The US-centralized empire is waging nonstop wars that have killed millions of human beings just since the turn of this century, and people will still say things like “We’ve really got to do something about Cuba.”
The US-centralized empire is circling the planet with hundreds of military bases, working to destroy any nation which disobeys its dictates and brandishing armageddon weapons at its enemies like a drunken hillbilly with a shotgun, and people are still like “Something must be done about China’s intellectual property theft!”
Among the violent and destructive governments in our world, one towers high above all the others in a league entirely of its own. Add in the malign behavior of its allies, who effectively function as arms of the same single empire on foreign policy, and the gap between it and the next-worst offender grows even greater. And yet, somehow, many people act as though this power structure should not face a unique level of criticism and scrutiny.
When imperialists yell the word "whataboutism" what they really mean is "Stop pointing out the damning contradictions, inconsistencies and hypocrisy of my position."
— Caitlin Johnstone (@caitoz) August 6, 2020
A lot of propaganda-addled empire loyalists bleat the terms “whataboutism” and “false equivalency” at anyone who responds to criticisms of nations like Russia or China by pointing out the terrible things the US does and continues to do, implying that America is far better than those other nations and that even bringing them into the same conversation is absurd. And they are correct, it is absurd, but for the exact opposite reason they think: the US is far, far worse.
There is no other power structure that is anywhere near as violent, thuggish and authoritarian as the one that is currently using its military and economic might to murder, starve, bully and cajole the rest of humanity into submission and obedience to its interests. No one else comes anywhere remotely close. Any analysis of international dynamics which fails to place this fact front and center in its understanding is necessarily a flawed, power-serving analysis.
It’s not just the brainwashed human livestock of the mainstream who fail to take this reality into account, but also many self-styled “anarchists” and other ideologues who fancy themselves to be up-punching critics of power. The mantra “I oppose all governments equally” will often see such types enthusiastically supporting the downfall of US-targeted governments like Syria and China, simply because those governments are more authoritarian than they’d like. Because it’s not informed by a reality-based weighting of world power dynamics as they actually exist, their “anti-authoritarianism” sees them supporting the most tyrannical agendas of the most tyrannical power structure on earth.
The "I oppose all governments equally" flag. pic.twitter.com/MJGdXerObo
— Caitlin Johnstone (@caitoz) March 31, 2021
You’ll hear them called “anarcho-imperialists” or “anarcho-neocons” by anti-imperialists; people whose internet anarchism leads them to actively facilitate western propaganda initiatives against targeted governments because those governments are not pure and utopian enough for the delicate sensibilities in their blond dreadlock-adorned heads. They’ll pay lip service to opposing the US government too, but “opposing all governments” without that opposition reflecting the fact that one government is orders of magnitude worse than any other is supporting that very government.
The fallacy of “I oppose all governments equally” is best summarized by the Anatole France quote, “In its majestic equality, the law forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, beg in the streets and steal loaves of bread.” All things are not equal, and treating all governments as though they are the same will always serve the interests of the most powerful government.
It’s like those American libertarians who say “I oppose all forms of welfare, including corporate welfare!” Well guess what mate? Put your shoulder against that value system and shove, and then watch whose welfare ends up getting cut. I’ll give you a hint: it won’t be the rich guys.
Force always flows most freely when it’s being directed against those who power opposes, next most freely when it’s directed against those to whom power is indifferent, and least freely when it’s directed against the most powerful themselves. It’s always far easier to flow with power than against it; that’s why the richest people are always those who collaborate with existing power structures. Firing your energy at “all governments equally” will see that energy picked up and ran with wherever it opposes the governments the largest power structure doesn’t like.
"Neither Washington nor Beijing", is essentially (and secretly) a pro-Washington, anti-Beijing position.
Equating both sides always helps the more evil side.
Just because both US and China are wrong, doesn't mean both are equally wrong.
