Describe how the modern state emerged in the 16th century by asserting a monopoly over the use of violence that connected the state to war making, colonialism, and capital accumulation. Then, use the U.S. creation of a militarized “empire of bases” (war-making) since WWII and the Belgian colonial and neocolonial history in the Congo (colonialism) since the late 19th century as case studies to describe how they reflect modern state making processes. Use all 6 of the following texts and documentaries in your essay: 1) Charles Tilly, “War Making and State Making as Organized Crime” (1985) [See attached pdf] 2) Mohammed Hussein and Mohammed Haddad, “Infographic: US Military Presence Around the World” (2021) https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/10/infographic-us-military-presence-around-the-world-interactive 3) [Documentary] John Pilger, “The Coming War on China” (2016) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAfeYMONj9E 4) [Documentary] Basil Davidson, “Caravans of Gold” (1985) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSoZ07LXnKo 5) Wikipedia, “Atrocities in the Congo Free State” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrocities_in_the_Congo_Free_State 6) Neil Munshi, “Belgium’s Reckoning With a Brutal History in Congo,” Financial Times, November 13, 2020 [See attached pdf]
