Re: (OPE-L) dreams and nightmares -- LTV

[Paul Bullock <paulbullock@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

There may be some misconception here. Imperialism is characterised by the
export of capital, and the consequent  maintenance of effective material
control over other nations ... thus eg the creation of debt regimes to
maintain the process, interference in other  (weaker) states affairs etc..
it becomes the oppression of other nations, the blocking of their abilities
to govern themselves, including provoking anarchy if nothing better is suitable. 

eg Congo, Angola.

 

However, as 'capital' on the move, this involves competing companies  protected

by their own governments, their own national committees. States thus confront

each other, more or less armed, however delicately it is put. eg - 'trade frictions'-.

Matters become more serious as eg 'Yugoslavia' is redivided ... Croatia to the Germans

( who rushed in with recognition quite unilaterally)-  whilst the French and British tried to

rearrange Serbia, Montenegro etc . Now Iraq is being  'reallocated'.... or do we think the

new 'free trade area for the middle East' is  a local idea?  Soon we shall be hearing that

the division in Ireland has nothing to do with Imperialism!

 
That such 'capital' controlling states may not, at any particular moment,
have  'miltiary agrandisement' as an apparent aim, does not negate
their 'economic' and so 'political' status. Germany  exports capital on a
grand scale. Slowly it has begun to send its soldiers abroad to maintain its
'contribution' to its influence. The Japanese are now further amending their
laws to allow 'first strike' capacity. Their armed forces are quite sizeable I think!

It seems rather naive , to me, to believe that the propertied classes feel thay can

ignore the need for a police force unconditionally dedicated to their needs.

The Swiss of course have relied on tight lipped collaboration with the most

odious of clients to ensure their own particular form of 'Swiss Bank' imperialism

although it might  appear at first as  a contradictory notion.

 

Paul Bullock

----- Original Message -----
From: <wpc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <OPE-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2003 9:17 PM
Subject: Re: (OPE-L) dreams and nightmares -- LTV


> Quoting Paul Bullock <paulbullock@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:
>
> >
> > You responded
> >
> > > In what does, say, the German empire consist?
> >
> > You have made the point that you don't accept the concept of imperialism
> > before.
> >
>
> He was making a fair point that Germany at present is not an
> imperial power. Clearly it was in the past, it might be in the
> future but it is not one now.
>
> The USA clearly is an imperial power, and so is France, and the UK
> is in the process of re-establishing itself as such.
>
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