Cosmopolitanism and organised violence

Cosmopolitanism and organised violence

Published Jan 2000

Author

M. Kaldor

Publisher

Focus themes

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What are 'New Wars' and how can they be avoided?

In this paper, the author argues for a cosmopolitan political project as a way of responding to the spread of ‘New Wars’.

The article finds that:

  • the nation-state system is exhausting itself
  • ‘new wars’ is an extreme manifestation of the erosion of the autonomy of the nation-state
  • globalisation is a wild process involving interconnectedness and exclusion, integration and fragmentation, homogenisation and diversity
  • in 'New Wars' physical destruction is very high, tax revenues plummet further, and unemployment is very high. The various parties finance themselves through loot and plunder and various forms of illegal trading; thus they are closely linked into and help to generate organised crime networks. They also depend on support from neighbouring states, Diaspora groups, and humanitarian assistance

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