POLITICS ESSAY OUTLINE
PLANNING THE ESSAY
Student: Neil de Gray Achievement:
Application
Total: Marks
Paragraph 1 (Introductory Paragraph)
Background Information:
The question of morality has always
existed in the political landscape and the use of so-called “dirty hands” has
often been looked down upon. Dirty hands
refers to the use of amoral actions for the purpose of political gain, security
or management. Politicians have been
known to be corrupt and deceptive, but where does the necessity for dirty hands
end and unwarranted amoral action begin.
Ø explain
what dirty hands politics is and give an example (torture of terrorist etc.)
Ø explain
how it applies to current political theory and applications
Ø draw
the reader into the essay
Controversial Question:
Are “dirty hands” necessary in
politics? Can a moral dilemma exist in
the political decision making process?
Thesis Statement:
“Dirty hands” are imperative for the
effective management, leadership and security of a nation-state, and allow
political organisations and leaders to invoke political change, maintain order
and control of the masses, and to satisfy the perennial principle of
proportionality where the needs of the many outweighs those of a few.
Sub-Topics:
1.
Dirty hands are required for invoking change and forward movement in
political ideologies.
2. Dirty hands allows political
organisations to maintain order both internally and externally on the global
political atmosphere, protecting the security of a nation state.
3.
The needs of the many outweighs the needs of a few and “the ends justify
the means.” Politicians must weigh the
consequences of their actions and on some occasions must make decisions that
will be against particular individuals and groups to do right for the majority
of people.
Paragraph 2 (Background Paragraph)
Major Idea: To inform the reader of the
historical aspect of “dirty hands” in politics.
What is the issue and how does it apply to a democratic nation such as
Canada or the United States? Dirty hands
have been evident in the past and are still apparent in world politics, and
represent a very important feature of political decision making. Give some examples of dirty hands and their
use and explain the situations surrounding moral dilemmas. Examine section one of the thesis the
“effective management, leadership and security.”
Ø Examine
places where dirty hands might be needed i.e. torturing of a terrorist to
protect the greater population
Ø Past
examples of dirty hands; japanese reforms, various revolutions and elections
Ø Describe
a moral dilemma and explain why the dirty route is the most effective and best
solution
Concluding Sentence:
Dirty hands are a fixture of the
political perspective and are present in all forms of government from municipal
to national, and play an important role in the development and security of a
nation.
Paragraph 3 (Sub-Topic 1)
Major Idea: Dirty hands are integral to the
ability of a political leader or organisation to invoke change. Dirty hands are necessary to change political
agendas and ideologies.
Evidence:
1.
The Russian Revolution (Bolshevik) of 1917 was the driving force in the
transformation of Russia from czarist rule to that of communism. The military force used for gaining palace
grounds to enforce change involved dirty hands.
The royal family was savagely murdered, children included, in the
basement of the home. Original cause of
the outbreak was the populations demands to exit WWI due to heavy casualties
and expense. Dirty hands were required
by the revolutionaries to stop the war and change the weak governmental
rule. “The revolution overthrew the
autocratic imperial monarchy and . . . effected a change in all economic,
political and social relationships in Russian society.” (“Russian Revolution.” Encarta 1998.) Without this revolution it is unlikely any
steps forward would be made in Russian government.
2.
Hitler used “dirty hands” politics to gain support for his beliefs and
change the German situation in Europe at the time. Before WWII, Germany was in shambles, broken
down with a non-existent economy, controlled by sanctions and left to sink by
other nations in the area. The people
were oppressed, and their best, most fertile land had been stolen from
them. Hitler rose through the ranks,
brainwashed his people and took command.
In the process, he picked up the German economy and made them the
powerful state they are today. The
actions were amoral, but it did change the future of Germany and the state of
its people. Who knows where Germany
would be today had WWII not occurred.
3.
The United States use of power and authority to control the outcomes of
political elections in other nations has become very important to the
maintenance of world security. By
entering themselves in these conflicts the United States has been able to keep
order in many third world nations.
Interference in El Salvador, Chile and Nicaragua are just some of the
examples of American foreign pressures.
In all of these countries the American government used dirty tactics to
get a political leader who would suit the Western world’s cause.
Concluding Sentence:
The use of dirty hands to alter the
political landscape and produce change, often for the better of the people, is
a very important tool for the security, management and leadership of a
nation-state.
Paragraph 4 (Sub-Topic 2)
Major Idea: Dirty hands are essential to
preserve order and control of the people of a nation. Force and dirty hands are occasionally
necessary to maintain governmental control of a situation.
Evidence:
1.
“‘We are not in the Boy Scouts,’ Richard Helms was fond of saying when
he ran the Central Intelligence Agency.
He was correct, of course. Boy
Scouts do not ordinarily bribe foreign politicians, invade other countries with
secret armies, spread lies, conduct medical experiments, build stocks of
poison, pass machine guns to people who plan to use them on their leaders, or
plot to kill men such as Lumumba or Castro or others who displeased Washington. The CIA did these things, and more, over a
long span of years.” (Powers,
Thomas. Atlantic Monthly.) This quotation appearing in an article about
the immoral history of the CIA, explains the great lengths the American
government would go to get what they wanted.
They would work undercover to alter the courses of action in other
countries to defend and protect their own people and nation.
2.
