The Hawks And Doves In Politics

Africanus Owusu-Ansah

HAWK
Horror of community control;
Answered the call of duty;
War is the answer;
Knights of democracy.
DOVE
Desire for non - violence;
Opposition to military action;
Voice in the wilderness;
Eyes set on peace.
Kevin J Suess
HAWKS AND DOVES
How can two of nature's aerial creatures become symbolic of a nation's division over its foreign policy? To arrive at a possible answer one can look at the Vietnam War. This conflict that divided the country into Hawks and Doves is still being debated with no apparent end in sight, Unlike the Civil War with its clearly defined mandate, that of Vietnam is filled with the shrieks and chirps of confusion.

James Toby
Also he (Noah) sent forth a dove from him to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground. But the dove found no rest for the sole of her feet and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth; then he put forth his hand and took her, and pulled her unto him into the ark. And stayed yet another seven days and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; and the dove came into him in the evening and lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off; so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove, which returned not again unto him anymore.

Genesis 8:8-12
 
Conflict is inherent in human societies. Lewis Coser sees it as 'a struggle for values, claims to status, power and scarce resources in which the aims of the opposing parties are not only to gain the desired value but also to neutralize, injure, or eliminate rivals'. Peter Wallensteen sees it as 'a social situation in which a minimum of two parties strive at the same time to acquire the same set of resources'

There are a number of salient features in 'conflict'. First, it is a social phenomenon  involving 'parties', 'actors', 'contestants', or 'conflictants'.  Conflict may be between persons; between a person and a government; between groups or between nations. Second, there would exist a 'source' of contention, that is to say, there would exist  an 'issue' or 'problem' or 'object' which could be tangible like money, land, water, some natural resources; or intangible like identity, power or authority or a mixture of tangibles and intangibles.

In dealing with 'political conflicts', one could encounter 'hawks' and 'doves'. These two terms are derived through the analogy with the birds of the same appelation. 'Hawks' are predators which attack and feed on other animals. Thus, a 'hawk' is any fierce advocate for a cause or policy based on strong military power.

Hawks have the tendency to go to war to solve a political conflict; they are war-mongers. The term 'chicken -hawk' is an oxymoron used to  describe a person who has both fear of combat(chicken) and yet is attracted to it (hawk).

An 'oxymoron' is a term made up of two words that deliberately or coincidentally imply each other's opposite (e.g. pretty ugly, cautious optimism, cowardly lion).

'Doves' mostly eat seeds, grains and fruits, and are historically symbols of peace. A 'Dove' is a term used to describe a person or political party who or which has moderate views on an issue. 'Doves' would reason with one on an issue, sometimes adopting the 'quiet' method of negotiation, mediation, arbitration, making a compromise, a rapprochement, a reconciliation or adopting any equally non - violent stance to achieve an aim. In the Israeli - Arab conflict, for example, the 'doves' are willing to make drastic compromises to the Palestinians and in particular, support the withdrawal from Israeli - occupied territories and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in parts of the land of Israel. Doves try to resolve international conflicts without the threat of force.

Hawkish parties in Israel include Likud, National Religious Party and National Union. The dovish parties include Shinui, Labour, Mertz -Yachad and Balad.

During the Vietnam War, the United States of America was split in two. One section, called the Hawks, wanted an increase in the military forces and the sending of more troops to Vietnam to win the war against the Viet Cong (Viet Communists). The Doves were against the idea of sending more troops into Vietnam; they rather wanted the withdrawal of the American troops and settling the war with peace. The doves felt like the Vietnam War was not America's concern and that the United States ought to stay out. When the war ended in 1975 with the Communist forces seizing Saigon, the war had cost three million lives (including 58,000 Americans). In every era or epoch, hawks and doves (faucons et colombes -French; I falchi e le colombe -Italian; Falken und tauben- German) play a role in resolving conflicts. Within one party, there may be hawks and doves; it all depends on which outnumber the other for its decision to carry.

