Hawks and Doves

Question One:

Hawks and Doves

The terms ‘hawks and doves’ were quick labels attached to politicians in order to categorize their views on war and foreign policies, as to make them understandable and accessible for the public. However, these labels were not always accurate and in some cases could be quite misleading; it would have been more accurate not to label individuals as either Hawks or Doves, but instead, what they stood for.

Hawks:

A term used to describe those with a relatively aggressive or confrontational foreign policy. ‘Hawks’ usually supported arms expenditure, use or threat of military force against allies of their rivals to obtain power and forgiven policy goals. They advocated the prevention of economical growth or stability of their rivals in order to maintain power. Conservative Republican American President, Ronald Reagan, could be considered a prime example of a ‘Hawk’ for his aggressive anti-Soviet policies, and belief that dйtente equaled weakness. He initially had no real intentions of limiting US arms during Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START) and massively expanded the navy. However, later in his career Regan became far less aggressive during START with Mikhail Gorbachev, and also as a result of the exposure of the Iran-Contra scandal, and hence became more of a ‘Dove’ through negotiations.

Doves:

Those who stood for a more peaceful means of reconciliation were known as Doves. Doves campaigned to limit arms expenditure and construct a peaceful, symbiotic existence. Rather than attempting to suppress their rivals or use intimidation to gain control, they supported equal competition trade markets and negotiations in order to avoid crises. Some members of the Kennedy administration could be considered ‘Doves’ for their stance on Cuba (this is another example however, of how the labels could be misleading, as the same members were involved in creating the Cuban confrontation to begin with.)

The Military-Industrial Complex:

During the cold war years, huge spending was made by both the USSR and the US towards the military and arms (approx 10% of the US GPN). The rapid expansion of that industry proved profitable for many groups and thus became an integral part of the economy, particularly for the US.

In the US, the arms race ultimately employed 10% of the workforce, directly or indirectly. Scientists, engineers, general factory laborers and larger corporations all profited from the huge spending by the government

The USSR matched or bettered such percentages, however under the communist regime, there were no private profits made For both countries, this also expanded the international trade market for weaponry, arms and defense.

The ‘Ban the Bomb’ Movement:

Once censorship in the media was eliminated, war journalism, and photojournalism began to bring home the realities of the various proxy wars that were being fought by the US and the USSR (Vietnam, Korea, incidents in the Middle East and El Salvador). Particularly after the results of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, groups began to emerge protesting nuclear warfare during the 1950’s. These ranged from Christian Pacifists to Marxists, or were simply individuals horrified by what the uncensored media was able to report. In the 1950’s, various committees and organizations began to emerge, pushing for peace and disarmament. These included the US National Committee for Sane Nuclear Policy (SANE) and the Committee for Non-Violent Action (CNVA). Other such organizations were formed in most western countries, including the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) in Britain.

In Later decades, the ‘Ban the Bomb’ movement began to evolve into wide-spread protests and petitioning for the prevention of nuclear war and testing. Particularly during the Vietnam War, when the media delivered shocking images of the battlefront and the victims of blanket bombing, demonstrations rapidly became public and large scale, with protest marches across the globe.

Question Two

Secret Services:

The Secret Services are responsible for carrying out the ‘dirty work’ of the government; they are involved in disinformation, coups, assassinations and espionage, which involved the recruitment of foreign agents and informants, breaking codes, gathering information and intelligence and infiltrating the adversary nation’s Secret Service.

CIA

The Central Intelligence Agency, or CIA, is