Violence (DP IB Global Politics: HL): Revision Note
What is violence?
Violence is a central concept in global politics, encompassing far more than physical force
It includes the structures and cultural norms that cause harm, deny rights and perpetuate inequality
Different political traditions interpret violence in contrasting ways
Realists view violence as an inevitable feature of international relations, driven by states competing for power and security in an anarchic world
Liberals argue that violence can be reduced through international institutions, trade and the spread of democratic norms
Marxists see violence as rooted in economic inequality and class conflict, with structural violence embedded in capitalist systems
Feminists argue that violence must be understood at every level - from war between states to violence in the home - and that true peace requires addressing the gendered power structures that enable it
Post-colonialists contend that violence is inseparable from the legacies of colonialism, which continue to shape inequality between and within states
Understanding violence requires looking beyond direct physical acts to the deeper structures and beliefs that sustain it
Direct violence
Johan Galtung defines direct violence as open and obvious violence
His theory examines the interconnected relationship between cultural, structural and direct violence
Galtung's Conflict Triangle
Direct violence has several important components
It is not accidental
It is intended to hurt or injure a person or group of people
It can impact people physically or emotionally
It is clearly visible
Direct violence can be seen at all levels of conflict, from domestic violence in the home to a war between two states
It is always destructive with long-term negative consequences
Negative peace emerges when direct violence ends
Ending direct violence may be a temporary solution unless the underlying causes of the direct violence are addressed
Structural violence
According to Johan Galtung, structural violence is the structures in society that cause harm or contribute to social injustice
Examples of structural violence
Companies that pay men more than women for doing the same work | Higher death rates for treatable diseases amongst one racial group |
Hospitals that refuse to treat homeless people | Laws that refuse to permit same-sex couples to marry |
Structural violence is often difficult to identify and can be seen as a type of latent conflict, simmering below the surface
It is built into the structures of society
It is sometimes unnoticed by those not impacted
In some cases structural violence is clearly visible
Those with power benefit from it and so ignore it
Galtung argues that structural violence should never be ignored, as it breeds contempt and will eventually lead to direct violence
Case Study
Foreign Domestic Workers in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is home to approximately 3.7 million foreign domestic workers, the vast majority of whom are women from Ethiopia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Sri Lanka
Their treatment illustrates how structural inequality, embedded in law, can constitute a form of violence even in the absence of open conflict
The Kafala system
The Kafala system ties workers legally to a single employer, who controls whether they can change jobs, travel or leave the state
This creates a profound power imbalance in which employers hold near-total control over workers' lives
Documented abuses
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have documented widespread withheld wages, passport confiscation, physical abuse and sexual violence
Many workers are confined to their employer's home with no rest days and no access to outside support
Workers who flee abusive employers risk arrest and deportation, with little prospect of legal redress
Limited reform
Saudi Arabia announced reforms in 2021 allowing some workers to change employers without permission, but domestic workers were largely excluded
Human rights organisations note that structural barriers remain largely intact
The feminist peace perspective
The Kafala system represents structural violence - a legal framework that systematically denies women agency, safety and equality
The workers most affected are overwhelmingly women from less economically developed states, meaning gender and economic inequality intersect and reinforce each other
Genuine peace requires dismantling the legal structures that make exploitation routine
Cultural violence
Galtung defines cultural violence as that related to some aspect of culture such as religion, ideology and social norms
He argues that widely accepted cultural values can be used to justify structural and direct violence
Culture can
Inspire and reinforce discriminatory laws
Cultural and structural violence interact but they are not the same
Normalise the mistreatment and direct violence against people, particularly those who are marginalised and vulnerable
Cultural violence can take many forms
Violence against participants at an LQBTQ+ event
Sports fans attacking fans of a visiting team
Graffiti sprayed on the walls of a synagogue in a predominantly Christian town
Minority groups being criticised for speaking their own language
Case Study
Domestic violence in Ethiopia
Ethiopia illustrates how the absence of effective legal protection, combined with deeply embedded cultural norms, enables intimate partner violence to persist on a large scale
The scale of the problem
A WHO multi-state study identified Ethiopia as having one of the highest recorded rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) in the world, with a lifetime prevalence of 71% among women surveyed
Approximately 69% of Ethiopian women consider IPV normal or acceptable, reflecting the depth of cultural normalisation and posing a barrier to prevention
Why violence persists
Ethiopia's Criminal Code includes provisions against domestic violence
However, enforcement is extremely weak, and marital rape is not recognised as a criminal offence
Afrobarometer research found that most Ethiopians consider domestic violence a private family matter rather than a criminal one
Women's economic dependence on male partners limits their ability to leave violent relationships
Barriers to justice
Rates of reporting are extremely low due to social stigma and lack of confidence in the legal system
A 2022 UN Women review found that the absence of effective mechanisms of enforcement weakens the rights guaranteed to women under the law
The feminist peace perspective
Ethiopia demonstrates that the absence of war does not mean the absence of violence for women
Structural inequalities in law, culture and economic life create conditions in which direct violence is both enabled and sustained
Genuine peace requires not only legal reform but a fundamental shift in the power structures that normalise such violence
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