The Liberal Virus: Permanent War and the Americanization of the World

125 Pages·2004·3.42 MB·English

by  Samir Amin

THE LIBERAL VIRUS
PermaneWanrta ntdhA em ericaontfih Wzeoar tlido n
byS AMIRA MIN
Translatebdy J AME SH • M EMB REZ
MONTHLY REIVEWP RESS
New York
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Alln ghtrse served
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oft hweo r/lb dyS amiArm i;n translbayJt aemde Mse mbrez.
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Contents
Introduction 7
TheL ibeVrails ioofSn ociety 9
TheI deoloagincdPa alr a-TheoFroeutnidcaatlo ifo nLsi berali13s m
TheC onsequenRceeasl:l y-ExGilsotbianlgLi izbeedr alism 29
TheO rigionfLs i beralism 53
TheC halleonfgLe i beraTloidsamy 87
Notes 113
Works Referretdo i nt hTeex t 115
1%rks tbylt Aeu thor 117
Index 119
Introduction
TOWARDST HEE NDO FT HET WENTIECTEHN TUYR as ickness
struthcekw orlNdo.te verydoineed ,al lbs uutff erfreodmi tT.h e
virwuhsi ccha ustehde epiwdaesmc iacl ltehd"e l ibevriarlu s."
This vmiardueis t asp pearaanrcoeu ntdhs ei xtecenetnht ury
withtihnte r iandglees cribbeyPd a ris-London-AmTshtee rdam.
symptomtsh atth dei setahseemn a nifeasptpeeda hraerdm less.
Men( whotmh vei rsutsr uicnpk r eferetnocw eo menn)o otn ly
became accutsoit aton mdde edv elotphenede cessaanrtyib odies,
butw eraeb lteob eneffirto tmh ien creaesneedrt ghyai tet l icited.
Butt hvei srt uravealcerdot shsAe tl antaincdfo unda fa vorable
plaacmeo ntgh osweh od,e priovfea dn tibosdpireesia,tdA . sa
resutlhtme,al adtyo ookn e xtrefomrmes .
Thev irruesa ppeianr eEdu rtoopwea rthdese ndo ft htew enti­
etche nt,ur reyturnfirnoAmgm eriwchae rieht a dm utatNeodw.
strengthiectna emdte,o d estrago rye nautm beorft haen tibodies
thatth Eeu ropehaandsd eveloopveedtr h ceo urosfet hteh ree
precedcienngt urIitpe rso.v okaened p idemthiacwt o ulhda ve
beefant atlot he humainif ht ra adnc oebt e efonr t he mroosbtu st
oft hien habitoafnt thsoe l cdo untwrhioes su rvitvheeedp idemic
andfi nallwye raeb lteoe radithcead ties ease.
8 THE LIBERAVLIR US
Thev ircuasu saemdo nigt vsi ctaic musr iosucsh izophrenia.
Humannso l ongleirv aesdw holbee inogrsg,a nitzhienmgs elves
top roduwchea itsn ecesstaosr ayt itshfeyni ere d(sw hatth e
learnehda vcea ll"eedc onolmiifeca" n)d s imultandeeovueslloyp ­
intgh ien stitutthireou nlsea,sn ,dt hceu stotmhsae tn abtlhee tmo
devel(owph atth esa mel earnpeedo phlaev cea ll"epdo litical
lifec"o)n,s citohuatsth tew oa specotfss o cilailfe ianrseer paable.
homooe conomicus,
Hencefortthhel,yi vseodm etiamse s abandon­
intgo " thmea rketth"re e sponsitbori elgiutltyah tee"ir e conomic
lifaeu"t omatiacnadsl olmye,t iamse" sc itizdeenpso,s"i itnib nagl ­
lobto xethse icrh oicfoerts h osweh ow ould have the responsibili­
tyt oe stabtlhiresu hl oefst hgea mfoer t he"ipro liltfiiec.a"l
The croifts heeesn do ft htew enticeetnht uarnyd tbheeg in­
ninogft htew enty-cfiernsttun royw,h appialnydd efinitilveeflty
behinwde,ra er ticulatethde c aornofuusnidao nndsi m paspsreos­
vokebdyth iss chizophRreeanisao.n -ttrhuoeen en,o tth Amee ri­
cano ne-finaclaluys iettd o d isappEevaerr.y osnuer viEvuerdo,­
peanAss,i anAsfr,i caAnmse,r icaannsde, v eTne xansw,h oh ave
muchc hangseidn acned b ecomheu mabne inlgiskth eeo thers.
Ih avceh ostehni hsa ppeyn dinngo,tt hrousgohm ien corrigi­
bloep timibsumbt, e cauisnte h oet her hypothesisn ot here would
longbeera nyonleet fotw rithei stoIrnty h.av te rsion, Fukuyaina
wasr igth:l iberatlriusalmny n ounctehdee ndo fh ist.oA rlyolf
humanipteyr isihnet dh eh olocaTuhsetl .a sstu rvivtohrTese ,x ­
answ,e re orgianntiowz aeand d erbianngad n dt heinm molaitne d
turonn,t heo rdeorfst hech ioefft hesierc wth,o mt hehya d
belietvobe eda c harismfiagtuirHcee .t oo wnaasme Bdu sh.
Ii magitnheat th eh istoofro yu re pocwhil lb ew rittseonm e­
whaitn t hestee rmIsn.a ny ciatsi esi, nt hes amtee rmtsh aIt
herper opotsoae n alytzhee scer ises.
1 The" LiberVails"i oonfS ociety
