I was reading an article today from 1998 about international theory. The contemporary consensus was that globalisation meant that social and economic forces were superseding traditional great power politics. This is undoubtedly the case today. As shown by the ongoing economic crisis, the power of the 'markets' as controlled by global capitalists is devastating and seemingly immovable in the face of governments worldwide.
What some scholars concluded to the scepticism of the article's author was that this would lead to fewer wars between nations. Looking around these scholars were correct that there would be fewer traditional wars fought between states. Where they were wrong was in their optimism: groups and actors are fighting and oppressing each other as much as always but in new (and in some cases old) ways. States worldwide are murdering and torturing those whose interests they are supposed to represent while so-called liberal democracies such as the US and the UK are complicit in barbaric torture practices. Traditional rules of war and humanitarian principles are abandoned in the pursuit of the war on terrorism, a word so vague it can be used to a apply to any actor or group a state deems as behaving or believing contrary to its interests. Thus Syria's forces describe those they oppress as terrorists.
History teaches us to be optimistic about the end of current struggles but not to expect whatever comes next to be any better.
