[lbo-talk] RE HOW THE ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT IS BLOWING IT:

Michael Dawson -PSU mdawson at pdx.edu
Mon Nov 3 11:34:23 PST 2003


Q: Where's the evidence for the argument that there's a strong First-World-elite reliance on Third World dependency?

A: In the partially declassified records of the U.S. government, and in the vast secret records of the TNCs and their think-tanks/trade associations. Why did the U.S. endorse the Venezuelan coup last year? Not very hard to figure out, and undoubtedly mirrored and encouraged by the petro-corps' boardrooms/think tanks/industry groups.

If one is going to say Third World dependency is minor stuff, then one has to ignore actual history, which is exactly what mainstream economists (and others) do. Iran/Seven Sisters, Chile/Anaconda Coper, Guatemala/United Fruit, etc. More generally, there is not one single example of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce or the NAM doing anything but calling for Third World repression, anywhere and everywhere. They do so because they are indeed deathly afraid of good examples. And let's not forget that literally all post-WWII U.S. foreign policy makers have been corporate whores working from within the revolving door.

Q2: What would change if social democracy (good examples) were allowed to exist in the Third World? A: Wages would rise sharply there. Union organizing would probably catch fire everywhere, and would be much more internationalist. Key commodities would become more expensive on the market. People everywhere, including within the G7 would develop new faith in the changeability of the world situation. Of course, none of these things is tolerable to the G7 chambers of commerce. Ergo, they are crushed wherever and whenever they show signs of shooting a seedling through the snow.



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