— Maitreya Bhakal (@MaitreyaBhakal) February 28, 2021
As journalist Maitreya Bhakal recently put it:
“Neither Washington nor Beijing”, is essentially (and secretly) a pro-Washington, anti-Beijing position. Equating both sides always helps the more evil side. Just because both US and China are wrong, doesn’t mean both are equally wrong.
The problem is the nation that is infinitely less wrong than the other, is criticized infinitely more. Criticism should be proportional to the crime. This is why those who push for “equality before law” in China – ignore it while comparing China to US.
It’s basically like saying “Neither Hitler nor Obama”: Imagine how pleased Hitler would be at being equated with Obama – no matter the latter’s crimes. Those who call for nuance when opposing “whataboutism” fail to apply nuance when comparing US and China. Thus, the effect (and in many cases, the purpose) of Bothsidesism is to not only to make the more evil side look less evil, but also to justify the more evil side’s evil atrocities against the less evil side.
People often tell me “You don’t oppose imperialism, you only criticize US imperialism!” And to them I always reply, well, show me the other government that’s circling the planet with hundreds of military bases, waging nonstop wars and orchestrating the destruction of any nation which disobeys it. I’ll criticize that one too.
China is just as imperialist as America, Caitlin! pic.twitter.com/f6pdfimMja
— Caitlin Johnstone (@caitoz) March 20, 2021
I make no bones about the fact that I prefer to focus my criticisms on the most powerful and destructive power structure in the world. It’s not weird and suspicious to do this, it’s weird and suspicious that more people don’t do it. It is the sane and normal thing to do, and the fact that this isn’t the default assumption says so much about how extensively our society is wound around the convenience of the powerful.
Not only is focusing your opposition on the most powerful and destructive government the most rational use of your energy, it’s also impossible to circulate criticisms of US-targeted nations without facilitating and participating in the US propaganda campaigns against those governments. I guarantee you that if I changed my tune and suddenly began authoring articles decrying the treatment of Alexei Navalny and the Uyghurs in Xinjiang province, those articles would go more viral than anything I have ever written, because they flow in the direction of existing imperialist propaganda campaigns. I would be responsible for the consequences of my doing this.
And there would be consequences. Before they launch missiles, they launch narratives. Before they drop bombs, they drop propaganda. The path to every bullet in every war is paved with mass-scale narrative manipulation, and when we choose to participate in that paving we are just as culpable for the death and destruction that ensues as the guys who drop the actual bombs. The devastating effects of war against nations like Syria or Iran and the potentially world-ending consequences of cold war aggressions against Russia and China rest on the shoulders of those who helped circulate the narratives which facilitated them.
So be real with yourself about what you’re putting out there, and be responsible about it. Be mindful of whether you’re helping to advance an agenda with a lot of energy behind it from the most powerful forces on earth, because those are the agendas that will be enacted. Don’t let your “anarchism” turn you into a goddamn stormtrooper for the empire.
________________________
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50 responses to “Opposing All Governments Equally Is Supporting The Most Powerful Government”
Right here is one of those AnCaps who disparages all government. However, I totally agree with you. The only thing worse than US domestic policy is its foreign policy. But the US is the bogey man because it can be. It will fall and likely soon. Both nations and individuals are fleeing their most effective weapon, the US dollar. Hopefully it won’t exterminate all of us in a spasm of rage. After it falls there may be a period of relative peace and quiet, or not, until the next one rises up and starts the process all over again. Just as when the British empire fell, the US picked it up. Never assume the next won’t be as bad or worse than the current. After all, they are all led by psychopaths.
Caitlin, this is the first time that you stepped from your tower when talking about flow. Good for you.
There can be no empire when Lockheed martin appears to be betraying the empire by producing an aeroplane that states its parts have flown less hours than they have and the engines require more work than was stated.
The female empire, is a female empire, as the pivot of Ballarat, Australia, us? Is its prisons as the rapists are the Ballarat magistrates, who are all female, as no man betrays another man in the way magistrates betray their sex.
