[lbo-talk] Ace nails it

Carrol Cox cbcox at ilstu.edu
Thu May 28 05:26:32 PDT 2009


Michael Smith wrote:
>
> On Wed, 27 May 2009 20:51:17 -0700
> Sheldon <humanist.observer at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > The "Spain" of 21st century cannot be
> > considered the "Spain" of 1492-1900.
>
> Try telling the King that. He would
> probably say "shut up", as he did to
> Hugo a year or two back.
>
> It seems to be very hard for a nation to
> get over having once been Top Country. France
> and Britain and Spain all in their own ways
> retain an imperial mentality, even though
> their empires are long gone. Spain has been
> more successful than the other two in recognizing
> reality -- but then, their empire has been gone
> a lot longer.
>
> How long will it take us Amurricans, I wonder.
> Centuries, probably. The Brits don't even seem
> to have awakened at all, yet, to the fact that
> their imperial sun has set.

What counts in the first instance is the perspective of the ruling groups, and, more importantly now, the inter-relationships of those groups. I think the title of Ellen Wood's book is in itself enormously illuminating: The Empire of Capital. That capital exists globally, but needs to be 'enforced' within each state. (I assume a global state is a chimera.) And _certain_ nations assume the role of policing 'rogue' states: that is, states that are failing in their responsibility to keep their nation safe for business. Much to the satisfaction of the EU, Japan, Russia, and China (whatever their rhetoric may be at times) the U.S. is playing the role of World Cop. That is _different_ from U.S. imperialism; in fact I am beginning to feel that the term imperialism is losing its usefulness.

Neither China nor the EU nor any other core military power is going to prosecute any u.s. war criminal - and it is just as absurd to envision the u.s. prosecuting a French war criminal. (It was France, after all, that was primarily responsible for the Rwanda, but only local villains were (or ever will be) punished.

The punishment of War Criminals remains, unambiguously, a form of Victor's Justice, and as such is to be opposed.

Carrol



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