Re: Kosovo Crisis Points to Global Realignment

I would encourage evryone to pay attention to Slobodan Pesic's posting (he
doesn't work for Stratfor, I presume, just forwarding their merchandise).
This is for two reasons:

1. The hypothesis of a semi-pripheral alliance against the US-dominated
core which is an ongoing possibility. This is serious despite the
implausibility of some actors. This is also an unacknowledged political
development of world-systems analysis. In fact, some Russian nationalists
borrow from Wallerstein directly, either praising him (like a certain
Starikov from Tula, an enthusiast of General Lebed), or just borrowing
simple schemes and some jargon like the elitist Kurginyan, a rather comical
post-modernist nationalist thinker from the neo-imperial and self-alleged
neo-Marxist Right.
What is certainly wrong in Stratfor's analysis (like in many similar
opinions by the smart outsiders) is their assumption of order and in fact
clean execution of orders in this sinfull world where, according to the
eternal maxim of Chernomyrdin, "we intended it this time to be different
but it came out as usual". Yet, as Arrighi says, the elites must commit all
the mistakes before they stumble into the correct track. This applies to
Miloshevich, Saddam, Yeltsin just as well. They might get lucky this time.

2. The very emergence of market entities like Stratfor is extremely
indicative of the crisis of academia and the trend towards privitizing
state. This Stratfor is a wonderful paraphrase of globalization indeed.

Yours,
Georgii

Georgi M. Derluguian
Assistant Professor
Department of Sociology
Northwestern University
1812 Chicago Avenue
Evanston, Illinois 60208-1330
(847) 491-2741 (rabota)