Caitlin why not talk about the victim journal of Australian ABC online. As empires die making female noises , as the prisons which are built on the impossible rights of women , become cyclones of female nightmares and loathing.
“You have no idea what you’re up against” – President Barack Obama (to Mitt Romney). This from a third generation Marxist revolutionary hand selected by one of the two viable political parties.
But of course few people actually know “what” better than Senator Romney who has also been a multigenerational player since the day of his birth. He, of course, was also hand selected by the other of the two viable political parties.
They flipped a coin, Obama lost. You know the rest, but you have no idea what you’re up against. Time passes.
Future President Trump and Senator Madam Secretary Former First Lady Clinton flipped a coin, Trump lost. Four years later President Trump and Former Vice President Senator Biden flipped a coin, Biden lost.
Of course this coin is two sided, and they are both the same. Nothing is left to chance, regardless. Perhaps now there is some idea of what you’re up against. IMHO God bless Niccolo Machiavelli.
Myanmar peaceful protesters would no doubt enjoy exercising their 2nd amendment rights using donated American citizen arsenal weapons to overthrow the Burmese military dictatorship. Yet there is no intelligent response to either gun control any more than there is
defending democracy in Burma/Myanmar.
Just as it is impossible to conceive peace by protesting against the military dictatorship, so is it is inconceivable American gun owners will LOAN their 2nd-Amendment-protected firearms for use by Burmese citizens who oppose,resist, & defy the junta.
Even if American Armed Forces ? provided the munitions the Burmese citizenry that armed them to challenge as equals a fair? fight to secure the PEACE…
AMERICANS armed-to-the-teeth have no fear a ressurection is likely to happen -so THERE!
FIRST : place women in positions of power to oversee weapons industry manufacture & sales.
SECOND : since males discharge weapons at rates resembling violence against women & other helpless & defenseless victims…when not directing firepower against state-sanctioned enemies ~ THIRDLY : those hired to manufacture weapons of mass-destruction could/should/ought-to-be re-trained at equal pay rates in harm-free industries like electric vehicle transportation/ solar & wind turbine enterprises – were there a humane/humanitarian initiative…
Red Queen Hypothesis – The Evolutionary Arms Race
Search domain explorable.com/red-queen-hypothesishttps://explorable.com/red-queen-hypothesis “The Red Queen Hypothesis, named after the Red Queen in the book Alice in Wonderland, brings together two evolutionary theories. The basis for the entire theory is down to ‘the evolutionary arms race’, where prey and predator constantly evolve together to reach some sort of uneasy balance.”
“I concede climate change deniers cannot be refuted:: IFone ever gets a cahnce to debunk climate change deniers…agree that in fact the climate isn’t getting any warmer or hotter – -people just aren’t as cool as they used to be…”
Understanding the basic human motivators is essential to seeing through the narratives and propaganda. Fear and greed are two of the most powerful ones, that often go together. Fear is easy to cause, everyone has it most of the time in one form or another. Greed isn’t just for the rich and powerful either, we all express it in our wanting of things that we consider important to our lives, even simple things like wanting a new pair of shoes, although most people don’t see it as greed. But the greater the fear or greed the more effort we put into it.
The cause of suffering ‘dukkha’ in Buddhists teachings could be translated as ‘wanting’ and ‘not wanting’, or desire and aversion. Desire leads to greed, and aversion leads to fear. We are kept in suffering because suffering weakens us, it distracts us, it prevents us from rising up – it is how people are suppressed by their governments.
Simply opposing the countries, organisations and people that perpetrate crimes on us is rarely enough, unless sufficiently large numbers of people do it at the same time. But that type of resistance usually leads to violence and deaths. They want us to waste our efforts on opposition because they can deal with that most of the time – they don’t want us to use methods that they can’t deal with..
A better answer is not to believe or accept the official narratives, not to be swayed by them, or react to them. To say ‘I don’t believe you, I don’t agree, I don’t support you’. By neutralising their narrative, you take the power away from them.
