Civilians in Paris have been killed because of these imperial drives for power, just as tens, hundreds of millions before them have been killed in the past.
I was sickened to hear and watch the events occurring in France. Part of that was for the immediate families, friends and neighbors of those so needlessly killed. Another part was the fear factor; not fear of terror or for myself, but fear for how the powers that be would ratchet up the security control within their own societies by using their own biased racist fear factors in order to rationalize it to control their own populations. A wider perspective is the sick feeling of realizing that humanity in general is capable of producing such atrocities.
The latter is where a large problem arises within our supposedly ‘civilized’ western world. It is not just the terrorists who are capable of atrocities against humanity; it is not just Muslim fanatics who are capable of terrorizing the west; it is not the ‘other’ who is capable of demonizing and killing their opponents. It is you and I and the societies that we support that are also capable of producing terror across large swathes of the world.
It is our history of moral superiority and technological advantage for which we, the ‘western’ world, the ‘civilized’ world, perceive ourselves as being superior—well, look at us, living lifestyles of comparative wealth and luxury to much of the world, of course we are superior. What is not contained within that narrative is that our wealth has much more to do with the imperial conquests by the European ‘west’ of various regions in order to extract their wealth of whatever sort. Our moral superiority is nothing more than a gloss of rhetoric over the motivation to use a superior military technology to subdue, conquer, and extract wealth from other regions and other peoples.
In short, the roots of terror lie within our own hands. Certainly other civilizations of past eras have done the same thing with their own versions of morality and technological advantages. That only underlines the idea that this is a human condition, with our current version apparently much more deadly than previous iterations of our collective and unrecognized heart of darkness.
Imperial overdrive for power and control
Wherein, then, do the roots of terror lie, historically apart from within ourselves generally? One could trace the roots of terror back to the beginning of historical times, and then beyond into pre-history. But as we are supposedly a morally/technologically superior society today, the roots of today’s terror can arguably be traced back to World War I, its imperial atrocities on all sides, followed by the demise of the Ottoman Empire.
Before then, of course, is the whole colonial history concerning the conquest of the Americas and the subjugation of its indigenous population. Societies then, almost wholly European, used the same old same old tactics of arguing moral superiority while utilizing brutal technologies to subjugate and destroy native people. Africa was dealt the same deal, and while the indigenous populations were not destroyed, the slavery, resource extraction, and control of the physical land covered the entire continent. Most parts of Asia, whether the British in Southern Asia or the French in Southeast Asia, with the Portuguese and Dutch scattered throughout the region, underwent a similar colonial pattern.
World War I was effectively a clash of these empires trying to supersede the control of the other empires for the wealth and power of the rest of the world. From that war rose the divisions of the Middle East by the British and French into either outright control or spheres of influence ranging from the Sykes-Picot secret agreement through to the League of Nations mandates. The Versailles peace, while it ‘worked’ for some, failed miserably for others, not meeting the ideals of the Wilsonian rhetoric about all nationalities deciding their own futures democratically.
Because of that failure, World War II became the last and largest battle of World War I, witnessing again a change in the imperial overlords. Politically, financially, and economically, the U.S. became the dominant power gaining control of Europe through NATO, and using a combination of military and financial tactics to try and gain control of the rest who were not willing to submit to U.S. dominance. The readings of history are widely available, with various interpretations, with the general trend being one of an artificial moral superiority, combined with powerful economic forces (Bretton Woods, World Bank, IMF, WTO, OECD, et al), all sustained through covert and overt military actions.
The unipolar empire
The collapse of the Soviet Union is probably the most current historical turning point. It left the U.S. and its partners as the heirs apparent to being the global hegemon. A global peace would surely ensue; it was the ‘end of history’. Unfortunately the same imperial imperative from centuries past survived and thrived with what was supposed to become the New World Order. It played out militarily through the designs of the Grand Chessboard, rather than through the logic of orderly trade and cultural interaction searching for a better understanding of each other’s cultures.
Arguably, the 9/11 attacks on the WTC could be labeled as a more important inflection point of history, but it is more readily seen as a culmination of blowback from actions taken by the global imperial hegemon after the collapse of the Soviet Union. That incident released powerful forces already prepared, ready to be set in motion. It was the ‘New Pearl Harbor’ desired by the authors of the Project for a New American Century (Kristol, Feith, Kagan, Wolfowiz, Woolsey,Rumsfield, Bolton, Perle) who had been around since Reagan’s tenure. It allowed the rapid passing of the Homeland Security Act, one so large it had to be by necessity ready to go for such a framework. It ramped up the rogue nature of U.S. military and corporate actions globally, as their infamous ‘with us or against us’ paradigm turned everything black and white, losing all perspectives of grey or color.
