U.S./CHINA PLANE COLLISION CRISIS.   Term Paper ID:30013 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Uses social theory to analyze the crisis causes by the mid-air collision of a U.S. spy plane and a Chinese fighterr jet on April 1, 2001.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Uses social theory to analyze the crisis caused by the mid-air collision of a U.S> spy plane and a Chinese fighter jet on April 1, 2001. Conflict theory of Karl Marx and interaction 6heory of Georg Simmel. Economics as a driving force (Marx) & human interaction (Simmel). Issues of who caused the crash; sovergien aerial territory, political ideaology, personal and international interaction. Paper Introduction: This study will examine the crisis following the mid-air collision of a U.S. spy plane and a Chinese fighter jet over international waters off the coast of China. The crisis, with its many ambiguities, uncertainties and ramifications, lends itself to analysis based on the ideas of conflict theorist Karl Marx and interaction theorist Georg Simmel. The crisis is a fascinating subject for inquiry based on social theory because it involved not only the individuals on the two planes (including the deceased Chinese pilot who apparently caused the collision--if we are to believe the American version), but also the two powerful nations of the United States and China. The crisis had a number of factors which are wide open to controversy, from the cause of the collision to the question of international territory to the issue of intelligence gathering. Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. What mattered, however, was economics. The Americans, upon release, said that they had been treated fairlywell by the Chinese, and that they had destroyed much equipment andsoftware before the emergency landing in China. On April 1, 2 1, a United States intelligence gathering Navy EP-3airplane was involved in a collision with a Chinese fighter jet. The crisis began at the collision, of course, but it intensified whenthe Chinese chose to keep the Americans. Makowsky. "U.S. The crisis was presented by themedia as an international disaster waiting to happen, a sign of the greattensions between the United States and China, two great powers, onecommunist and controlled society, one capitalist and free. Simmel's theory, on the other hand,allows an analyst to focus on a more microcosmic examination of the crisis. These two theories are both useful in understanding the crisis inquestion. Simmel's approach is refreshing in that it admits that the analystcannot know everything one seeks in the social inquiry, especiallyunquestionable "laws" which explain the dynamics and processes of socialintercourse: "For Simmel, society is made up of the interactions betweenand among, individuals, and the sociologist should study the patterns andforms of these associations, rather than quest after social laws." Simmelsees individuals as free actors, but not totally free from social forces:"They are nevertheless part of the socialization process and play a role inits continuation" (Farganis, 2 , p. Itis also accepted by both sides that the fighter jet was rendered helplessby the collision and crashed into the waters off China, with the pilotdying. Those factors, on the personal level of actual interaction betweenthe people at ground level in the crisis tell us far more about the actualstate of the world and the alleged conflict between political ideologiesthan any analysis by Marx or any neo-Marxist. . Both sides wanted to end the crisis assoon as reasonably possible, with saving face a major desire on both sides.As Marx found, economic imperatives drive human relations and in this caseled to a solution between two states who did not want to alienate presentand future markets. This does not mean thatMarxist analysis of capitalism and its consequences are not relevant, forthey are. a completely positive relation; it is a specific form of interaction." The stranger is not "the wanderer who comes today and goes tomorrow, but rather . The article givesevidence for the opposite argument it intends. For Simmel, on the other hand, "Money is never an adequate mediatorof personal relationships" (Kivisto, 1998, p. Thousand Oaks: PineForge. Marx's conflict theory and Simmel's interaction theory are bothuseful in understanding the crisis between the United States and China.Marx correctly noted that economics is a major driving force, and Simmelcorrectly saw that the fundamentals of social theory are rooted in specifichuman interaction. Marx may not havebeen accurate with respect to the precise features of the developingcapitalist or communist systems after his own time, but he was correct inconcluding that the compelling consideration, at the macrocosmic level, iseconomic. The Chinese asked the American strangers to return in the future. (2 ). The questionthen became what sort of apology would be issued by the Americangovernment, and when that apology came--for the death of the Chinese pilotand the landing of the American plane on Chinese soil--the 24 Americanswere immediately released and the crisis was over, with the disposition ofthe plane yet to be settled. At thesame time, national considerations have been subsumed by globalconsiderations, which international economic interrelationships dominatingalmost all issues beyond the national level. "U.S., China Reach Standstill in Talks Over PlaneCrew." Los Angeles Times. means that many [Chinese] see the Communist regime as having come out of the confrontation with the U.S. Those factors tell far more about the nature of the relationshipbetween the people of China and the people of the United States than anyfinal, official agreements between the governments of China and the UnitedStates which settled the crisis. Yes, it is a volatile combination, not for Chinese nationalism butfor capitalistic and consumerist internationalism. . April 11.