In the first reading, the author is describing the state as an important cog in the machine of politics. He focuses on the strength of certain policy decisions which can influence people and persons where life and lives are generally affected. The author provides several case studies to support the argument explaining for example how the policy of thawing employed by John F Kennedy created a better worldview in respect of Communism which eventually faltered after decades of dominance. However he is also adamant that violence still plays an important part in the subjugation of peoples such as what happened in the Iraq War of 1991 and the one in 2003.
The Diplomacy of Violence continues to espouse various situations where violence was used as a form of coercion to subjugate peoples. Case studies which are mentioned include the crushing of the uprising in Hungary in 1956, the brutal suppression of the Prague Spring in 1969 as well as the Algerian Civil War and the Vietnam War. The author continues to argue that more often than not, it is violence which prevails when those who rebel are not subjugated accordingly. This chapter connects to the main textbook as it delves into the implications of violence as a political tool.
My opinion of this article is that it goes to the heart of the issue that is violence in warfare. It is very direct in its accusations which are definitely very well described and summed up especially in the part where the United States is described. The author delves deep into the issue of using technology for coercive purposes and explains that this has increased the use of violence in warfare and as a tool for politics.
Bibliography:
Schelling, The diplomacy of violence; Retrieved from: http://slantchev.ucsd.edu/courses/pdf/Schelling - The Diplomacy of Violence.pdf
World Politics: Interests, Interactions, Institutions. Friedan, Lake, and Schultz, 2nd edition(W.W. Norton & Company)Essential Readings In World Politics, 4th Edition, Mingst and Snyder (W.W. Norton & Company