What we need are easier ways for large numbers of people to see through the narrative, to see it for what it is, to understand its purpose. Only then will we not be affected by it, and not react the way they want. An obvious starting point is to ask who benefits, with variations like asking who profits, and who pays – because money is so important to the greedy.
As the dust and debris from the mushroom clouds descended, the smell of burnt flesh was thick in the air.
As the stunned survivors wandered through the warped and tortured landscape sobbing and wringing their hands, some began to ask why.
Why, how and who.
People go along with tyrants out of fear of losing what they have. Little do they realize they will lose it anyway.
Not all People.
Some of us think deeper than that and there are more of us than you might expect. Our numbers grow gradually day-after-day. Serious business on the horizon.
Beautiful piece Caitlin.
When I was young and naive, I was an American libertarian who was equally opposed to all state power worldwide. And I was a little too taken in by the MSM narratives about boogeymen all over planet earth.
The naked aggression against Iraq in 2003, in sneering defiance and contempt for the UN Security Council, woke me up once and for all.
When the USSR fell, the US government inherited absolute power over planet earth. And absolute power corrupts, never mind how “nice” you fancied yourself to start with (and now I learn our govt was NEVER very nice). That corruption has made the US government a dangerous enemy of all mankind. FAR worse than any other government, not even a contest. I don’t care how many rich-man-owned newspapers you line up to say otherwise.
Foreign entities who historically make massive payoffs to highly placed US political figures only continue to do so because it consistently proves to be among the best investments in the world. Prove me wrong.
Well said Caitlin! The sane and normal thing is to oppose illegal invasions, unfair sanctions and unprovoked wars but our society is wound around the convenience of the economic power common people receive from repeating and supporting US government propaganda and imperialist foreign policy.
TANLAR – agreed.
~
Pass the ketchup Sally – get it yourself she replied. I reached over, but there was no gentleness in the movement, and she flinched just a bit. I didn’t get it and she looked at me and said “your stupid post office visit set us back”. She meant it and I meant it when I said back “where the hell are we going in the first place?”. She calmed herself and retorted “this whole journey is in your imagination”. I listened genuinely, but then said simply “I wouldn’t be here if not for your site and now you are giving me a hard time for that?”
~
She handed me the ketchup and we ate our meals. Not another word was said. Memphis was far away. It started raining outside. A hard rain. “Let’s go” we both said. It wasn’t funny. Serious business.
~
BK
https://www.lajollalight.com/news/story/2021-03-23/study-finds-possible-treatment-for-covid-19-in-leprosy-drug-la-jolla-scientist-says?bblinkid=249872402&bbemailid=30318269&bbejrid=1914679903
“In its majestic equality, the law forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, beg in the streets and steal loaves of bread.”
When I think that we say to the homeless person who begs in the street: “We are going to help you my boy, we are going to give you a vaccine so that you can continue to beg”. Is it rude enough? What does it mean that these politicians aren’t even embarrassed to act like this? It is surely that the end of the world is near. We must take out our Rosaries and pray hard!
Ms Johnstone, the ” Evil Empire ” truly deserves all of the scorn anyone can heap upon it. The sad fact is that way too many people just ignore what the United States does all over the world because that enables them to do absolutely nothing about it. When the United States economy totally collapses they might decide then to pay attention to their disgraceful government!
The Empire just got a swift kick to the gonads. Neocons who were itching to invade Iran must be fuming.
25-year China/Iran strategic alliance. This is a big deal.
https://thesaker.is/iran-china-the-21st-century-silk-road-connection/
Pushing Russia, China, and Iran together into a hostile alliance seems like a really bad move in terms of realpolitik. Hence I wonder why it was done. Since these three states have been relatively passive compared to the aggressive stances taken by the US and its satellites, I’d assume that it is due to the internal politics and economic structure of the US. One possible explanation is that the enormous military-industrial and surveillance industries believe they need to jack up political support among the increasingly weary US population. A truly dominant, successful imperial system would be playing Russia, China and Iran off against one another, not driving them into an alliance, but immediate, local self-interest may obscure such a goal. In that case we may soon see a crisis in which the US will not come out on top, with very significant results to follow.
