Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Sherman A1

(38,958 posts)
Tue Dec 1, 2015, 04:49 AM Dec 2015

Economist Has Convincing Theory on How Extreme Inequality Creates Extremist Violence

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/11/30/economist-has-convincing-theory-how-extreme-inequality-creates-extremist-violence

Influential French economist Thomas Piketty is begging important questions this week after positing a theory that the rise of the Islamic State (or ISIS) can be attributed, at least in part, to extreme regional inequality in the Middle East fueled largely by oil wealth.

Piketty argues in a column published Le Monde last week and translated by the Washington Post on Monday that the concentration of wealth in the hands of just a few petro-monarchies has made the region the "most unequal on the planet."

In those states, Piketty says, the have-nots, including women and refugees, are often kept in a state of "semi-slavery." This, combined with a series of foreign interventions, have created what he described as a "powder keg" for terrorism.

The Post notes that "Piketty is particularly scathing when he blames the inequality of the region, and the persistence of oil monarchies that perpetuate it, on the West."
16 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Economist Has Convincing Theory on How Extreme Inequality Creates Extremist Violence (Original Post) Sherman A1 Dec 2015 OP
Well, globally both violence and inequality have shrunk dramatically over the past 20 years Recursion Dec 2015 #1
Source please. Scuba Dec 2015 #2
My guess ejbr Dec 2015 #3
Read the links and learn something Recursion Dec 2015 #5
My God. Seriously? Fine. Recursion Dec 2015 #4
From your own link ... Scuba Dec 2015 #6
This message was self-deleted by its author Recursion Dec 2015 #7
Yes, in the US, which represents roughly the top 12% of global income Recursion Dec 2015 #8
LOL, ouch. B Calm Dec 2015 #9
No, not "ouch". Just more derailing Recursion Dec 2015 #13
Statistically Sherman A1 Dec 2015 #11
Declined relative to WWI and WWII is a different thing than declined relative to say the 1980s. bemildred Dec 2015 #16
True. There is less inequality between people in rich and poor countries. There is more inequality pampango Dec 2015 #14
Simple. Extremely wealthy can afford to arm extremely poor. leveymg Dec 2015 #10
When in doubt, blame "the West" Democat Dec 2015 #12
Any abused animal will fight for itself. People are no different. nt bemildred Dec 2015 #15

Recursion

(56,582 posts)
1. Well, globally both violence and inequality have shrunk dramatically over the past 20 years
Tue Dec 1, 2015, 05:23 AM
Dec 2015

So there may be something to that.

Recursion

(56,582 posts)
5. Read the links and learn something
Tue Dec 1, 2015, 07:58 AM
Dec 2015

The past 20 years have seen the largest drop in global inequality and global violence in recorded history. Learn something. The world is more than US suburbia.

Response to Scuba (Reply #6)

Recursion

(56,582 posts)
8. Yes, in the US, which represents roughly the top 12% of global income
Tue Dec 1, 2015, 08:08 AM
Dec 2015

So, in very very rich countries like ours, we see income stratifying, just like we do in very very rich neighborhoods within the US. It's kind of a fractal. Global inequality is falling, has been falling for 20 years, and looks to continue to be for the foreseeable future.

Recursion

(56,582 posts)
13. No, not "ouch". Just more derailing
Wed Dec 2, 2015, 07:37 AM
Dec 2015

From somebody who is ideologically blind to the simple fact that inequality has gone way way down over the past twenty years. Grasping at straws about a recent local uptick is amusing, but also an admission that the point stands.

Sherman A1

(38,958 posts)
11. Statistically
Wed Dec 2, 2015, 05:46 AM
Dec 2015

You may be correct in you point. However, one doubts that statistics have much meaning to the families or friends of the victims of mass shootings or other forms of violent events be they in Europe, The Middle East, Asia, Africa, The US or anywhere in the world. We may indeed be seeing less violence as you suggest, however we need to see much, much less and at least I believe and have believed that economic inequality is a driving force behind a host of societal problems, violence being one of those.

bemildred

(90,061 posts)
16. Declined relative to WWI and WWII is a different thing than declined relative to say the 1980s.
Wed Dec 2, 2015, 08:14 AM
Dec 2015

Or the 1820s. The 1860s were pretty violent here.

So much depends in such conclusions on the metric selected and the period examined.

And anyway the Neolib dogma requires it, so it must be so, because "progress".

I want to add that slavery is a rather extreme form of inequality, so that does much to explain the extreme violence of the Civil War, and our racial inequalities explain the racial violence here very well too and our continuing state of misrule and misconduct in foreign affairs.

And I have been expecting another dose of that here since Raygun came in, because he was all about inequality, right from the start.

And I think we are about there now.

Divided and unequal societies tend to be more violent both internally (enforcement) and externally (displacement).

pampango

(24,692 posts)
14. True. There is less inequality between people in rich and poor countries. There is more inequality
Wed Dec 2, 2015, 08:07 AM
Dec 2015

within countries, including the US. Most are happy about the gains of poor people in poor countries, not so happy about the increase in inequality in our country. But progressive countries have shown that domestic inequality is not inevitable and that domestic income equality is not inconsistent with gains in global income equality.

leveymg

(36,418 posts)
10. Simple. Extremely wealthy can afford to arm extremely poor.
Wed Dec 2, 2015, 12:18 AM
Dec 2015

Too wealthy and well armed now to be stopped. International terrorism is a self-perpetuating cycle of economic concentration until it destroys itself.

Democat

(11,617 posts)
12. When in doubt, blame "the West"
Wed Dec 2, 2015, 05:54 AM
Dec 2015

I don't doubt that income inequality can be a contributing factor to crime.

However, when innocent people watching a concert are shot to death, the people to blame are the people holding the guns.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Economist Has Convincing ...