List,
Samuel Huntington is an important intellectual mercenary for global
capitalism. Dissident Taiwanese are forced to read his *Political Order in
Changing Societies*, a polemic against democracy that, among other things,
praises the Soviet Union for their effective use of authority. Why would
the government make them read this? *Political Order* is used as part of
Taiwan's re-education program for political dissidents, along with
dissidents being compelled to act as human chess pieces in a big checkered
courtyard while a commander of the military police barks the moves (the
dissidents are forced to carry big stones during this ordeal).
In a recent interview with David Gergen (January 9, 1997, NewsHour, PBS),
Huntington set out his "cultural-alignment" thesis. The content of the
"theory" does not warrant scientific debate, in my view. The argument is
hopeless idealism. This is the nicest thing I can say about it. But the
purpose of the argument is very important to understand. And in this
regard some of the content is revealing. I won't go into Huntington's
arguments (I think most of us are familiar with them), except to reproduce
one key point he made and then decode it. I also want to reproduce another
remarkable quote that--well, to use Bill Hicks' line in reference to Stacy
Coon's interpretation of the Rodney King beating, "'Cuse me, 'cuse me, man
with big testicles comin' through."
Gergen asked Huntington: "What are the implications of your argument about
clashes coming between civilizations? What are the implications for United
States foreign policy?"
Huntington argued that "we" (who are "we," anyway?) have to "recognize the
world for what it is." And this reality is fraught with ethnic conflicts.
The solution, according to Huntington, is to unify the West against the
small threats of Islam and the big threat of China. Corporate media types
assume this position uncritically and base their analysis on it, take the
McLaughlin Group this past Sunday for example. (Unbelievably, Pat
Buchanan--neofascism evidently providing an effective vaccine against the
internationalist claptrap--had the only reasonable position of the group.
Gergen, always the helpful host, clarified, "Strengthen the western
civilization, itself." "Right," Huntington replied, "Which means not just
in military and economic terms but in, also in moral terms and in
commitment to western values." Gergen: "Right. And move away from the
assertion that our values are universal." (You should detect that Gergen
was fawning over Huntington.) "That's right," Huntington agreed.
But then Gergen wondered about our "historical mission" (he didn't use
those words, but he might as well have). Afterall, he asked, aren't we a
"missionary nation"? Don't we spread the gospel of "democracy" all around
the world? Huntington responded by saying that there are no universal
values, and we are wrong-headed for believing that we can persuade the
savage civilizations to adopt democracy. But, he said hopefully, and this
is the clincher, we should still try. We just shouldn't be disappointed
when we fail, and we should be prepared for the worst.
Translation: We should spread the gospel of capitalism and polyarchy
around the world, and call it democracy. We should spread our values of
human rights, but recognize, like good realists, that these values are not
universal. Huntington has given "us" justification for entering these
savage civilizations with transnational corporations and diplomats. Why?
Because this is the best way to neutralize their power, to at least
introduce what "democracy" "we" think may hold (like capitalism). But,
when the workers and peasants there resist, when the people protest
inhuman conditions and the exploitation of labor, well, don't fret, these
savage civilization don't hold the same view of human rights that "we" do
(they are, after all, backwards). So it is okay to exploit and mistreat
workers and peasants there, to operate in an environment where labor
leaders are imprisoned and murdered, because these countries don't share
our values (in my view, this argument is also racist).
Huntington's argument provides the global capitalist class with an
ideology of have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too. Fascinating to watch the mind
of a sophisticated propagandist at work, isn't it.
Gergen closed the interview with this: "I wish you well in the weeks ahead
as you take your message elsewhere." How revealing. Huntington is on a
crusade.
Finally, one thing Huntington said that was precious that I just have to
share. Early in the interview Huntington said this: "There's only one
non-western territory that I can think is still run by a western
government, and that's Hong Kong." I understand that Western nations don't
formally run their client states, but who are we kidding here?
"'Cuse me, 'cuse me, man with big testicles comin' through."
Love,
Andrew Austin