----------------------- 1 The crisis is a fascinating subject for inquiry based on socialtheory because it involved not only the individuals on the two planes(including the deceased Chinese pilot who apparently caused the collision--if we are to believe the American version), but also the two powerfulnations of the United States and China. The most dramatic accountsof the Americans focused not on the days of captivity and their relationswith their Chinese captors, but on their beliefs or fears that they weregoing to crash into the sea and die after the collision. The Discovery of Society.Boston: McGraw-Hill. Whatever they were, the UnitedStates protested and the Chinese refused to release them. From the Marxist viewpoint, what is involved are the greathistorical and economic forces at play, while Simmel is interested in thehuman interactions at the microcosmic level. . Consider, for example, the American claim (which was supported bygrainy videotape) that the Chinese pilot who caused the collision and thecrisis had earlier come perilously close to the same American spy plane andhad at that time held up a sign with his e-mail address on it. Thetwo groups--captors and captives, Chinese and American, communists andcapitalists--did not see one another as enemies of opposing ways of life orpolitical systems, but rather as individuals desirous of finding out moreabout one another under better circumstances. The 24 military personnel on the American plane were held captive bythe Chinese for eleven days, then released to much fanfare in the UnitedStates. There is littledoubt that the Chinese went through the plane seeking technology andinformation, but the plane became less significant than the disposition ofthe 24 Americans. Marx focuses on monumental forces operating in conflict over greatblocks of time and reducing human beings to robot-like creatures enslavedto those forces and processes, until, in Marx's view, the conflicts eruptin revolution and an ideal society eventually evolves. looking weak. This study will examine the crisis following the mid-air collision ofa U.S. Personal relationshipsare the focus of Simmel's theory, not massive historical or economicmovements through epochs. A1, A8. . Nationalism is particularly notable among young people, who also are the ones most likely to use the Internet, understand English and get access to a copy of the original U.S. The crisis in question highlights the fact that theworld is today one marketplace, and that fact is more important than anysystem of government, any political ideology. The status of the plane itself remains in question. At the same time, China recognizes that even though itclings to communist theory and authoritarian government, it cannot isolateitself from the United States and other consuming nations in the world ifit hopes to market its own goods. as capitalistic markets, however,Marxism becomes more useful, for it exposes the crisis as essentially acharade between two giant markets (rather than nations) which at timescooperate and at other times compete with one another. Kempster, N. plane was in Chinese or internationalairspace, the Chinese government sought a way to end the crisis, which didnot benefit them any more than it benefitted the Americans. promoted by the [Chinese] government . Their actual captors (as opposed to theposturing Chinese leaders) treated these "strangers" as celebrities, asrepresentatives of a culture they admired and desired. Instead, consumerism, pop culture, celebrity, e-mail,autographs and other personal features reigned supreme. April 14. The problem with a Marxist analysis of the crisis is that it wouldlikely be tempted to depict the confrontation as one between a communistsystem and a capitalist system. Therefore, neither China nor the U.S. On the other hand, as Simmel correctly argued, at the micro levelhuman interactions are the most important factor, with analysis revealingthat ideology played little or no role in the relationships among captorsand captives. It also demonstrates that Simmel's approach to reality isjust as relevant and telling as Marx's approach. 11 -111). Finally, both sides agree that the American plane landed at amilitary airfield in China. "Some Chinese Are Reading U.S. What those factors reveal is that the world has indeed grown small,that the Cold War is indeed over, and that the world is now comprised ofconsumers who belong to one global market desirous of computers and ISP'sand pop music, whatever their nationality or the system of government underwhich they live. (1998). plane collision,Marxism clearly needs some adjustment to be useful. Marx's theory is useful in understanding the economic forcesguiding the leaders of both nations to find a relatively speedy solution.Only Simmel's theory, however, can shed light on the many smallinteractions which occurred, particularly between the Americans and Chinesewho were not national leaders but "merely" small players in theinternational incident. A1, A1 . At the heart of his theory is the view thateconomic conflict drives history: "Marx's analysis of capitalism isdesigned to uncover the dynamics and contradictions inherent in a systemthat converts all human relations into economic relations" (Kivisto, 1998,pp. The application of the theories of Marx and Simmel to the crisisbetween China and the United States demonstrates that an observer must notaccept superficial and biased reports of reality if he or she wants to knowwhat is really going on in the world today. The fiddling with "regret" and"sorry" and "very sorry" was necessary for both nations to claim such asaving of face. At first, the Chinese tried to make thequestion of the location of the collision an issue, but since that openingsalvo about sovereign aerial territory, the Chinese dropped that issue. From the Marxist perspective, the conflicts abound, frompolitical ideology to economics to questions of class. Marxism is useful in providing a larger context