Managing the Periphery: The Violence of Development and the Prospects for Peace

Keywords: development; violence; peace; world-systems analysis; hegemonic cycles; Belt and Road Initiative; United States of America; China
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

Using the framework of world-systems analysis, the core-periphery structure of the capitalist world-economy and the twin dynamics of maneuver and hegemonic cycles are used to frame the continual need for violence enacted (directly and indirectly) by state and business interests driven by core-like processes in settings in which periphery processes dominate. Particular focus is given to the ideology of developmentalism as envisioned by W.W. Rostow and his understanding of the role of war in relations between the hegemonic power and the poorest parts of the world. The different forms of violence inspired by developmentalism are outlined. The current geopolitical moment is explored through focus upon the competition between the US and China around the Belt and Road Initiative and how this involves new rhetorical narratives of peace and new potentials for violence. The paper concludes by positing how the TimeSpace context of dynamic core-periphery relations and the challenges facing the US create opportunities and challenges for agents pursuing peace at a variety of scales.