Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Sociology - Essay Example However, this can also be seen in the use of economic sanctions before the Iraq war, as Joy Gordon described in â€Å"Cool war: Economic sanctions as a weapon of mass destruction† (Gordon, 2002) While it is easy to see the destructive power of war as it impacts a country like Iraq economically through the destruction of resources, it should be noted that even the victorious power in a war may suffer economic consequences, such as the U.S. following WWII or Iraq. This is because of the great social cost of war production and mobilization; funds that could have been put to productive use in society instead were wasted and destroyed through bombs and war. The New York Times in 2009 described the total cost of the Iraq War at $860 billion USD, and though this may have helped military contractors it may have also reduced the ability of the country to grow economically through the effects of the redistribution and large-scale waste of resources. (Glanz, 2009) War itself may cause mi llions of deaths in a society. People who were once producers culturally may see economic destruction that takes years to rebuild. Examples in Asia show how landmines such as were used in Laos and Cambodia can disfigure populations for years, creating disabilities. Similarly, populations suffering wars in Africa have suffered mass-disfigurement through machete attacks and other weapons that leave people scared and disfigured, both physically and psychologically. These psychological forces can further reduce economic development following a war out of feelings of grief, depression, or loss that are felt in the victims. Question 2: what is the economic role of transnational corporations in integrating global economy? Multinational corporations currently play a role in developing economies and labour forces in the global economy, and their trading patterns furthers social integration internationally through the exchange of products and ideas. Dicken (1992) writes in â€Å"Global Shift ,† â€Å"The dominance of the industrialised countries’ markets is not as overwhelming as commonly perceived and the market potential of the developing and transition countries is becoming more impressive. The IMF defines as transition economy as an economy transitioning from a centrally planned economic system towards a free market system.† (Dicken, 2003) Dicken defines the modern economy as being related to over $54 trillion USD in economic activity. He notes that since the industrial revolution, the MNC or Multi-National Company has risen to represent the driving force of economic expansion internationally. These companies have the capital resources to build new factories, offices, and large production facilities that oftentimes developing nations or the small business owners in a society cannot manage. One reason for this is the ease through which MNCs can receive large financing through banks and corporate bonds. The other reason is more fundamental, in that rational management standards lead to an efficiency of operations, a specialization of labour, and the pursuit of profit in ever more scientific ways. MNCs drive technological expansion and innovation both through research and development in new products and also the introduction of these products into new markets. They can also promote jobs internationally by exploiting lower cost labour in