THE GENERA L I Eo As whicgho vetrhned ominalnitb eral
visiooftn h weo rladr e simple baesn udm mmaaryi iznte hde
followtienrgm s:
Socieaffelc teinevsiss e quatbeyld i rbaelwsi tehc onomic
efficienwchyi cihnt, u rinsc, o nfoundwiethd t hfien ancpiraolfi t­
abiliotyfc apiTtalh.e sree ducteixopnrset shdseo minaonfct eh e
economaid co,m inacnhcaer actoefcri asptici talisTmh.ea trophied
socitahlo ugdhetr ifrveodmt hidso minains"c eec onomiisntt hiec "
extreCmuer.i loyuth,si sr eprowarcohn,g dliyr ecattMe adrx isimn,
factc haractcearpiiztalelisis bte ralism.
Thed evelopomfte hngete neralmiazrekd(e tthl ee arsetg ulated
possiabnldeo )fd emocraarcdeye creteobd e c omplementtoa ry
onea nothTehreq. u estoifoc no nflibcett weseonc iianlt erests
whicha reexp resstehdr outghhei inrt ervenitinto hnmesa rkaentd
sociiantle rewshtisc ghi vmee anianngdi mpotrotp olitical
democrisan coyet v epno seEdc.o nomaincdsp olidtiocn so fotrm
twod imensoiofsn osc iraela leiatcyhh,a vitnhge oiwrn a utonomy,
operatinia nd gi alectrieclaalt iocnasphiitalpei;cs otn omiinfac cst
govertnhspeo litiwchaols,ce r eatpiovtee nitetil ailm inates.
Apparleynt,th e m"odsetv elocpoeudn",t t rhye ionnwe h ich
thpeo litiisac catlu aclolnyc eiavnedpd r actiecnetdi rientl hye
9
10 T H EL IBERALV IRU S
exclusseirvveoi fct ehee c ono(moycf a piitnafa lc,t )-obviously
the UnSittaetde sh-eiltsdo b et hbee smto defolr " allI.t"is n sti­
tutiaonndps r acticesb eis mhiotualbtdyale ldt howsheo h opteo
bec ontemaprowyri tthh weo rlsdc ene.
Theriesn oa lterntaot itvphere o posmeodd ewlh,i cihs
foundoende conomipsotsitcu ltahtieed se,n toiftt hyme a rket
andd emocraacnydt, h seu bsumpotfit ohnpe o litbiytc haeelc o­
nomiTch.e s ociaolpitsito n attientm hpSeto evdiU enti oann d
Chindae monstrtahtaiettwd a sb otihn efficiienen cto nomic
teranmds a ntidermaoticintc h peo liticals phere.
Ino thewro rdtsh,pe r oposifotrimounlsa ted abtohvee have
virtoufbe e ing "ettreurnt(ahthlse t" r utohf"sR easorne"v)e ablye d
thuen foldoifcn ogn tempohriasrtyTo hrye.it rr iumipsah s sured,
particuslianrceld yi tshaeep apranocfte h ael tern"astoicviea list"
experimWeenwil tls .alt lr uani.vel,y ash abse esna iadtt, h een do f
histoHriys.t orRiecaasloh na st riumpThheidts.r iummpeha ns
thetnh awtel iinv et he boefals lpt o ssiwbolrled ast,l eapsott ential­
lyi,nt hsee ntshea itwilt l bes ow henit fosu ndiindge aarsae c cept­
ed bye veryaonndpe u itn tpor actiecvee rywhAleltr hede.e fects of
today's arredealu ieot nylt yot hfaec tt hathte seet erpnrailn ciples
ofR easaonrn eo yt eptu itn tpor actiintc hese o cietthiasetus ff er
fromt hedseefi cienpcairetsi,c tuhloainsr elth yeg lobSaolu th.
Theh egemonoifst mh Uen itSetda taen so,r meaxlp ression
ofi tasv ant-gpaorsdieti inuo sni nRge as(oinn evitlaibbleyri asl ),
thus buontahv oidaanbdfl aev oratbotl heep rogroefst sh e
wholoefh umaniTthye.ri esn o"A mericiamnp erialoinslamy , "
nobllee ader(s"bheinpi gonrp" a inlaessl si,b eArmaelr ican
intelleqcutaulialitsfy) .
Thes"ei deaasr"ce e nttroat lh lei bevriasli Ionnfa .ct a,sw e
will isnwe hea fotl lowtsh,e sied eaarsne o thibnugtn onsense,
T H E" L I B EARL" V I S I OONF S O C ITEY ll
foundeodn a p ara-science-psuore-ecc oanlolmeidc sa-na nd
accompaniydienogl ogy-opdoesmtimsm.
"Pureec"o nomiisnc osat t heoorfty h ree awlo rlodf,r eally­
existincga pitabluiotsf am n,i maginary cIatip sni otetav leians m.
rigortohueso orfty h lea ttTehreb. a seasn dd evelopomfet nhte
argumednotn so td esertvobe eq ualiafisec do herIetnit so. ny la
para-sccileonscieenfar, c tt os orctehraytn ot hnea tusrcaile nces
whicihtp retetnodi sm itAastfo er.p ostmodsemri,not in lfoyr ms
ana ccompandyiisncgo ucraslelu,ip nogun s t oa cotn lwyi thtihne
limoiftt shl ei besryals tteo"m a,d jutsoit t".
Ther econstroufca ct iitoinpz oelni tdiecmsa ntdhsa mto ve­
mentosfr esistparnocteae,ns dst t rugagglaeith nesr te aelf feocft s
thiem plementoaftt hiisosyn s tbeemfr eefrdo mt he livbierruasl.