Glossary for Parenti
Here are my definitions and explanations of some terms in the reading that you might
have questions about. Feel free to let me know if you find others that you’d like
explained. And don’t forget to use the dictionary!
Words in italics have their own definitions in this glossary, so you can look them up here
if you need to.
Adaptation: In this article, “adaptation” refers to efforts to adjust to changes (flooding,
storms, drought, and the social turmoil those create) brought about by climate
change. It is based on the assumption that some change, at least, is already
happening and that more is coming—climate change cannot be prevented entirely
and so we must prepare for it. Compare mitigation.
Altruism: Generosity, giving to others, selflessness.
Arable: Able to be cultivated or used for farming.
Armageddon: A battle at the end of the world, prophesied in the Book of Revelation in
the Bible. “Nuclear Armageddon” refers to the possibility of a nuclear war that
would destroy the world, which was a major concern during the Cold War.
Armed lifeboat: This is Parenti’s metaphor for how some people want to adapt to
climate change. They want to protect their own wealth and safety from the
impacts of climate change with weapons and fences, so that the nation is like a
lifeboat after a shipwreck, armed to keep others from getting in.
Asylum seekers: People seeking to enter a country to escape persecution or oppression
in their country.
Atomic-era: See Cold War.
Authoritarianism: The ideology that favors authority over freedom; the political
condition of having a strong central authority, usually with power to arrest and
imprison people without giving a reason, control people’s speech and movement,
and otherwise restrict personal liberty.
Behest: Command, order, injunction.
Bellicose: Warlike; “inclined to war or fighting” (Oxford English Dictionary).
Carrying capacity: The ability of an environment or ecosystem to support a certain
population of a given species—in this case, human beings.
Climate change: In this article, “climate change” refers to the effect on the world’s
climates brought about by warming of the atmosphere (also known as “global
warming”), which is caused by the emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon
dioxide and methane (usually the result of human activity, especially burning
fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas). The term can also refer to changes
that are a result of natural processes.
Cold War: The period between, roughly, 1946 (after the end of World War II) and 1991
(when the Soviet Union collapsed), during which time the United States and the
Soviet Union (USSR) were in a state of hostility but not open war (thus a “cold”
war rather than a “hot” war). During this time most nations of the world were
allied with one or the other of these two superpowers, and many small “hot” wars
were fought between allies of the two, often with the US and the USSR providing
money and weapons and encouraging the fight. The phrase “atomic-era Cold
Warrior” (15) refers to the development and deployment of nuclear weapons
during the Cold War; a “Cold Warrior” is someone who had influence on US or
Soviet foreign policy during this time.
Cold Warrior: See Cold War.
Counterinsurgency: Military and political combat against “non-state actors” (groups
that do not belong to any government) fighting against the government. Often
described as “low-intensity” conflict because it is, in theory at least, less intense
than all-out war.
Cum: Latin for “with.” Used in phrases to combine two terms, showing that they go
together. In this case, Parenti refers to Andrew Marshall as a “military theorist
cum imperial soothsayer” (15), meaning he’s both.
Diligently: Carefully, painstakingly, with hard work
Edward Teller: Often referred to as the “father of the hydrogen bomb” (a more powerful
version of the atomic bomb). Teller was an enthusiastic promoter of nuclear
weapons, nuclear power, and the use of nuclear bombs for non-military purposes
(like digging harbors—a proposal that was seen by many as extremely dangerous
if not insane), as well as an outspoken supporter of Cold War policies hostile to
the Soviet Union.
Endemic: “Constantly or regularly found among a (specified) people, or in a (specified)
country” (Oxford English Dictionary). Especially said of diseases.
Entity: A thing that exists; a thing (such as a person, government, company, etc.) that is
capable of intentional action.
Exploited: Taken advantage of; used for someone else’s selfish goals.
Foster: Nourish, encourage, help grow.
Geoengineering: This term describes any of the proposed efforts to re-shape the planet
or major portions of its climate on a global scale, in response to climate change.
Geoengineering proposals include, for example, spreading sulfur dioxide in the
atmosphere to block sunlight and thus help cool the planet, putting giant reflectors
in orbit for the same purpose, and seeding the oceans with massive quantities of
chemicals to absorb excess carbon dioxide.
Global warming: See climate change.
Greenhouse gas: A gas that traps energy in the form of heat in the earth’s atmosphere.
Many occur naturally, but in terms of climate change caused by human activity,
the most important greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide, which is emitted when
fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) are burned.
Ideology: A set of beliefs and/or values informing the way a person sees the world.
Immanuel Wallerstein: An economic historian and analyst famous for explaining the
world economic system as made up of “periphery” and “core.” The “core” is the
highly developed, wealthy, industrialized part of the world where resources flow
to and which dominates the global political system, including the US, western
Europe, Japan and perhaps some other East Asian nations; the “periphery” is the
underdeveloped, poor, less industrialized part of the world that resources flow out
of, and which has relatively little political power. Parenti finds it surprising that
Barnett sounds like Wallerstein because Barnett is a right-wing (conservative,
pro-capitalist) thinker whereas Wallerstein is left-wing, socialist theorist strongly
influenced by Karl Marx.
