Military fiat is a process whereby a decision is made and enforced by military means without the participation of other political elements. The Latin term fiat, translated as "let it be," suggests the autocratic attitude ascribed to such a process. For example, many coups involve the imposition of a new government by military fiat. Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Autocracy is a form of government in which unlimited power is held by a single individual. ... A coup détat (pronounced ), or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a smaller supposedly weaker body that just replaces the top power figures. ...

Origin of government

Historically, military fiat had no relation to particular theories of economics or how to use the power of the state ("political science"). It was simply seized by the powerful with some support from empowered citizens - typically resulting in a monarchy where power was passed on to heirs with no public consultation. Over time, this evolved into consultative systems, e.g. of other nobles holding fiefdoms, e.g. of public in parliaments. Political science is a social science discipline that deals with the theory and practice of politics and the description and analysis of political systems and political behavior. ... A monarchy, (from the Greek monos, one, and archein, to rule) is a form of government that has a monarch as Head of State. ... Under the system of feudalism, a fiefdom, fief, feud or fee, consisted of heritable lands or revenue-producing property granted by a liege lord in return for a vassal knights service—usually fealty, military service, or security. ... An aerial view of Parliament of India at New Delhi. ...

In democracies, however, the political parties who run for office to represent the public will, must agree to certain guarantees to use power for public good - the relation between military and police powers is clearer but not obvious. In all countries, some fundamental decisions are made by the administration "without the participation of other political elements", and in general the administration of money has been one of those functions. Public recourse is limited if the state relies on any other nation for major military support, e.g. Israel's reliance on the United States. So "a decision is made and enforced by military means" could be anything done by the administration or bureaucracy as a normal part of its foreign policy. A political party is a political organization subscribing to a certain ideology or formed around very special issues. ... Money Money is any marketable good or token used by a society as a store of value, a medium of exchange, and a unit of account. ...

What is participation?

Theories vary on how to measure "participation of other political elements."

In economics, fiat is one of three ways to guarantee the value of money, credit money and commodity money being alternatives - but both relying to some degree on the fiat. True fiat money has no trust or product value of its own, but is backed only by trust in the issuing government and its ability to collect taxes or require conversion of some other resource into currency. U.S. Economic Calendar Economics at the Open Directory Project Economics textbooks on Wikibooks The Economists Economics A-Z Daily analysis of economics in the news (UK focus) Institutions and organizations Bureau of Labor Statistics - from the American Labor Department Center for Economic and Policy Research (USA) National Bureau... Credit money is money that is backed by a promise to pay made by someone other than the state. ... Commodity money refers to money whose value comes from a commodity out of which it is made. ... Fiat money or fiat currency, is money that is current or legal tender as satisfaction for money debts by government fiat, that is by law. ...

This view is questioned by some theories of political economy that argue that there is always some intrinsic reliance on trust, or expectation of the delivery of the commodity itself. Critics of these views argue that withholding taxes in domestic trade or defying powerful nations regarding trade in narcotics or arms will very rapidly prove dangerous or fatal to some of the participants - and, furthermore, that at least some of these decisions are unpopular and are not reflective of the public will. This is a common accusation made by the anti-globalization movement which argues that governments have been elected on a mandate to oppose global "free trade" and instead pursued it. Political economy was the original term for the study of production, the acts of buying and selling, and their relationships to laws, customs and government. ... Anti-WEF grafiti in Lausanne. ... Free trade is an economic concept referring to the selling of products between countries without tariffs or other trade barriers. ...

Military vs. monetary

The use of the military fiat to back economic transactions is what a given theory of political economy actually justifies, e.g. in the political economy of capitalism, military force is justified by the protection of property rights (which are presumed to optimize economic outcomes). Adam Smith defined "defense, infrastructure, justice, education and a stable currency" as the role of government. All defined, in his time, 1776, strictly by a military fiat in most countries, although Britain had a nascent democracy. When the United States broke with the British Empire and its military hegemony in that same year, it was to establish a fiat of its own. Political economy was the original term for the study of production, the acts of buying and selling, and their relationships to laws, customs and government. ... Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Capitalism The page is about the economic system. ... Adam Smith, FRSE (Baptised June 5, 1723 – July 17, 1790) was a Scottish political economist and moral philosopher. ...

Smith wrote specifically against monetarism, where fiat would be exploited to protect favored industries, monopolize precious metals, and other goals that were not generally shared between the state and the more general public.

