Surviving Capitalism (Not) : Iran, Sun Tzu and the dominatrix

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Friday, May 21, 2010

Iran, Sun Tzu and the dominatrix

by Pepe Escobar from Asia Times Online. The author explains how the US is caught in an embarrassing contradiction regarding Iran, and how the other major players are outsmarting the US.

I love the author's portrayal of war-monger Hillary Clinton as a dominatrix. It brings to mind the support for Hillary during the 2008 US elections by so many women who were excited about a woman candidate for President--as if the equipment you carry between your legs has some bearing on one's politics! This is reverse sexism at its worst.

The US ruling class loves to manipulate this, generally speaking, very naive US electorate by allowing it to vote on candidates of a different gender and race with the implication that such candidates will support different policies.

So we have come to a situation whereby a real, Iran-approved nuclear fuel swap is on the table at the International Atomic Energy Agency while an offensive towards sanctions on Iran is ongoing at the UN. Who is the real "international community" going to trust? Erdogan could not have put it better; "This is the time to discuss whether we believe in the supremacy of law or the law of the supremes and superiors ..."

Most of all, what the developing world sees is the past - US, France, Britain, Germany - fighting against the advance of the future - China, India, Brazil, Turkey, Indonesia. The global security architecture - policed by a bunch of fearful, self-appointed Western guardians - is in a coma. The "Atlanticist" West is sinking Titanic-style.