Kyoto minus the US

Brad Mayer bradley.mayer at ebay.sun.com
Mon Mar 26 10:49:20 PST 2001


While there certainly are inter-imperialist frictions, much commentary (such as this one) smacks too much of "lesser-evilism", where the US plays the Republicans and EC/Japan plays the Democrats. It would be more accurate to portray these frictions within a predominant context of a division of inter-imperial labor. EC/Japan "concern" about global issues such as the ecology, poverty, mal-distribution of income, etc., in part generated by their greater exposure to the bad consequences of these problems, also relieve Washington of the need to focus on these problems. EC/Japan is not "acting independently" of the US; rather they complement Washington's role, doing Washington's work for it while freeing the shogunal overlord to focus on its global military duties.

That explains why EC/Japan always "cave in". Don't expect any "anti-hegemonic alliances" to emerge from these, short of profound social transformations within these countries.

-Brad Mayer Oakland


>The Europeans will probably go along with
>the Bush crowd, for the habits of servility die hard. But, crucially,
>they may not. The fact is that European servility no longer makes
>geopolitical sense, and that the trans-Atlantic tensions engendered
>by U.S. climate politics join a growing portfolio of friction points
>on issues as disjoint as nuclear missile defense and genetically
>modified foods. Besides, when hegemons overreach, anti-hegemonic
>alliances become possible. They sometimes become necessary as well,
>but necessity, as we all know, or should, becomes a force only when
>people recognize and fight for it.
>
>Just now, necessity dictates that the climate regime be protected
>from the Americans. And it's possible, just possible, that the
>Europeans are ready to give it a try. Not, to be sure, that this is a
>time for optimism. If the Bush administration forces the issue of
>developing country participation, all hell is going to break loose.
>If the Europeans and the Japanese want to save Kyoto, they're going
>to have to move fast, and just now the Japanese don't seem ready for
>decisive action of any sort.



More information about the lbo-talk mailing list