{"id":1054,"date":"2008-01-23T20:33:43","date_gmt":"2008-01-24T01:33:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/s265039441.onlinehome.us\/philpaine\/?p=1054"},"modified":"2018-08-15T14:49:28","modified_gmt":"2018-08-15T18:49:28","slug":"wednesday-january-23-2008-the-lure-of-the-yam-boss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/?p=1054","title":{"rendered":"Wednesday, January 23, 2008 \u2014 The Lure of the Yam Boss"},"content":{"rendered":"

To under\u00adstand how polit\u00adi\u00adcal pow\u00ader works, you have to under\u00adstand the basic unit of pol\u00adi\u00adtics, which is the indi\u00advid\u00adual \u201ccon-job\u201d. Polit\u00adi\u00adcal pow\u00ader struc\u00adtures are not the result of neb\u00adu\u00adlous col\u00adlec\u00adtive forces or abstrac\u00adtions. They are cre\u00adat\u00aded by indi\u00advid\u00adual human beings. These are not ordi\u00adnary human beings, with ordi\u00adnary motives, but spe\u00adcial\u00adists, with motives dis\u00adtinct from those that move you or me. In fact, it is the very ordi\u00adnar\u00adi\u00adness, rea\u00adson\u00adable\u00adness, and pre\u00addictabil\u00adi\u00adty of our motives that enables spe\u00adcial\u00adists in pow\u00ader acqui\u00adsi\u00adtion to flour\u00adish among us. The spe\u00adcial\u00adist in pow\u00ader acqui\u00adsi\u00adtion oper\u00adates, like any preda\u00adtor, by strate\u00adgies of which it is con\u00adscious, but its prey is not. The\u00ado\u00adries of his\u00adto\u00adry which inter\u00adpret the activ\u00adi\u00adties of rulers, aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcies, and pow\u00ader elites as act\u00ading uncon\u00adscious\u00adly, or dri\u00adven by col\u00adlec\u00adtive \u201cbelief sys\u00adtems\u201d or ide\u00adolo\u00adgies are pro\u00adfound\u00adly off the mark.<\/span><\/p>\n

No per\u00adson exer\u00adcis\u00ading polit\u00adi\u00adcal pow\u00ader on a large scale believes in any \u201cide\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy\u201d except the ide\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy of \u201cit\u2019s a good thing for me to exer\u00adcise pow\u00ader\u201d. If you imag\u00adine that, say, Fidel Cas\u00adtro cares any\u00adthing what\u00adso\u00adev\u00ader about Dialec\u00adti\u00adcal Mate\u00adri\u00adal\u00adism, of cares any\u00adthing about the fate of the Cuban peo\u00adple \u2015 except in so far as these things are use\u00adful to him in the exer\u00adcise of pow\u00ader \u2015 then you don\u2019t have the absolute\u00adly fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal, nec\u00ades\u00adsary infor\u00adma\u00adtion for under\u00adstand\u00ading his\u00adto\u00adry and pol\u00adi\u00adtics. The same goes for George W. Bush, Jr. If you imag\u00adine that he has any inter\u00adest in the fate of Amer\u00adi\u00adca, or the wel\u00adfare of Amer\u00adi\u00adcans, for\u00adget it. He has none. Zero. These things have no influ\u00adence what\u00adso\u00adev\u00ader on any of his actions. How\u00adev\u00ader, fos\u00adter\u00ading the belief that they are moti\u00advat\u00aded by \u201cideas\u201d or \u201cval\u00adues\u201d or \u201cide\u00adolo\u00adgies\u201d, or are the prod\u00aduct of reli\u00adgions, or polit\u00adi\u00adcal philoso\u00adphies, is one of the most tried and true meth\u00adods by which pow\u00ader seek\u00aders and suc\u00adcess\u00adful pow\u00ader elites achieve their ends. It is an extreme\u00adly ver\u00adsa\u00adtile method, because it neu\u00adtral\u00adizes their most dan\u00adger\u00adous poten\u00adtial oppo\u00adnents \u2015 intel\u00adli\u00adgent peo\u00adple moti\u00advat\u00aded by con\u00adcern for the com\u00admon good \u2015 and allows them to