Sabri on Turkey

[Rob Schaap <bantam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Nasilsin sevgili Sabri?

> Finally I am back home and just saw this:
>
> >>Why does America, or as Chris keeps calling it, Empire, although I
> am
> >>not sure if he is aware of that America and Empire are the same
> thing,
> >>do that?
> >
> >The Canada, the EU, and Japan, what are they, chopped liver?
> >
> >Doug
>
> Interesting categorization Doug. Never thought about this.
>
> It all depends on what you mean by the word Empire. If by Empire what
> is meant is the current global capitalist order, then like the US, Japan,
> Canada, the EU and, of course Rob, OZ, are also at the core but if
> what is meant by Empire is the current hegemon of the global capitalist order
> then Empire is the US, however declining its hegemonic powers may be.
>
> These are very confusing times and I am no less confused than anyone
> else.

Well, I'll certainly accept that Australia dwells in the periphery of the
core, yoldas.  Confusing and dizzying as our times are, I think some things
are indeed clearer than 'usual'.  Washington has definitely decided to make
the most of the moment, and, foresaking all others, has gone for the line.
Every step it takes is part of a strategy to adjust to, and take lasting
national advantage of, the post-Wall tumult.  The problem lies with the
'foresaking all others' bit, of course.  US unilateralism has annoyed
traditional allies just as the reasons for those alliances has waned.
Bilateral deals can't help but offend others.  Its multilateral deals expose
its own duplicity, as the champion of free trade protects its Big sugar, Big
Tobacco, Big wheat etc, slams the door on third world primary and secondary
industry, and prises open wherever Big finance, IP privateers and the culture
industry might want to go in, and the champions of globalisation repudiates
international accord after accord.  Its military adventures are either
unapologetically unilateral (eg. bombing above the line in Iraq without notice
to formal allies and directly affected friendlies) or embarrassingly one-sided
liberties (Uncle Sam dressed up as 'NATO' over Novi Sad or in the role of 'The
Coalition' over Kabul).

But those decisions are made by and for US interests.  Australia et al are
neither subject nor object; just being 'for' where the only option is
'against'.  Our uniforms, yet again, are in the unconditional and indefinite
control of another power (so are our expensively fancy new subs, btw); our
currency lies twitching at the mercy of those who have taken possession of our
diverse productive assets and confined us to our old roles of granary,
woolshed and mine; both our major parties check with Washington and Wall St
before they get up in the morning (or don't, as Whitlam didn't); our social
policy options are constrained by Moody's and S&P ratings as much as they are
by the most conservative prime minister since Wellington; our film industry
has been reduced to little more than relatively cheap backlots for Star Wars,
Mission Impossibles and Matrices; and our public sector has 'outsourced' its
strategic data and corporate knowledge to the likes of IBM, M$, PWC, KPMG and
the US State Department.

Foreign direct investment is drying up, unemployment is heading for 8%, and in
the last four months alone seriously major insurance, telecommunications and
airline companies have gone bust to the tune of tens of billions of dollars
and tens of thousands of jobs - no wonder the electorate was so insecure as to
accept the scapegoats John Howard so notoriously served up for 'em at the
election ...

Anyway, core of the core we're not ...

Cheers,
Rob.