Modern Wars: The Socio-ecological Dimension
In contrast to the concept of a social conflict, the notions of a modern war (MW) and critical situation are still insufficiently investigated. The main topics of the article are the general characteristics of modern wars and critical situations, the role of market, international legal institutions, and media and socio-ecological factors on the emergence and development of MWs. It also addresses the problem of material and human wastes as risky forces that diminish the portion of the planet suitable for life. The following features of the above phenomena have been identified. First, risks engendered by MWs equally affect the institutional system of a society, ways of life, and natural and man-made ecosystems. Second, every MW has a dynamic character: in the course of its development some actors involved lose their power and others gain more strength. As a rule, starting as a local/intra-state conflict, the MW gradually acquires an international character. Third, the processes of socio-ecological metabolism generated by MWs have no definite space-time limits. Fourth, the programmed media-market is a mighty weapon of MWs. Fifth, there are two types of MWs: a sharp overall destruction of natural and human communities and their long-term ‘peaceful' extinction, which is risky as well. Sixth, the behaviour of the local population is totally dependent on the swings of MWs in the given area. The author came to the conclusion that the majority of MWs are not ‘unintended events', but present the cumulative effects of a long chain of everyday struggle of social actors for resources and political domination. In sum, MWs and critical situations they generate have no space-time limits. Then, by whom, when and based on which informational sources will this rapidly changing and multisided critical situation be fixed? - that is the question for us as sociologists.