During the cold war ('cold' because there was no fighting: the conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union), the former (capitalist) detested the spread of communism to other countries. The Berlin Wall, for example, was built (1961) restricting people of East Berlin from entering West Germany. The Soviets, under Leonid Brezhnev went to war with Afghanistan's multi -racial insurgent group called Mujahideen. The insurgents were aided by the United States of America (between 1979 and 1989).

When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in August, 1990, the United States was forced to send troops into Iraq which finally led to the toppling of Saddam. Al Quaeda became active and resorted to suicide bombing. Various groups have since emerged, including Al Shabaab in Somalia which wreaked havoc in Nairobi's (Kenya)   Westgate Mall, killing over 67 people last month, including Professor Kofi Awoonor, the Ghanaian poet and former Chairman of the Council of State.

Nigeria's Boko Haram (meaning: western education is sinful) and their affiliates seek to carve a strict Islamic state in Nigeria. In the most recent act of terrorism, they massacred over 40 students in a college in Yobe State.

The 9|11 (11 th September, 2001) bombing of the Twin Towers, the World Trade Centre of New York and the Pentagon, was said to have been orchestrated by terrorists of Al Quaeda origin and orientation.

Political combatants may be distinguished between the 'Leftists' and the 'Rightists'. 'Leftists' describe themselves as progressives, communists, socialists, or liberals. Rightists describe themselves as conservatives, libertarians, laissez - faire capitalists or classic liberals. Either may call the opponents fascists,

Leftists (or left - wingers ) believe that governments are a force for social justice and change and so support intervention in individual's lives to ensure the achievement of social justice . Left wingers tend to support social welfare programmes (like unemployment  benefits, homeless shelters and food support); religious freedom and the separation of church and state; higher or more progressive taxation; trade protectionism; trade unions and industry regulation; expansion of government into new areas; social change or social justice.

Right - wingers tend to support traditional or religious values, with those institutions replacing government services; reform of government -funded welfare programmes; limiting the scope and intrusiveness of government; reducing regulations on industry. Some people may be centrist; right of centre or left of centre.

 
Professor Kwame Frimpong founding Dean and Professor of GIMPA School of Law note that the current Supreme Court judgment was sending the wrong message that 'the end justifies the means, and that was not good for future elections in the country. As a lawyer myself, I find it difficult to understand some of the opinions of the judges in the recent judgment of the Presidential election case. I cannot explain to non lawyers all of whom saw and heard the hearing live, what is the classical definition or legal definition of over-voting or ballot stuffing; by how many votes did Mahama win the election? Most of my colleagues cannot help me either. Left - wingers tend to have hawkish tendencies.  Right-wingers tend to have dovish tendencies. Ghanaians have experienced regimes that displayed both tendencies. The experiences are so well - known that one does not need to relate them here -from Nkrumah's one party state hawkish rule; to the hawkish military rule ( khakistocracy and mobocracy); to Busia's parliamentary democratic  dovish rule; to Rawlings's fiendish hawkish rule; to gentle giant Kufour's dovish rule ; to Mills's Asomdwee rule; to Mahama's non-descript 'ede bee keke' rule.

In 'Re: Legal Headache,' Professor Kofi Kumado of the Faculty of Law (Daily Guide: 27|09|2013) poses two questions which have been bothering him for the past two or three weeks – questions which arise out of opinions of some of the Supreme Court Justices in the recent Election Petition: 'The first question is this - what is the value in the law of a Marriage Certificate which is signed by the couple and their witnesses but is not signed by the Registrar or the celebrating pastor? The second question is - As a law teacher, how do you extract teaching materials for your students from a judgment based on just the feelings of the judge?' Or does Atuguba, want to turn all Ghanaians into hawks by his 4 -minute edict?

The Radicals may override or outrun the conservatives and when all is said and done, one may have difficulty trying to fault those who agree with James Baldwin, and say 'Fire Next Time'.

Africanus Owusu-Ansah
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