This piece addressed the issue of why they continue with such stupidity pretty well, I thought.
https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2021/03/19/why-do-they-keep-doing-it/
I think these two comments, by Anarcissie and Gimmeabreak, go some way towards explaining the true situation. An empire has to have someone to fight, or its soldiers get soft, and then when a real danger comes along, it won’t be able to fight it any more. I also think it is really dumb to force Russia, China and Persia into alliance, and I don’t understand why they are doing it. However, an empire has to justify itself to its loyal subjects, and people seem to go on hating the same nations, even when there is no reason to hate them any more. I suggest that this last is the reason that Russia is still treated as an enemy. I suspect that American feminists don’t like the way Muslims treat their women, and this is a reason for Persia having to be an enemy – that, and the fact that the other Muslims, who don’t like Persia (Semite against Aryan), are the ones we depend on for a lot of oil.
An empire is a big thing to manage, and you have to remember that most of the people who think they are managing it probably aren’t really all that bright. The people who are managing THEM have to keep it simple for them.
Wow, a staunchly conservative, and by some reports oppressive entrenched Muslim Theocracy teaming up with an officially strongly atheistic Communist and by some reports oppressive entrenched “People’s Republic”? Looks like that “bringing us all together” political promise might have some substance to it after all. IMHO. God bless us every one.
That’s a cartoonish description, but it’s not hard to pin worse labels to the US (like “racist” “genocidal” and “fascist”) but either way y’all made the bed. Time to lie in it.
In the end it all comes down to religious beliefs and living by them; I’m pretty sure I read something to the effect that Jesus said something like, “The only person you have to worry about in this world is yourself, take care of yourself first, and don’t worry about where the chips may fall.” He also said something about not wanting any churches, temples, etcetera built for him, his ideas were to be openly discussed on street corners, bars and brothels. If anyone can read, but still decide that Jesus was joking around. You only have to give him credence as a philosopher to know better. I haven’t seen anything on this planet as it pertains to humans other than backstabbing, etcetera since almost the first day I was born.
I’m torn between, “Well now you’re getting your come-up-ance, or burn up the evil ones in hell; but even if I could do that in theory, I still couldn’t do that because it’s a disease with several causes that are both treatable and curable. These sick people unleashed a disease on the world, because that’s what they think of you as a whole. It is the nature of the disease whether it be by genetics or pathogens affecting the mind, at last count there are over 850 known species of pathogens that can take over an animal’s mind and have it do what it wants it to do for its own purposes. But, if you all want to keep playing your religious games of they’re evil and I’m righteous; well, then; apparently God has spoken and most of you will end up in a hell. The science is out there, I think that I’ve posted it here before. It’s really all up to you.
Who the hell is “you all”?
“Before they launch missiles, they launch narratives. Before they drop bombs, they drop propaganda.” And, before the propaganda:
https://seaclearly.com/2017/11/06/networked-narratives-world-be-damned/
First, Star Chamber interests decide what directions and actions are needed to fulfill what has been chosen for implementation. Next (after successful steps), many months (or even years) beforehand, they dispense Talking Points to concerted operatives, pliable/collusive publications, and fronted or “reliable” “news” sources. Then, the people are (sold) “informed” incrementally as to what is inevitably upcoming. Thus, under the guise of Facts simply being reported, it works (exceedingly) as a well-timed machine.
They be a crack-head wavin’ a glock like some jungle bunny. WTF ! Um, your bias has slipped through. Even so, I agree with your argument wholeheartedly.
I am barely clever enough to credibly say “I agree”, but I think there is something wrong here. What if there is in fact a global cabal that divides nations against one another. What if “conspiracy theory” is simply a screen to hide what is true? As a child I used to think these absurd religious believers grossly underestimate (or equate or minimalise relative to their own) the intelligence of “satan”. Do they even know who or what ‘god’ is?