Imperial: Relating to empire. Parenti frequently refers to U.S. international power in
terms of “empire,” implying it is similar to empires of the past such as the British
Empire, the Roman Empire, and others.
Imperialism: The practice of taking over other lands for the benefit of one’s own
country, forming empires.
Infrastructure: Permanent elements of a society or a part of society (such as the
military) that are necessary for the society to function, including such things as
bridges, buildings, roads, etc.
Intellectuals: People who work with ideas; professional thinkers.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): An international body that
collects scientific research on all aspects of climate change and presents findings
and conclusions based on that research. Considered one of the main authorities on
climate change.
Inundation: Flooding; the state of being overwhelmed.
Liberal: In the quotation on page 19, the author being quoted does not mean liberal in
the sense it is normally used in American politics. Rather, he means liberal in its
original sense of liberty: free, open, or plentiful. “Liberal media flows” refers to
free and open or plentiful exchange of information in the media.
Logistics: “The organization of supplies, stores, quarters, etc., necessary for the support
of troop movements, expeditions, etc.” (Oxford English Dictionary)
Matrix: “The elements which make up a particular system, regarded as an
interconnecting network.” (Oxford English Dictionary)
Mercantilist: Relating to mercantilism, “The economic theory that a nation's wealth,
especially its ability to amass bullion [gold], is increased by a favourable balance
of trade, and that a government should encourage such a balance by promoting
exports (especially of manufactured goods) and restricting imports” (Oxford
English Dictionary). This theory dominated the development of capitalism during
much of the past few centuries.
Military-industrial complex: A term used by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower in
his farewell address in 1961, to describe the interlocking set of institutions
involved in military preparation and war, including both government agencies
(especially the Defense Department, also known as the Pentagon) and private, forprofit corporations that manufacture products (planes, tanks, battleships, missiles,
etc.) or provide services (logistics, analysis, security, etc.) for the military.
Eisenhower used the term to suggest that these different organizations share
common interests, that they often cooperate in promoting certain policies such as
spending on the military instead of other programs, and that they have gained
great influence over government decisions. Most analysts would suggest that the
military-industrial complex has gotten even bigger and more powerful since
Eisenhower used the term.
Millenial end-of-days cults: “Millenial” means having to do with the “milennium,”
traditionally associated with the end of the world as foretold in the Bible. End-ofdays cults are small religious groups that arise expecting the end of the world in
the near or immediate future. Such groups typically become more common during
times of social upheaval.
Mitigation: In this article, “mitigation” refers to the effort to reduce or prevent climate
change through reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. It is based on the
assumption that, while some change may be inevitable, we can prevent even
worse changes in the future. Compare adaptation.
Neofascist: New fascist. Fascism was the political philosophy of the Axis powers in
World War II (Germany, Italy, Japan), characterized by intense nationalism,
cooperation between government and business, authoritarianism, and racist
policies toward minorities, including the German Nazi Party’s “Final Solution” to
kill all the Jews in Europe. It was widely discredited after the defeat of the Axis
powers in World War II. A neofascist is someone who promotes, openly or in
secret, a return to this philosophy.
Network connectivity: The state of being connected to a network, especially the
Internet.
Nonlinear processes: Processes which do not increase in a steady, predictable way, but
instead feed on themselves and so increase their rate of increase, and/or which
take a long time to build up without any noticeable effects, and then suddenly
shift to a new phase. An example of a nonlinear process in climate change is the
melting of the polar ice caps: because of its light color, ice reflects heat back into
space. As the ice melts, more of the darker ocean surface is exposed, which
absorbs more heat. This in turn causes more ice to melt, accelerating the process
further.
Nuclear Armageddon: See Armageddon.
Octogenarian: Eighty-year-old; in one’s eighties.
Plausible: Believable, possible; likely.
Preclude: Prevent, make impossible.
Progressive: Characterized by progress. In this context, it means promoting a more
equitable distribution of wealth.
RAND Corporation: A non-profit think-tank that prepares studies and analysis for
government, other non-profits, and business.
Salient: Prominent, conspicuous.
Soothsayers: Fortune tellers; people who predict the future.
Spook: Slang or informal term for a spy.
Stressors: Things that cause stress.
Subjugated: Dominated.
Think-tank: An organization that exists to study, research, and think about issues, and
present the results of that work to the public, the government, business or others.
Think tanks are often formed by private individuals or groups seeking to promote
a particular point of view. For example, the Heritage Foundation and the
American Enterprise Institute are known as right-wing think-tanks because they
promote conservative or “right-wing” ideas, while the Institute for Policy Studies
is a left-wing, or liberal, think-tank.
Threat multiplier: In military theory, a threat multiplier is a factor that may or may not
be a threat itself, but which will make other potential threats worse.
Volatile: Readily changing from one state to another. In its original meaning, “volatile”
describes a liquid that evaporates (turns into gas) very easily. Gasoline and
alcohol are volatile liquids. In describing society, “volatile” refers to a society that
is unstable or prone to frequent disruptions. For example, when a country changes
its government often, especially through military takeovers or wars, or when it is
subject to a lot of social strife and violence, it is referred to as “volatile.”
Xenophobic: Afraid of strangers or those who are different. Often used to describe
hostile or fearful attitudes towards people from other countries or ethnic groups,
especially immigrants.