orga\u00adnize and herd the less dan\u00adger\u00adous major\u00adi\u00adty. The spe\u00adcial\u00adist in pow\u00ader knows that bureau\u00adcrats, aca\u00add\u00ade\u00admics, stu\u00addents, jour\u00adnal\u00adists, or peo\u00adple engaged in ordi\u00adnary pur\u00adsuits of busi\u00adness, sci\u00adence, pub\u00adlic admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion, or use\u00adful pro\u00adfes\u00adsions can be kept busy and dis\u00adtract\u00aded try\u00ading to inter\u00adpret their actions in terms of pro\u00adfessed ideas and neb\u00adu\u00adlous \u201csys\u00adtems\u201d. In the mean\u00adtime, such spe\u00adcial\u00adist deploy their chess pieces in strate\u00adgi\u00adcal\u00adly use\u00adful posi\u00adtions, and deter\u00admine their actions strict\u00adly in terms of sim\u00adple, unequiv\u00ado\u00adcal motives: destroy ene\u00admies, get pow\u00ader. Wealth and pow\u00ader are dis\u00adtinct only in that wealth is deferred, or stored pow\u00ader, like elec\u00adtric\u00adi\u00adty in a battery.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ide\u00adolo\u00adgies do moti\u00advate large num\u00adbers of peo\u00adple, who remain vul\u00adner\u00ada\u00adble to manip\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion to the degree that they take the ideas seri\u00adous\u00adly. Suc\u00adcess\u00adful pow\u00ader seek\u00aders sense this weak\u00adness in under\u00adlings, cul\u00adti\u00advate it, and make use of it. For exam\u00adple, George W. Bush, Jr. attract\u00aded a coterie of Neo-Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive punks around him\u00adself. They had long been schem\u00ading for an inva\u00adsion of Iraq, and where act\u00ading on the pre\u00adcepts of a com\u00adpli\u00adcat\u00aded ide\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal for\u00admu\u00adla, which hap\u00adpi\u00adly coin\u00adcid\u00aded with their deter\u00admi\u00adna\u00adtion to enrich them\u00adselves. In their day\u00addreams, Amer\u00adi\u00adca would ush\u00ader its way into a new age of impe\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal pow\u00ader by crip\u00adpling OPEC<\/span>\u2019s con\u00adtrol of oil. By invad\u00ading Iraq, and then \u201cpri\u00adva\u00adtiz\u00ading\u201d its abun\u00addant oil fields, which OPEC<\/span> had care\u00adful\u00adly kept in con\u00adtrolled and lim\u00adit\u00aded pro\u00adduc\u00adtion for gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtions, they thought this bril\u00adliant coup could be accom\u00adplished, with them\u00adselves well placed to col\u00adlect both prof\u00adit and glo\u00adry. Come the inva\u00adsion of Iraq, these Neo\u00adcons had their hench\u00admen in place to accom\u00adplish this. How\u00adev\u00ader, George W. Bush Jr.\u2019s actu\u00adal inter\u00adests, alliances, and pow\u00ader base lies with OPEC<\/span>, the tra\u00addi\u00adtion\u00adal Oil Car\u00adtels, and the Sau\u00addi Roy\u00adal Fam\u00adi\u00adly that is its aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy. Their inter\u00adests lay in dis\u00adpos\u00ading of the unre\u00adli\u00adable Sadam Hus\u00adsein and con\u00adtrol\u00adling Iraq\u2019s oil (at a nice, low lev\u00adel of out\u00adput) through a sin\u00adgle state oil monop\u00adoly which will fol\u00adlow OPEC<\/span> dis\u00adci\u00adpline. After being enor\u00admous\u00adly use\u00adful in the process of sell\u00ading the inva\u00adsion of Iraq to the Amer\u00adi\u00adcan pub\u00adlic, the Neo\u00adcons were quick\u00adly side\u00adlined, their pol\u00adi\u00adcy of \u201cpri\u00adva\u00adtiz\u00ading\u201d was ter\u00admi\u00adnat\u00aded. Philip Car\u00adroll, for\u00admer CEO<\/span> of Shell Oil, was flown