Well they grossly underestimate God also. But look at it this way. I have been in business arrangements with several other persons in the past, four partners in a small business venture. We formed a conspiracy to make money which would give us the power to provide for our families. This isn’t a theory, we actually were conspiring to make money.
Now suppose you are buddies with the richest bankers, politicians and corporate officers in the world.
Would you work together with them to obtain more money and power? Surely not! That’s just a theory! They’d all work against each other individually!
And do what precisely? How do you propose I take down the US empire? I have enough trouble looking after myself.
You’re supposed to “rise up”, whatever the hell that means.
Oh right. Well I spoke to my neighbour Kevin and he also wants to “rise up” but can’t do weekends or Tuesdays.
https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2019/09/10/how-to-defeat-the-empire/
Yeah I just don’t really know anyone much interested in a decentralized guerrilla psywar. Most folk I know could probably tell you what a guerrilla is. Can’t see the fellas down at the rec centre really going for it. I think you’re speaking to about 0.01% of the population. People who have the requisite skill set, free time, good health, the desire and mental acuity. Maybe in the future when things get worse and more people are forced to confront the systemic problems of our world but until then most people are concerned with paying the mortgage and taking their kids to sporting events. Critical mass will be reached one day especially as the spectre of climate change and eco destruction accelerates. Your writing is good though… keep the fire burning Caitlin.
https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2019/09/10/how-to-defeat-the-empire/
Love your turn on words. Drunk hillbilly with a shotgun, priceless. Also loved your ending the piece with mention of stormtroopers. Very appropos. The star wars music when Darth Vader appeared instantly began playing in my mind. Come to think of it, that should be the US Anthem. Very inspiring.
Boris think Caitlin insensitive to problems of hillbillies.
Agree. They drink because they depressed. They depressed because revenuors confiscate their still and they almost out of their secret stash. They waving shotgun cause they mad as hell.
https://www.johndayblog.com/2021/03/life-support-ruminations.html
I keep ruminating upon the next step in the decline and fall of Globo-Cap. The Hudson/Escobar interview is very long, but this starts “part-2” in my mind.
http://thesaker.is/in-quest-of-a-multipolar-economic-world-order-with-michael-hudson-and-pepe-escobar/
Michael Hudson: [01:11:30] I can’t give you hope. I am all in favor of public banking and I’m on Ellen Brown’s board of directors for her group. However, supposing you had a public bank in Baltimore and the public bank said, we want to provide credit for Baltimore people to be able to afford homes. They would still have to out create enough credit and enough debt to outbid what commercial banks are lending other people that want to buy houses there. So, you can’t have an Island of efficiency and public banking in a system that basically is still financialized. The problem is systemic.
It goes to the courts. You talk about seceding. Then of course it’s possible. And people in Texas were talking about seceding in the 1840s when it was largely a German population. There were more publishers publishing German language books in Texas than there were English language books. But now, I think the way Texans think, if they were to succeed it is not going to be along the lines of public banking that you want . It would be a private bank owned by the oil companies that calls itself, a public bank. We’re in a world of Orwellian rhetoric.
What can the Americans do? They already have voted. We have democracy, they’ve voted for what they wanted to do. What did they vote for? They want shorter lifespans, lower wages, less education and less public services. Their choice is to get these things by a Democrat or by a Republican. But that’s the only choice they have. Other countries have a choice to emigrate, as the Ukrainians and the Greeks and Latvians have done. But I have no idea where Americans can emigrate to.
