1 GEOG 4712 Summer 2009 Recitation 2a: Combined Recitation/Reading Themes re: Agnew Hegemony; Agnew New Age; Barnett; Davis Buda’s Wagon; Ignatieff; Secor, Sparke + Roberts I. Definitions a) Hegemony (Agnew and generally) b) Empire (Agnew and generally) c) ‘empire lite’ (Ignatieff) d) ‘hard’ + ‘soft’ power (Agnew) e) core (Barnett) f) non-integrating gap (Barnett) g) seam state (Barnett) h) neoliberal geopolitics (Secor, Sparke + Roberts) i) ‘market access regime’ (Agnew) j) ‘poor man’s air force’ (Davis) II. Concepts a) Different uses of ‘empire’ and ‘hegemony’ in academics and politics b) Costs and benefits of acquiring and maintaining empires (Agnew + Ignatieff) c) Ignatieff’s view of key characteristics and attributes of ‘empire’; examples d) Barnett’s argument/thesis/model/worldview and his prescriptions vs. older geostrategists e) Barnett’s ‘trouble spots’ and ‘security rules…evidence for/against f) Connection between ‘globalization’ and the Iraq War…’classically’ and ‘critically’ g) Contrast between Cold War (re)alignment and post-Cold war alignment (Agnew’s graphic) h) Clash of civilizations – 9 civilizations – basis for and critiques against it i) US unipolarity – arguments for/against j) Car bomb’s role as challenge to classical land/sea power centered view of geopolitics k) Car bomb’s impact on particular conflict geographies (i.e. Middle East, North Caucasus) III. Criticisms/Questions a) Is the US an empire? Does it suffer from ‘imperial hubris’? b) Is Barnett’s model novel or conventional in light of previous examples? c) Should the US ‘shrink the gap’? How?2 d) Which author(s) is closest to your view on contemporary American power and threats to it? e) How can/should America expand/extend its technological capacity to wage war? f) What did/does confusion about how to frame threats and challenges to American power mean for questions about ‘military drift’ and national
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