Proposal Update 6

This is a rough outline of the causal sequence. Writing it up took much of the morning and was exhausting. I hate how pathetic I am at sequencing.

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While the present literature does not offer us definitive answers about the causes of ethnic cleansing, it provides myriad clues from which to synthesize a more coherent answer. The proposed model draws on several literatures from political science, sociology, psychology and history.

All Too Human: The Resistance to Killing as an Obstacle

1. There exists a reflex to abstain from killing within our own species

2. The reflex is tied to self-identity

3. The result of this violation of self-identity is trauma

Finding Your Inner Fascist: The Frame of Enemy Recognition

1. Our reflex of infrahumanization can allow for the objectification needed to kill

2. To facilitate planned killing, requires the imposition of a frame that allows for consistent objectification.

3. Definition derived from Schmitt

4. The enemy frame allows consistent objectification of the other, allowing for sustained violence.

If You Want to Make an Omelet—Politicians as Agents

1. Agents are important because ethnic cleansing is disciplined action undertaken by someone with the power to impose the discipline. This is the level of conscious choice.

2. Structural approaches tend to de-emphasize the importance of agency, but reveal clues about the difficulties agents face.

3. Current agent-based literature is wrongly focused on question of why—pointless question

Natural Born Killers? Hardly!—Training the Cleansers

1. Boot camp inculcates the identity of a killer and marries it to pro-social causes

2. Boot camp simulates actual killing rather than simple target practice

Manufacturing Consent: A Tipping Game

1. The Law of Few: The Importance of Opinion Leaders

2. Stickiness Factor: The experience of threat

3. Context: The Focus of Most Existing Structural Theory