The later contributions of David Ricardo and John Stuart Mill led to the first theory of (classical) political economy. David Ricardo (April 18, 1772 – September 11, 1823), a British political economist, is often credited with systematizing economics, and was one of the most influential of the classical economists. ... In 1851 Mill married Harriet Taylor after 21 years of an at times intense friendship and love affair. ... Political economy was the original term for the study of production, the acts of buying and selling, and their relationships to laws, customs and government. ...

Money and military -- inseparable?

The tangled history of military and money relationships led in the mid-19th-to-mid-20th centuries to a variety of critiques of the use of military fiat. Some saw an evolution to political consultation, others saw the increased concentration of power as a sign that this consultation was only skin-deep, and that the bureaucracy and military's habits would be increasingly aligned and in opposition to public will.

Marxist economists generally hold that military fiat is in practice held exclusively by members of the ruling class and used for its own interests against that of the working class. This has led to the broad range of debates regarding socialism, communism, and the duty of the state to use its political and economic power for the benefit of all. Questions of this nature merge into those of political science in general. Marxian economics refers to a body of economic thought stemming from the work of Karl Marx. ... In Marxian political economics, the ruling class refers to that segment or class of society that has the most economic and political power. ... The term working class is used to denote a social class. ... Socialism is an ideology with the core belief that society should exist in which popular collectives control the means of power, and therefore the means of production. ... Communism refers to a theoretical system of social organization and a political movement based on common ownership of the means of production. ... Political science is a social science discipline that deals with the theory and practice of politics and the description and analysis of political systems and political behavior. ...

Ecology as military

The central role of science in the late 20th century gave rise to another debate. Some green economists ask whether ecoregions in fact already have a limited military fiat based on their ability to protect people and guarantee value by diluting pollution, preventing erosion, circulating stagnant water which would otherwise breed disease, and other services. For the scientific journal named Science, see Science (journal). ... Green economics loosely defines a theory of economics by which an economy is considered to be component of the ecosystem in which it resides. ... An ecoregion is a relatively large area of land or water that contains a geographically distinct assemblage of natural communities. ...

These are considered (by mainstream economists) to be benefits of natural capital - but could also be considered defense. This debate is mostly important for its influence on theory of biosecurity and bioregional democracy. Natural capital refers to the mineral, plant, and animal formations of the Earths biosphere when viewed as a means of production of oxygen, water filter, erosion preventer, or provider of other natural services. ... A plants defence The words defense (AmE) or defence (CwE) can refer to any of the following: For defense of a doctoral dissertation see thesis committee For the military term see defense (military) Civil defense measures and emergency preparedness In politics, defense may be a euphemism for war For... A biosecurity guarantee attempts to ensure that ecologies sustaining either people or animals are maintained. ... Bioregional democracy (or the Bioregional State) is a set of electoral reforms designed to force the political process in a democracy to better represent concerns about the economy, the body, and environmental concerns (e. ...

A global fiat?

An extreme version of this view, held by some militant Gaians, is that humans who identify with the biosphere ought to set standards and prices that are "made and enforced by military means without the participation of other political elements." A Gaian is a radical Green who views the ecology of the Earths biosphere not only as the basis of human moral examples, but of all cognition and even sentience. ... The biosphere is that part of a planets outer shell—including air, land, surface rocks and water—within which life occurs, and which biotic processes in turn alter or transform. ...

Perhaps fearing the rise of such views, opponents of the Kyoto Protocol and the Biological Weapons Convention, notably G. W. Bush, declared that the implicit control of military and economic affairs implied by both pacts were unacceptable to the United States, committed to retaining its own fiat and power to act unilaterally, "without the participation of other political elements" outside the United States, regardless of impact on other countries. This is the essence of military fiat: power without any direct means of assigning or enforcing responsibility for the outcome on any party. Kyoto Protocol Opened for signature December 11, 1997 at Kyoto, Japan Entered into force February 16, 2005. ... Biological Weapons Convention Opened for signature April 10, 1972 at Moscow, Washington and London Entered into force March 26, 1975 Conditions for entry into force ??? Parties ??? The Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction (usually referred to... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and the 43rd and current President of the United States. ...

See also

• Ecoregional Democracy
• fiat money

Bioregional democracy (or the Bioregional State) is a set of Electoral Reforms designed to force the political process in a democracy to better represent body and environment concerns, e. ... Fiat money or fiat currency, is money that is current or legal tender as satisfaction for money debts by government fiat, that is by law. ...

External links

• Goldsmith and his Gaian hierarchy