The ultimate goal was global hegemony, the containment and or destruction of both Russia and China, the unparalleled support of Israel, and the demonization of all things Islamic. It was applied ruthlessly through all means of military operations, through the manipulation of international standards (e.g. the so called ‘right to protect’ doctrine), through the manipulation of financial markets and last but not least, the outright control of the mainstream media and its acquiescence, indeed promotion of, imperial rhetoric.
Multipolarity renewed
Fortunately we are at another inflection point in history—not fortunate for the depth of its current and potential violence—fortunate in that the ‘rest of the world’ has acted against the imperial overdrive of the U.S. and its imperial cohorts and satraps.
Yes, the attacks in Paris were brutal, vicious and intended to terrorize. But what of the terror that has been instigated in the name of empire, the empire in which you and I live? Is it less of a terror tactic to bomb cities, villages, and countrysides indiscriminately as in the Vietnam War? Are we more ‘civilized’ now that we pretend to use smart weapons? Is shock and awe a feature of technological morality making us superior to the thousands killed immediately, with millions more affected in subsequent years? Is the use of hyperbaric bombs, cluster munitions, white phosphorous, depleted uranium munitions, Hellfire missiles, dense inert metal explosives—all used by ‘civilized’ western powers in the wars of the Middle East and beyond—is that being more civilized?
Similarly is the control and manipulation of the financial world a morally justifiable act? Are ‘free trade’ agreements anything but free when they subjugate the junior partner to both financial and legislative/legal terms that essentially destroy sovereignty? Is our lifestyle, predicated on consumption, living within a rentier extractive economy (living in debt), buying cheap resources and goods from countries subject to financial and military imperial overdrive—is that how we rationalize our moral superiority?
This is understood by some of the world. It is seldom if ever recognized within the mainstream media, except for the odd occasion when a ‘balanced’ report is made on a situation in which there is no balance. What is being recognized, slowly and without huge rhetorical counter-attack, is that there is, fortunately, no longer a single global hegemon, even as they remain desirous to attempt it.
Putin asked at the UN, “Do you know what you have done?” They have created an empire of chaos that serves certain sectors well but for the most part to a level of violence not witnessed for several generations, that could—if the right wing rhetoric and bluster of U.S. presidential candidates holds any meaning—could lead to the end of the world as we know it. The mujahedeen “freedom fighters” of Reagan have morphed through the Taliban to al-Qaeda into the current ISIS iteration.
These groups have all been supported by the U.S.: certainly the mujahedeen from which the Taliban; less so al-Qaeda other than as a useful ‘other’ as an excuse to combat on a global scale yet supported by longtime ally, the medieval tribal monarchy of Saudi Arabia; and as can be extrapolated from current actions against ISIS who have proven to be a convenient destabilizer against Assad, receiving U.S. military aid indirectly through Turkey, Saudi Arabia and other partners.
As for France, it has been a willing partner in most if not all of these imperial endeavors. Asymmetric warfare has brought those endeavors to the ‘homeland’. France could have imposed martial law and locked the country down as more than likely would happen in the U.S. if a similar incident had occurred. In Canada the response has been measured and compassionate, a decided change from what would have happened if Harper was still in power and able to ramp up the terrorist fear factor. Fortunately, humanity also carries within itself an altruistic caring capacity towards others.
Just as the roots of terror lie within our own hands, so do the roots of an altruistic humanitarian outlook. That includes all humanity, indeed all of the global environment, and if nourished properly can result in the eventual reset to a more compassionate and caring social structure. I expect no miracles as the hatreds and animosities that have been developed by the control of the commons politically, financially, and militarily, presented with a subservient media, will not be easy to overcome.
What needs to be recognized is that we are all complicit partly through the acceptance of our lifestyles and what it is truly based on. As individuals sometimes not much can be achieved, but it becomes an individual responsibility to question authority, to question the raison d’etre of our moral judgements, and to be prepared to do our own search for the truth, however painful that truth may be to predetermined ideologies.
Civilians in Paris have been killed because of these imperial drives for power, just as tens, hundreds of millions before them have been killed in the past. The human condition, its extremes of pathos and joy, requires a recognition of a global responsibility towards each and every ‘other’ that exists. Take personal responsibility, think globally, act locally towards an era when perhaps the world will be at peace with one another.