John again: I personally think Hudson is drawing a bleak, no-way-out picture to avoid drawing attention to what he may see as possible paths out. The military-industrial-financial complex DID use “Super Imperialism” as their cookbook, after all…
There is (as yet) no way out of the financialized, extractive vampire capitalist bleeding box that encloses America. Hudson talks of “revolution” as the only way, and in broad terms. He goes into the current regime being incapable of keeping any contractual obligation, which includes domestic social-contracts with Americans. Social Security has been gutted already. It is still paying out claims, but it is bled dry. It is no longer a cash cow for globo-cap. It keeps Americans placated. As long as American “consent” is needed by globo-cap, Social Security entitlements need to keep going out every month.
The extractive system has to extract from somewhere to keep paying maintenance expenses like S.S.
The rest of the world has been accepting $US, backed by US credit, for stuff they make, and shipping that stuff to Americans, which supports Americans every day. It’s not so much “trade” as extraction, since the US does send some grain, and licensed intellectual property, but mostly military enforcers.
The rest of the world knows it is paying to be enslaved, supporting the system which enslaves and bleeds it. Russia, China, Iran, Turkey and India and Pakistan all know the score.
So do Germany and Japan, but they are regional intermediaries of the imperial system. The intermediaries are important bellwethers. They need to maintain a favorable position in global economy as the hegemony of Western Global Capitalism under the Petrodollar regime is replaced. This transition needs to be “peaceful”, at least not WW-3.
Monetary transition needs a parallel trade and finance system. There is always gold.
“Digital gold” is gold. Physical gold has done more ocean travel in recent years, but it mostly travels conceptually via the internet.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a working parallel trade organization, which Hudson and Escobar discuss.
“The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organization founded in Shanghai on 15 June 2001. The SCO currently comprises eight Member States (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan), four Observer States interested in acceding to full membership (Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia) and six “Dialogue Partners” (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey).”
https://dppa.un.org/en/shanghai-cooperation-organization#:~:text=The%20SCO%20currently%20comprises%20eight,Cambodia%2C%20Nepal%2C%20Sri%20Lanka%20and
Within those nations, trade is increasing in various non-dollar accounting instruments. The use of the $US as both a means of extraction and a means of bullying-exclusion from global trade has thrust the imperative upon China, Russia, pariah-states and tribute-states alike to build a parallel global trade and finance system. Trust is shot these days, so I think gold-backed cryptocurrency will have to be the fallback.
The Fed can’t print gold, so the Fed loses out. The rest of the world can’t be bled, so “TROW” gets a better trade position going forward. There will be massive disruption of trade and accounting, but maybe that will come first. Maybe disruption of global financial accounting will happen, and the world will be forced into some degree of debt jubilee and financial reset. The technology exists. A non-extractive global financial regime would not really need central bankers, but maybe just trade accounting at a national level. The rationale for such an arrangement has existed longer than any living human, and was broadly seen as inevitable before the 1980s, as Hudson lays out. Keynes understood trade balances well. So does Hudson.
In the best case scenario the American people will get less consumer-stuff, and more agency and autonomy. Less cheap stuff will come into the Port of Los Angeles, but we will again be able to devise and create, not merely “comply”. We will work out local economies efficiently, as we, and all of our ancestors have always done. We will need to focus a lot more locally.
The $US has also kept us divided and conquered at the local and regional levels. At least Americans, some Americans, can still vote with their feet. (I see lots of out-of-state-plates in Austin.)That stands to really hurt the people who cannot move away from places like Chicago and Detroit.
American cities and states will need broad debt-forgiveness, but those trapped people still need food, water, shelter, fuel, community and medical care. Debt payments fund “retirements”. How will retired-people be supported and cared for? They need physical protection, too.
Parasitic gangs need productive-economy options, decent jobs. Parasitic-gang members have the same needs as everybody else, and need a better job-offer. A national infrastructure and public works project has been the historical answer. Some people will be abrasive, lazy, scheming and will do crap work. They still need to be rehabilitated from outright criminality. Grow vegetables together.
I think that local money, community banking can come in at this point. A gold-backed $US will be forced upon the current seat of empire. No more free-printing.
There could be national reserve currency, backed by gold and silver, and local credit money, through community banking.
