Re: Invisible Strengths

In his 1980 book, 'The Third Wave' Alvin Toffler divides the elites into two groups, 'The Super Elites' and the 'Sub-Elites.'    

 

David F. Korten, in the 'Post-Corporate World' notes that 200 people control 51% of the World's Wealth.  These people appear to be the group referred to as the 'Bilderberg Group' - or the 'Super Elites.'  In the book, 'The Perfect Future' (Micklewaithe, et al - 2000) the authors write that when the Bilderberg Group meets financial events follow.  In this group appear to be Heads of State, Old Money interests, etc. -- those that are in charge of investment allocation.  

 

Toffler refers to the Sub-elites, or corporate TNC managers, as 'the integrators' who operate within the limits that the Super Elites set for them. 

 

Toffler also writes that '(W)ithin every Second Wave Society, consequently, a parallel architecture of elites spang up.  And--with local variation--this hidden hierarchy of power was born again after every crisis or political upheaval.  Names, slogans, party labels and candidates might change; revolutions jmight come and go.  New faces might appear behind the mighty mahogany desks.  But the basic architecture of power remained.'   

 

In reading, 'Rule by Secrecy' by Jim Marrs (2000), and then following it with 'The Money Men' by Jeffrey Birnbaum (2000), it is amazing to see the pattern repeated over and over again as different 'societies' were created but the names attached to family lineage appear in descending order down thru the ages and into today as Birnbaum reveals the names of those who are the "money men' of "K" Street in Washington, D.C., who man the CIA, the foundations and universities, the military-industrial complex, and are nominated for the Presidency of the U.S.   

 

I am most interested in this subject since I am preparing to write a book which will include background information on the 'elites' and how their power is exerted.  What I cannot help but wonder, and what Toffler hints at is that the power of the 'Sub-elites' may now have surpassed that of the Super Elites.  And that the power of the mafia's and cartels, e.g., the Chinese Triads, may have joined with the Sub-elites. 

 

Any thoughts on this?  Or other background information that may be useful?

 

marguerite

Marguerite Hampton
Executive Director - Turtle Island Institute
EcoPilgrim@juno.com
http://tii-kokopellispirit.org
            

On Thu, 3 May 2001 14:17:01 -0400 "g kohler" <gkohler@accglobal.net> writes:

An article by Petros Haritatos about "Invisible Strengths" got me thinking about how weak or strong the global underdogs actually are. "Global underdogs" could be defined in two ways - (a) as periphery versus core, or (b) as masses versus elites. Estimating "strength" is an old habit in political science of the kind of Hans Morgenthau and Karl Deutsch. There, "power" is distinguished from "capabilities" ("capabilities" denoting the raw inputs, usable for "power", e.g.,  500 pounds of coffee or 500 soldiers or 500 dollars or 500 experts). Here are some simple figures about "capabilities" --

 

A.   First World - Rest of World
(1) Who has the world's nuclear weapons?
First World:_____USA, France, UK, Israel
Rest of World:___Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, China, India, Pakistan
   
(2) Who has the world's oil (petroleum)?
Proven reserves 1994
First World_____  44,294 million bbls - USA, Norway, Canada, UK, Australia
Rest of World___915,940 million bbls - Saudi Arabia, Iraq, UAE, Kuwait, Iran,
                                                         and 15 (or more) other countries
Ratio of Rest-of-World : First World = 21 : 1
Source= Statesman's Year-Book 1995-96, vol. 132, p. xxvii

 

(3) Who has the world's GDP?
Based on PPP (purchasing power parity valuation, mid-1990s):
First World_____56%
Rest of world___44%

 

It is generally believed that this is an 80/20 split (First world 80%, Rest of World 20%). However, the 80/20 figure is based on U.S. dollar exchange rates, which do not measure the economic strength of the two groups correctly.

 

B.   Elites - Masses
Crude estimates for three categories - (a) global elites, (b) national elites, (c) all other people.

 

(1) How many "global elites" are there?

 

Estimate A:
The annual Davos meetings are attended by about 1000 "global elites". Assuming that for every one attending Davos there are 50 not attending, that leads to an estimate of approximately 50,000 members of the global elite.

 

Estimate B:
Assuming that the corporations listed in the "Fortune500" are the top global corporations and assuming that, in each corporation, there are 100 top executives - that leads to an estimate of 500 times 100 = 50,000 members of the global elite.

 

[for convenience, I will change 50,000 to 60,000 below]

 

Ratio "global elite": global population, approximately:
= 60,000 : 6 billion = 60,000 : 6,000,000,000
= 0.001% : 99.999%
i.e. "global elites" constitute one thousandth of one percent of world population. If it is claimed that the world is ruled by a global elite, then 99.999 percent of the people are ruled by 0.001 percent of the people.

 

(2) How many "national elites" are there?

 

Estimate A:
2% of population -
that leads to a worldwide estimate of  2% of 6 billion=120,000,000=120 million (i.e., all national elites of all countries)

 

Estimate B:
5% of population-
that leads to a worldwide estimate of 5% of 6 billion =300 million national elites of all countries

 

(3) Proportions

 

(a) global elites : national elites
=  60,000 : 120,000,000 =  0.05% : 99.95%
or 60,000 : 300,000,000 =  0.02% : 99.98%
If it is claimed that global elites dominate national elites, then 0.02% of the elites of the world (truly global section) dominate 99.98% of the elites of the world (national sections).

 

(b) global elites : national elites : masses
=  60,000 : 300,000,000 : 6,000,000,000
=  0.001% : 5% : 95%

 

Limitations
Numeric proportions of capabilities are interesting, but do not give a full picture of "power" and the actual or potential relation of forces.

 

Posting from: Gernot Kohler 03 May 2001

 

 

 

Marguerite Hampton
Executive Director - Turtle Island Institute
EcoPilgrim@juno.com
http://tii-kokopellispirit.org