inwhich the crisis can be understood. A14. One analysis of thecrisis attempts to paint a picture of China as a communist nation driven bynationalistic impulses. However, Marx was wrong in terms of revolution strikingindividual states through the intensification of class conflict. After letting go of thequestion of whether the U.S. The theoretical perspectives of Marx and Simmel illuminate differentaspects of the crisis. (2 ). letter of regret--a volatile combination (Chu, 2 , A1 ). . Such interactions, Simmel believes,"alone produce society as we know it" (Collins and Makowsky, 1998, p. The United Statesmay spy on China, not trusting the communist nation militarily, but that isseparate from the American appreciation of China as a massive market forAmerican goods. (2 ). Collins, R., and M. 146). Marx, on the other hand, sees the dynamics of social processes asmore macrocosmic. Takes Harder Line With China BeforeTalks." Los Angeles Times. The problem is that while marketconsiderations did indeed play a central role in resolving the conflict,those markets were just as crucial to the so-called communist side as theywere to the capitalist side. 162). This analysis ofcapitalistic society and its ultimate demise stands in stark contrast withSimmel's view, which bypasses the monumental factors upon which Marxconcentrates and focuses instead on the minute interactions which occurbetween individuals and small groups. Considerthat the actual Chinese captors themselves, the ones who were responsiblefor the care and interrogation of the Americans--American spies, after all--asked their captives for their autographs, joined them in sing-alongs, andasked for the lyrics to the song "Hotel California." In addition, thecaptors asked the captives to come visit them some day after they werefreed. Were they "prisoners" or"hostages" or "detainees" or "guests"? . Only through theheroics of the pilot of the American plane did he and his 24 fellowAmericans survive. Letter for What ItIs." Los Angeles Times. Simmel is far more concerned with small interactionsbetween human beings and as a result "his writings are a texture ofinsights that never quite make a solid system." Simmel "never really pushesthrough to a sociological theory of the causes and effects of sociability,"and his "payoff is aesthetic rather than sociological" (Collins andMakowsky, 1998, p. sought to prolong the conflictany longer than necessary to save face. Readings in Social Theory. Marx sought to construct a theory which would take into considerationthe great movements of humanity which result from conflicts from thebeginning of society. spy plane and a Chinese fighter jet over international waters offthe coast of China. The great conflict resulting from these economic processes is thatbetween the classes, the workers and the capitalists. 137). After all, these are the same youth whocreated a facsimile of the American Statue of Liberty as a symbol of hopeduring the uprising in Tianenmen. With respect to the crisis created by the China-U.S. 161). (2 ). . Apparently,according to the United States' leaders, the computers and other technologyon the plane were removed by the Chinese. The facts that so many youngChinese have access to computers, are on the Internet and speak English areevidence not of an isolating nationalism or communism but aninternationalist consumerism. In fact, anexamination of the crisis at both the macro and micro levels demonstratethat things are not as they seem. He does not see individuals as free actors, but rather aspawns of the march of historical materialism. Simmel's interactionist theory is far morefascinating than Marx's conflict theory in analyzing the particulars ofthis crisis. . If we see both China and the U.S. Farganis, J. Kivisto, P. the man who comes today and stays tomorrow" (Kivisto, 1998, 17). Specifically, both sides in the dispute were in conflict over whatwas necessary for the release of the Americans. 16). However, an evengreater conflict is the internal one which forces capitalism to continue toexpand its markets beyond the borders of nations. Freedom for individuals doesnot begin until consciousness is raised and revolution results from theconflict between the classes. Capitalismhas become the dominant economic system in the world today, with communismand socialism fading. References Chu, H. On the level of personal interaction where Simmel finds his subjectand his inspiration, the crisis demonstrates the accuracy of his insights.For example, consider Simmel's concept of the "stranger" in the context ofthe American spies in China. However, the analysis contradicts itself in theprocess: An upsurge of nationalism . Boston: McGraw-Hill. (1998). This calls to mindSimmel: For Simmel, "being a stranger is . The crisis, with its many ambiguities, uncertaintiesand ramifications, lends itself to analysis based on the ideas of conflicttheorist Karl Marx and interaction theorist Georg Simmel. That is afact accepted by all sides. The problem with any Marxist analysis of anymatter in the 21st century is that markets are just as crucial to acommunist or socialist society as they are to a capitalist society. April 14. Illuminating Social Life. The crisis had a number of factorswhich are wide open to controversy, from the cause of the collision to thequestion of international territory to the issue of intelligence gathering.From the point of view of Simmel's, the crisis involves the essentialfactor of interaction on many levels--including the personal and theinternational. Wright, R. Capitalism to Marx is avoracious force which tends to require more work from workers and moremarkets for the products made by alienated workers, and tends to increasethat alienation by cutting the worker off from the life around him: "As theworking day gets longer, workers are increasingly cut off fromparticipation in community life" (Kivisto, 1998, p. 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