Soldiers’ Dilemma Summary

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How do militaries respond when they confront the dilemma of conflict between the liberal norms of respect for human rights and civilian control of the military?

Image courtesy of interviewee. July 8, 2024

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The video discusses the challenges militaries face in balancing liberal norms, such as human rights and civilian authority, particularly using the example of the Liberian military during the 1979 rice riots. Soldiers were ordered to shoot at protestors, which led to widespread resentment and contributed to a coup. The research indicates that in conflict situations, militaries often prioritize cohesion over adherence to liberal norms, contradicting the expectations of the United States, which aims to spread these norms through military training. The findings suggest that soldiers exposed to norm conflicts were less supportive of human rights and that U.S.-trained soldiers had different responses to such conflicts. Ultimately, the study reveals that alternative norms like cohesion may overshadow liberal principles in military decision-making.

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X-TIMESTAMP-MAP:LOCAL=00:00:00.000,MPEGTS=900000

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This video examines how militaries handle conflicts

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between liberal norms, such as respect for human rights

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and obedience to civilian authority.

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The research focuses on the Liberian military

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during the 1979 rice riots where soldiers were ordered

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to fire on protestors, sparking resentment,

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and contributing to a coup.

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This poses challenges for countries like the United States,

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which export foreign military training

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and aim to spread liberal norms globally.

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This video argues

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that while the United States expects these norms

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to be mutually reinforcing, they often conflict

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and practice leading militaries

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to prioritize cohesion over adherence to liberal norms.

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The author suggests

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that US policy discourse rarely addresses this issue

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and that the assumption that militaries will choose human

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rights may not hold in all cases.

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This video discusses how in situations

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where liberal norms clash, militaries,

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prioritize cohesion over human rights or civilian control.

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It found that soldiers exposed

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to norm conflict were less likely to support human rights

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and more likely to prioritize cohesion.

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The study also found that soldiers who received US training

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responded differently to norm

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conflict compared to those who did not.

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This highlights a new way

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that alternative norms like cohesion,

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dominate military decision making.

00:00 - This video examines how militaries handle conflicts between liberal norms, such as respect for human rights and obedience to civilian authority. The research focuses on the Liberian military during the 1979 rice riots where soldiers were ordered to fire on protestors, sparking resentment,

00:18 - and contributing to a coup. This poses challenges for countries like the United States, which export foreign military training and aim to spread liberal norms globally. This video argues that while the United States expects these norms to be mutually reinforcing, they often conflict and practice leading militaries to prioritize cohesion over adherence to liberal norms. The author suggests

00:44 - that US policy discourse rarely addresses this issue and that the assumption that militaries will choose human rights may not hold in all cases. This video discusses how in situations where liberal norms clash, militaries, prioritize cohesion over human rights or civilian control. It found that soldiers exposed to norm conflict were less likely to support human rights and more likely to prioritize cohesion. The study also found that soldiers who received US training

01:13 - responded differently to norm conflict compared to those who did not. This highlights a new way that alternative norms like cohesion, dominate military decision making.

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