Forwarded from Anthony (imperialism and democracy)

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx>]

A few words about the discussion over 'imperialism' and democracy.

I think that comrades should be careful about attributing political
consensus to the imperialist ruling classes - consensus neither exists
within each imperialist ruling class, nor among the various imperialist
ruling classes.

It is true that in the euphoria after the fall of the USSR many of the
academic mouth pieces of imperialism - the types who write for Foreign
Affairs in the USA, envisioned a planet filled with countries cloned in the
two party, presidential, supreme court, balance of powers, government
regulated market - ad nauseum system after the US model.

It is also true that those people are still very, very influential at the
World Bank, and in the IMF.

However, their efforts to make their dream come true have run into big
problems everywhere.

One of those big problems is that the project is in conflict with the
entrenched interests of important sectors of imperialist capital - like the
petroleum industry.

Another - in the long run the most important - is that the project raises
the specter of democracy -  democracy not in the sense of the institutional
set-up of the United States (which in my humble opinion is not at all
democratic), but in the sense of rule by the people.

They have a very big problem with democracy on a global basis.

For example, in terms of the bourgeois democratic idea of one person, one
vote, take the case of the alleged crimes of Osama Bin Laden.

How can a court in New York City, in theory responsible to the voters of
the city of New York, the state of New York, or the voters of the United
States - take to trial Osama Bin Laden - a citizen of another country, a
man who never visited the United States, etc.

Shouldn't he be tried in a court where he has equal rights with the
citizens of New York?

Like for instance, the right to vote for those who appoint the judges?

If you start advocating formal democracy for everyone on the planet earth,
you come up against the very thorny issue of global government. THE real
issue underlying the globalization issue.

The various attempts at world agreements on global warming - sabotaged by
the USA, is another example.

The problem with advocating formal democracy at its root is - that
eventually politicians will start talking about a global government with
one person, one vote. With real power to do things like regulate economic
activities. Or pass laws in favor of or against abortion.

For the sake of discussion, assume such a global government could come into
existence without social revolution. Assume that all voters were controlled
by local political machines.

Who would run the world?

China and India.

Not the USA, Europe and Japan.

Too much talk about formal democracy is a nightmare for all thinking
imperialist leaders.

But, they have no ideological alternative.

Thus, they have nowhere to go - not up, not down, not sideways.

They are at a political deadend.

I think this problem of imperialism raises some intersting opportunities
for us, but I will leave that for later.

All the best, Anthony


Louis Proyect
Marxism mailing list: http://www.marxmail.org


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