“US policy in El Salvador demanded nothing less than that America effect
fundamental changes in that country’s authoritarian culture, its political
practices, and its economic, social and military structure. . . . such a
project used to be called “nation building” . . . What is indisputable is that
for a decade American policy makers in Washington and American civilian and
military personnel in El Salvador consorted with murderers and sadists.” During the Cold War the United States funded,
aided and supplied many dictatorships and amoral governments to protect their
own interests and keep these nations from falling to Soviet rule. “America would draw the line there against
‘Communist interference’.” The zero sum
game, America and the USSR both invested interest in other nations as a ways of
stopping their slide to the others methods.
3.
Other examples include US efforts in Vietnam, Nicaragua, West Germany
and Chile all used as tools in the Cold War to halt the spread of
communism. American aid and military
efforts in these countries were often amoral, but were done to protect Western
interests. Proxy wars were often “dirty”
but necessary as a defence mechanism against superpower takeover. In Cambodia,
“Nixon administration secretly approved over 3600 B-52 air attacks against
suspected Viet Cong and North Vietnamese installations . . . thousands of
Cambodians were killed.”
4.
In North Korea and other dictator controlled states, governmental
control is kept through the use of force.
Without this tool many countries would exist in a constant state of war
and uprisals. It is the fear invoked by
the government that keeps the people in line and prevents greater
troubles. As Machiavelli noted it is
better to be feared than loved as a leader.
Leaders such as Stalin controlled solely on this basis of fear. Laws against public protests often protect
the security of the nation and deters upheaval and chaos.
Concluding Sentence:
Dirty hands have been used in the
past and continue to be used as an effective method of maintaining order and
security of a nation-state, and meeting the needs of the majority of citizens
of a nation.
Paragraph 5 (Sub-Topic 3)
Major Idea:
Dirty hands are necessary in
politics to meet the needs of the many over the needs of a few. The perennial principle of proportionality.
Evidence:
1.
The FLQ Crisis in Quebec during the Trudeau years is a perfect example
of an excessive use of force to control the masses and satisfy the perennial
principle of proportionality. Quebecor’s
rights were taken away when the War Measures Act was enacted. Police forces and RCMP were given the power
to “arrest and search people without a warrant, and to detain citizens up to 21
days without giving any reason[1]”
for the arrest. More than 465[2]
French Canadians were arrested and detained on October 16 the day the War
Measures Act was enacted. The War
Measures Act was a drastic manoeuvre that allowed government officials to
control separatist uprisings and stop potential further conflicts.
2.
MKULTRA Project. “At least 77
persons who thought they were being given the best treatment possible to cure
their psychological problems were instead used as part of a program to
investigate mind control techniques.
They were given a hallucinogen (LSD) and other experimental drugs
without their permission or knowledge.”
The CIA used these tests to examine mind control techniques that could
be used on their citizens by the Russians.
It was a security measure that was important in the dangerous times of
the Cold War.
3.
Muslim registration in the United States has been viewed as a human
rights infringement. However, it is the
American peoples and governments belief that the protection of the state from
the evils of terrorism outweighs the rights of a few individuals. Thousands could be saved by finding potential
terrorists, while registration only takes a few hours from the lives of small
group.
Concluding Sentence:
The needs and rights of the many
should always outweigh those of a few, and it is occasionally necessary to
abuse the rights of a small group for the good of a state.
Conclusion
Summary of Sub-Topics:
Dirty hands politics have been an
effective tool of invoking political change, as in the Russian Revolution and
Nazi Germany; maintaining world and national order and security, as displayed
by the actions of the CIA; and satisfying the needs of the many, as illustrated
by the handling of the FLQ crisis and MKULTRA Project.
Restate the Thesis:
The use of “dirty hands” in
political actions has become a necessary part of national security and
management, allowing governments and citizens to exercise their powers and
maintain order as well as invoke political changes while keeping the interests
of the majority in mind.
Positive, moral, lesson learned sentence:
Dirty hands are not acceptable under
all occasions and should only be used as a last resort to ensure the protection
and security of a people or state.
WORKS
CITED LIST
Griffin, Lester. “The problem of dirty hands.” The Journal of Religious Ethics. Spring 1989.
McGill, Peter. “Dirty Hands in White Gloves.” World Press Review. September 1993.
Maas, W. “Cruelty and Deception: The Controversy over
Dirty Hands in Politics.” Current Reviews for Academic
Libraries. December 2000.
Slann, Martin. “Conscience and Power: An Examination of
Dirty Hands and Political Leadership.” Perspectives on Political Science. Summer 1997.
Malhotra, S.S. “The Russian Revolution.” The Militant. September 30, 1996.
www.themilitant.com/1996/6034.
Wade, Rex. “The Russian Revolution.” Cambridge University Press. Cambridge. 2000.
Digeser, Peter. “Forgiveness and Politics: Dirty Hands and
Imperfect Procedures.” Political Theory. October 1998.
Sage Publications.
Schmidhauser, John. “Dirty Hands: The Problem of Political
Morality.” Policy Studies Journal. Summer 1995.
Anheier, Helmut. “Studying the Nazi Party: clean models
versus dirty hands.” The American
Journal of Sociology. July 1997.
“The People Disagree: Elections in
Nigeria.” The Economist. April 24, 2003.
Walzer, Michael. “Political Action: The Problem of Dirty
Hands.” Philosophy and Public Affairs.