Globalization and War

This panel examines sociological perspectives on war and its place in an increasingly globalized world. Since the nineteenth century, sociologists have offered contrasting visions of the relationship between economic development, globalization, and armed conflict. Claude Henri de Saint-Simon argued that the rise of industrial and commercial society would gradually replace military society. As production, science, and commerce became the dominant forces shaping social life, warfare, he believed, would lose its central role. In this vision, the future belonged to industrialists, scientists, and administrators rather than soldiers and aristocrats.

A contrasting perspective was offered by C. Wright Mills, whose analysis of the military-industrial complex highlighted the growing concentration of power among political, economic, and military elites. Writing during the Cold War, Mills warned of the persistent threat of large-scale warfare and the possibility of a Third World War, presenting a stark challenge to Saint-Simon’s optimistic expectations.

Contemporary developments suggest that Saint-Simon’s vision has not been fully realized. Although economic interdependence and globalization were long believed to reduce the likelihood of conflict by increasing the costs of war, recent geopolitical tensions reveal a more complex reality. Globalization and war are thus deeply intertwined, serving both as mutual drivers and as forces that can undermine one another.

This panel invites sociologists from around the world to examine the evolving relationship between globalization and warfare in the twenty-first century. Contributions may address theoretical, historical, or empirical dimensions of this relationship and explore how contemporary conflicts challenge established assumptions about peace, interdependence, and global integration.