into Bagh\u00addad to lay down the law. Pri\u00adva\u00adti\u00adza\u00adtion ceased, and Sadam Hussein\u2019s old oil admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtors were re-installed in a brand new State oil monop\u00adoly. Soon, most of the orig\u00adi\u00adnal coterie of Neo\u00adcon ide\u00ado\u00adlogues found them\u00adselves igno\u00admin\u00adious\u00adly purged from Bush\u2019s admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion. In a rare moment of spon\u00adtene\u00adity, Car\u00adroll explained to an unusu\u00adal\u00adly inquis\u00adi\u00adtive jour\u00adnal\u00adist: \u201cMany neo-con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtives have cer\u00adtain ide\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal beliefs about mar\u00adkets and democ\u00adra\u00adcy and this, that and the oth\u00ader. Inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal oil com\u00adpa\u00adnies, with\u00adout excep\u00adtion, don\u2019t have a the\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy, they don\u2019t have a doctrine.\u201d[1]<\/span><\/p>\n

This sin\u00adgle sen\u00adtence is a cap\u00adsule descrip\u00adtion of real \u201cide\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy\u201d of rul\u00ading elites in every time and every place.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ide\u00adolo\u00adgies, how\u00adev\u00ader do play a role in his\u00adto\u00adry \u2026 just not the role that his\u00adto\u00adri\u00adans imag\u00adine. They vary in intel\u00adlec\u00adtu\u00adal qual\u00adi\u00adty. At the low\u00adest lev\u00adel of both the intel\u00adlect and moral\u00adi\u00adty, you have the ide\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy of Karl Marx and Adolph Hitler \u2015 mere\u00adly an overt pro\u00adgram of slav\u00adery and geno\u00adcide dec\u00ado\u00adrat\u00aded with moron\u00adic racist rant\u00adi\u00adngs and inco\u00adher\u00adent pseu\u00addo-sci\u00aden\u00adtif\u00adic gib\u00adber\u00adish. Oth\u00aders are less monot\u00ado\u00adnous, being mere\u00adly mod\u00adi\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtions of tra\u00addi\u00adtion\u00adal reli\u00adgions and polit\u00adi\u00adcal insti\u00adtu\u00adtions, or clus\u00adters of arbi\u00adtrary sym\u00adbols and mark\u00aders. Once they cease to be \u201cplay\u00aders\u201d, the arbi\u00adtrari\u00adness of these sym\u00adbols is obvi\u00adous to every\u00adone; while they are \u201cplay\u00aders\u201d you can\u00adnot con\u00advince any\u00adone of it. For cen\u00adturies, Europe was divid\u00aded among the ide\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal adher\u00adents of \u201cGuel\u00adphism\u201d and \u201cGhi\u00adbelin\u00adism\u201d. It was as per\u00adva\u00adsive a con\u00adcep\u00adtu\u00adal mum\u00adbo-jum\u00adbo as is the idi\u00adot\u00adic \u201cleft vs right\u201d mum\u00adbo-jum\u00adbo of today. As it is today, the actu\u00adal pol\u00adi\u00adtics on the ground con\u00adsist\u00aded of \u201cpara\u00addox\u00adi\u00adcal\u201d strate\u00adgic alliances between \u201cide\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal oppo\u00adnents\u201d against \u201cide\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal broth\u00aders\u201d, because the suc\u00adcess\u00adful pow\u00ader seek\u00aders no more believed in their offi\u00adcial mum\u00adbo-jum\u00adbo than today\u2019s pow\u00ader seek\u00aders do in theirs. The only peo\u00adple who actu\u00adal\u00adly believed in the ide\u00adolo\u00adgies were the suck\u00aders who end\u00aded up decap\u00adi\u00adtat\u00aded or skew\u00adered on battlefields.<\/span><\/p>\n