The local credit money should stay local. Distant extraction of rents should really be eliminated, since it “kills the host”.Local communities would create local credit for local projects, as Ellen Brown sees in the Bank of North Dakota, and Hudson mentions.Land/housing rents and natural monopolies , like utilities should be community property, not modes of capital extraction to distant power centers.
Bank mortgages are rent extraction to distant financial power centers.
There is a lot in the interview and transcript which is worthy of careful consideration. Pepe Escobar brings a lot of focus to Brazil, to the Amazon. Globo-cap really wants to chew up and burn and extract the Amazon.
Texas was an independent nation until 1845, when the slaveholding lobby rammed its statehood through Congress over very vocal opposition. American settlers had been generously granted land by the Mexican government in the Mexican province of Texas. They soon rebelled because Mexico had abolished human slavery way back in 1824 and giving up their slaves was not an option for these great Texan heroes of freedom. They nevertheless felt themselves entitled to keep the land they obtained from Mexico under the false promise to obey her laws. Their cohorts in Washington soon launched an aggressive war that took nearly a third of Mexico’s entire land area.
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There were mass lynchings of loyal German immigrants in Texas by Confederates during the Civil War. Sam Houston himself was also an outspoken opponent of secession.
Powerful eye-opening stuff.
We live in a cloud of lies; the light that Caitlin Johnstone shines daily helps dissipate the smog of propaganda.
Thank you.
I guess you are right Caitlin.
Who cares about the Koala Bears and the Kangaroos anyway?
And Australia’s Government has Nothing to do with the U.S. Government, right?
Julian Assange is just small potatoes.
Caitin,
Thank you for writing about a critical point which, somehow, so many miss. I am constantly perplexed and frustrated by the attitude of so many otherwise intelligent people who respond to the ongoing U.S. crimes by saying something like “…well, the U.S. is not the only country that does bad things.” No, it isn’t. And I guess those folks think that a criminal jaywalker should receive the same punishment as a mass murderer. It really does not require sophisticated critical analysis to figure out the difference, does it?
I do have one suggestion. Given the inability or unwillingness of so many people to use a little nuance in their thinking about these issues, I think it would be helpful to also provide a little “teacher’s aid” to help them understand the term “U.S. interests”. Despite the fact that it is perfectly obvious that that term does not equate with the interests of the people of this Country, there are entirely too many who stubbornly continue to think that those interests are the same. So when you have the opportunity I suggest you explain this obvious point to those who cling to their willful ignorance on that point.
Well done as usual. Keep up the good work.
Someone has to be the bully on the block. Why not us.
Because it is against the interests of the people.
Then let them rise up and beat me. Until then, they do as I say. After all thats my job as world bully.
I agree with this great piece, but there is another aspect to consider. While the US is clearly the most facilitating tool of the Roman Empire, it is still one piece on the chess board of evil strategies to take down humanity. Call it the queen, the most powerful piece in the game. But other nations’ leaders, the leaders of virtually every nation (every nation is distributing vaccinations, and people are dying from them as planned) are complicit, be it out of being bought or cowering in fear. Yes, the US is the great power, and I intend to atempt take down the snake by the most effective way, by grabbing its head and removing that. In other words, take the beast down from its belly. The rest is easier once that has been delivered into our hands. From there we work on the rest of the planet. This is the best strategy. Do not fool yourself, EVERY world leader has been compromised, and every government must come down to enable peace and prosperity for all. IF we leave one government surviving, it will develop military might and repeat what has been developed and this will happen again. The Vatican must be addressed through the US>
Consider Larry Romanoff’s take: https://www.unz.com/lromanoff/a-brief-history-of-america-that-you-wont-learn-in-a-university/.
I hope Caitlin keeps repeating those last two paragraphs, which of course sum up of the rest of this piece, again and again and again and again until the message is spread far and wide. Very simple notion that can literally save the world.
Caitlin,
You make a valuable distinction here in this piece. I thank you for your ability to articulate this.