The only partner in this latest world upheaval is Israel. If and it won’t happen the US stopped giving Israel billions of aid, (military crap), then perhaps the ME could come back to some semblance of (peace be upon him), But then again, it is all about oil and precious rare metals, isn’t it???? If one would put an overlay of where the oil and the diminishing precious metals are one would see why the Western world is immersed in and indeed promoting terrorism. You won’t see this on main stream media, they really want to keep you economically enslaved position of keep on spending and yet e afraid. The whole world is really on a climactic/fear brink. Rely on the 1%’er’s, and all hope is gone.
The ME has been a hotbed of muslim rebel militia for 1400 years already. Killing each other, killing the “other”. This islamic jihad began a long time ago and is the reason for the constant upheavals in the ME. It is also the root cause of most, if not all, the wars and conflicts going on in this world today. And you know the story: he who has the oil, controls the nations. Who has the oil? WHO HAS CONTROL OVER THE OIL????
The US is just a puppet of the Saudi Arabian regime, in return for not allowing Russia influence in the ME. It gets its directions from Saudi Arabia and recently Turkey and Qatar as well. The only reason why the west is involved in the ME today is because the muslims asked us to, and then when we do, we get blamed. Just like the US govt covered up the fact that it was saudi arabia who committed 9/11 and that Prince Bandar had as much to do with that as he had with the deliberate creation of an “arab spring” in Syria to oust Assad. Saudi Arabia, the Gulf and Turkey want Assad out and the West are simply bending to their needs.
But at the end of the day there is absolutely NO DENYING that the atrocities being committed in the ME and the genocide of 300 000 people, and the displacement of 9.5 million is not the fault of the west or israel. It has EVERYTHING to do with islamic theology which is also a political ideoloyg and governance system. And there is only ONE REASON why islamic and african countries are still mired in the poverty that they are: islam and war and corruption. These countries have had billions of trade and aid poured into them and they have virtually nothing to show for it. The west does not steal anything from these fellahs, in fact, the west pays bribes and then pays to extract the resources as well as provide the technology to do so, and without the western “superiority” things would be far worse for these countries. It is not the fault of westerners that african and muslim leaders steal and keep all the income for themselves, the chosen few, those 1%’ers, as you say.
Arab regimes in the Middle East dictate US policy?
You’ve put the cart before the horse. That you have to subscribe to such a delusion in order to place the blame on “muslims” is instructive.
“The US is just a puppet of the Saudi Arabian regime,”
Wow, I must have been blind all these years not to notice this. Thank You for “awakening” me.
Practical human activities,now most of them just a part of history,narrated factually and to the point of absolute reality
This is the kind of sick pathetic journalism that should be taken and shoved down the throat of the people who are so uninformed and stuck in their one track thinking so that they gag on it and hopefully suffocate and die.
The roots of terror are found explicity in islam. TODAY, the global threat to our security comes from one quarter in the main, the rest of insignificant, and that is ISLAM.
This has nothing to do with the western colonialism because western colonialism ended a long time ago, but eastern islamic arabic colonialism that has been entrenched for over a thousand years, is still expanding due to muslims practising their religious obligation to wage jihad on the kaffirs for the cause of allah, which is to rule the world under islam AND stupid dhimwits like you, who have not an iota of knowledge regarding the true history of islam and the severe and widespread trauma that it has spread upon this earth, which is in fact THE ONLY REASON TODAY FOR ALL THE CONFLICTS going on, because islam destroyed the identities of whole peoples, eg the berbers, the kurds, the sudanese and nubians, the egyptians, the nigerians and somalians etc etc etc.
Western colonialism can be seen as a godsend in comparison to the death and destruction and desserts that islamic colonisation creates wherever it goes, and islam are muslims. 99.9% of muslims are terrorists and the only reason for that is because they are emulating their false prophet of arabia, who was the first muslims terrorist. PLEASE EDUCATE YOURSELF before you presume again to opine on the roots of terror. Islam is the most fascist, racist, supremacist, imperialist and colonials political movement in this world and it hides by blaming the jews and the west, and dhimwits fall for their deceptive propaganda, which is part of islamic jihad on kaffirs. KAFFIR is the most racist word used all the time by muslims to describe non muslims.
It is dhimmi wits like you who are destroying our advanced western civilisation of freedoms and human rights for the sake of defending and tolerating an indefensible and intolerant and very very hostile people who seek our demise actively.
Foreign Policy Journal is a piece of shit. The whole lot of you should be sent to Pakistan for life skills experience.
Perhaps you should read the article.
” because western colonialism ended a long time ago,”
Very Illuminating !!!!