of Iraq. In particular, the author concludes her very original work by arguing that in order to avoid the destructive effects of humiliation, it would be necessary to "marry globalization with egalization--equal dignity." The implication is that globalization, in its current form, is humiliating to many in the world. Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -Choice March 2007

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