Reparations, Social Justice, and the Global War on Terror
Disciplines
Inequality and Stratification | International Relations | Social Justice | Sociology
Abstract (300 words maximum)
The US began their ‘Global War on Terror’ (GWOT) more than twenty years ago. In the US, the political and scholarly reference-point for the GWOT comes from the perspective of how US national/human security interests can be protected, or how they were harmed. Rarely are the political, social, and economic costs inflicted on the people of the global South considered in studies of the GWOT. This research project empirically and theoretically interrogates the actions taken by the US in Somalia, and their consequences on the civilians of Somalia. It suggests this single case might be thought of in a larger scope of social scientific investigations into wartime harm repair, and conflict resolution. We analyze new interview data from Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), journalistic reporting on the US war in Somalia, and databases that aggregate information on the number and outcomes of US strikes in the region.
We also place these data in dialogue with social theories on reparations. Specifically, we find that sociologist John Torpey (2017) offers theoretical insights into how reparations might become “anti-systemic,” when their cultural and economic impacts allow the harmed communities to begin repairing at local and national levels, of their own accords, and with the intent to build a new system that is altogether more equitable and just. Ultimately, this research project might improve our understanding of the consequences of two decades of global war, by investigating legal, diplomatic, and transitional justice frameworks that have worked in prior conflict scenarios, but heretofore unexplored with regards to the case of US-Somali relations.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS - Sociology & Criminal Justice
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Jason Mueller
Reparations, Social Justice, and the Global War on Terror
The US began their ‘Global War on Terror’ (GWOT) more than twenty years ago. In the US, the political and scholarly reference-point for the GWOT comes from the perspective of how US national/human security interests can be protected, or how they were harmed. Rarely are the political, social, and economic costs inflicted on the people of the global South considered in studies of the GWOT. This research project empirically and theoretically interrogates the actions taken by the US in Somalia, and their consequences on the civilians of Somalia. It suggests this single case might be thought of in a larger scope of social scientific investigations into wartime harm repair, and conflict resolution. We analyze new interview data from Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), journalistic reporting on the US war in Somalia, and databases that aggregate information on the number and outcomes of US strikes in the region.
We also place these data in dialogue with social theories on reparations. Specifically, we find that sociologist John Torpey (2017) offers theoretical insights into how reparations might become “anti-systemic,” when their cultural and economic impacts allow the harmed communities to begin repairing at local and national levels, of their own accords, and with the intent to build a new system that is altogether more equitable and just. Ultimately, this research project might improve our understanding of the consequences of two decades of global war, by investigating legal, diplomatic, and transitional justice frameworks that have worked in prior conflict scenarios, but heretofore unexplored with regards to the case of US-Somali relations.