Journal of Political & Military Sociology

Military Service and American Democracy: From World War II to the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars by William A. Taylor

Ryan Hill — 2023-09-07

Review of: Military Service and American Democracy: From World War II to the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars by William A. Taylor. Lawrence: University of Kansas Press, 2016. (282 pages)

Party, Politics, and the Post-9/ 11 Army by Heidi A. Urben

Morten Brænder — 2023-09-07

Review of: Party, Politics, and the Post-9/11 Army by Heidi A. Urben. New York: Cambria Press, 2021. (300 pages)

Teaching and Learning the West Point Way: Educating the Next Generation of Leaders, edited by Morten G. Ender, Raymond A. Kimball, Rachel M. Sondheimer, Jakob C. Bruhl

Olenda Johnson — 2023-09-07

Review of: Teaching and Learning the West Point Way: Educating the Next Generation of Leaders, edited by Morten G. Ender, Raymond A. Kimball, Rachel M. Sondheimer, and Jakob C. Bruhl. London: Routledge, 2021. (352 pages)

The Political Science of the Middle East: Theory and Research since the Arab Uprisings, edited by Marc Lynch, Jillian Schwedler, and Sean Yom

Sarah Brosio — 2023-09-07

Review of: The Political Science of the Middle East: Theory and Research since the Arab UprisingsT, edited by Marc Lynch, Jillian Schwedler, and Sean Yom. New York: Oxford University Press, 2022. (320 pages)

Notes on Contributors

Editors — 2023-09-07

Notes on contributors to the Journal of Political & Military Sociology Volume 50, Number 1.

"Standing against a State Requires the State"

Erik van Ree — 2023-09-07

This article explores “revolutionary etatization,” defined as the process of revolutionary organizations evolving into embryonic proto-states even before they have seized power. The article focuses on the period between the end of World War I and the present day. While the situation of inescapable violent competition (Tilly) represents the Darwinian driver of the process, we need the ideological
and strategic dimensions to account for the variety of revolutionary proto-states. Embryonic revolutionary states come in two main types: the multi-department civil-administration apparatus, and the agglomerate of organs of popular representation, corresponding, respectively, to “constructive” and “co-optive” modes of state formation. Revolutionary etatization is a universal experience holding true not only for rural guerrillas controlling “liberated territories” but also for urban guerrillas and urban insurrectionists.

The Social Construction of the Ocean, Sea Power, and Maritime Transformation

Kuang-hao Hou — 2023-09-07

This review article elucidates concepts related to sea power, the social construction of the ocean, and maritime transformation. It begins with Mahan’s and Mackinder’s classic understanding of sea power, arguably the source of all traditional perspectives on the subject. Although this article accepts Till’s definition of sea power, it maintains that conventional wisdom does not offer a clear distinction between sea power as “a means of social power” and sea power as “states with powerful navies.” Furthermore, this article discusses Lambert’s conception of seapower identity, contending that his perspectives on seapower-state establishment are not based on relationships between the state, military, and the oceans. Lambert’s analysis of seapower states focuses on the activities that people engage in on land for seapower identity. His account suggests that maritime transformation could only occur in cases in which sea states transform into seapower states. However, this article claims that Steinberg’s concepts and theory of the social construction of the ocean provide a useful approach to examining the maritime transformation required for a transition from tellurocracy to thalassocracy.

Serving with Transgender Service Members

Michelle Dietert — 2023-09-07

Several studies focusing on public attitudes toward transgender people have been conducted, but there has been minimal research on how heteronormativity might influence military-affiliated respondents’ attitudes toward transgender service members. In this qualitative study, seven United States veterans participated in phone interviews from July 2020 to January 2021, in which they shared their thoughts about working with transgender service members. Findings also included their opinions regarding transgender service as it relates to unit cohesion, military effectiveness, and national security. Overall, this study uniquely contributes to the scholarly literature by providing a firsthand account of transgender military service from the service members themselves. The findings also lay the groundwork for future and more extensive studies related to the current integration of transgender service members as they work
alongside their cisgender colleagues.

Draft Evasion Policy in the Republic of Cyprus

Stratis Efthymiou — 2023-09-07

This article views military service through the lenses of legal and gender approaches. With the reinstatement of compulsory military service being debated in many Western countries, the factors contributing to draft evasion are relevant. This article explores policy aiming to address draft evasion through a case study of post-EU-accession Cyprus. It shows that in Cyprus, policy attempts to reinvigorate military values are flawed. Draft evasion points to social, political, and economic developments that call for the military ideology of the armed forces to be redesigned to render a fairer institution toward conscript soldiers. When the draft evasion phenomenon becomes intensified, armies should consider a fairer form of military service, such as “giving back” to soldiers for the time spent in the army through the development of skills and educational and professional qualifications.