It can be enter\u00adtain\u00ading, and fas\u00adci\u00adnat\u00ading, to spend time clas\u00adsi\u00adfy\u00ading and ana\u00adlyz\u00ading the details of these ide\u00adolo\u00adgies. Their robust\u00adness comes from their built-in con\u00adtra\u00addic\u00adtions and mis\u00addi\u00adrec\u00adtions, which give them the abil\u00adi\u00adty to sur\u00advive any kind of embar\u00adrass\u00adment from mere real\u00adi\u00adty. Thus, the Medieval Church simul\u00adta\u00adne\u00adous\u00adly held that hap\u00adpi\u00adness and jus\u00adtice lay in an eter\u00adnal life after death, but also that the \u201csoul\u201d was nei\u00adther your con\u00adscious\u00adness nor your mem\u00ado\u00adry, nei\u00adther of which would sur\u00advive death. When you think of it, this should be no more com\u00adfort\u00ading than the knowl\u00adedge that your sub\u00adscrip\u00adtion num\u00adber to Read\u00aders\u2019 Digest lives on after you die. Hun\u00addreds of mil\u00adlions per\u00adsist in imag\u00adin\u00ading that Marx\u00adism has some\u00adthing to do with \u201cequal\u00adi\u00adty\u201d, even though there is not even the slight\u00adest, micro\u00adscop\u00adic ele\u00adment of equal\u00adi\u00adty in his the\u00ado\u00adries, which are entire\u00adly devot\u00aded to the estab\u00adlish\u00adment of a hier\u00adar\u00adchi\u00adcal, total\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan tyran\u00adny based on the pro\u00adduc\u00adtion of slave labour. As many mil\u00adlions bizarrely asso\u00adciate Con\u00adser\u00advatism with \u201cfree mar\u00adket the\u00ado\u00adry\u201d, though no Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive has ever, or ever will advo\u00adcate, pro\u00admote, or enable any\u00adthing remote\u00adly resem\u00adbling a free mar\u00adket. The obses\u00adsions and demands of Amer\u00adi\u00adcan \u201cChris\u00adtians\u201d almost invari\u00adably con\u00adsist of things dia\u00admet\u00adri\u00adcal\u00adly opposed to the teach\u00adings of Jesus of Nazareth. But to pur\u00adsue these end\u00adless con\u00advo\u00adlu\u00adtions of con\u00adtra\u00addic\u00adtion is to mis\u00adun\u00adder\u00adstand the pur\u00adpose of ideologies.<\/span><\/p>\n

As intel\u00adlec\u00adtu\u00adal con\u00adstructs, ide\u00adolo\u00adgies are fraud\u00adu\u00adlent assem\u00adblages of lies and mis\u00addi\u00adrec\u00adtion, spe\u00adcial\u00adly con\u00adstruct\u00aded to be use\u00adful to pow\u00ader elites. They are not the polit\u00adi\u00adcal, social or philo\u00adsoph\u00adi\u00adcal equiv\u00ada\u00adlents of the\u00ado\u00adries in sci\u00adence, or attempts to find some kind of truth. Clever peo\u00adple who don\u2019t exer\u00adcise sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant pow\u00ader may believe they are, but nobody who exer\u00adcis\u00ades pow\u00ader does. Those who believe in them either nev\u00ader fig\u00adure this out \u2015 they are usu\u00adal\u00adly the ones who end up in the first wave of purges, dig\u00adging ditch\u00ades at gun\u00adpoint for their own exe\u00adcu\u00adtion \u2015 or they slow\u00adly catch on, and learn how to manip\u00adu\u00adlate the for\u00admu\u00adlas to pre\u00adserve them\u00adselves. These last end up doing the hard work in the orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion and man\u00adning the mid\u00addle lev\u00adels of the Fuehrer\u2019s empire. But at the top of the pyra\u00admid, there is nev\u00ader any\u00adbody who believes. That sim\u00adply nev\u00ader hap\u00adpens. Belief is ipso fac\u00adto the qual\u00adi\u00adty of under\u00adlings, the chumps, the suck\u00aders. Is George Bush a patri\u00adot\u00adic Amer\u00adi\u00adcan? Not pos\u00adsi\u00adble. Does Pat Robert\u00adson believe in Chris\u00adtian\u00adi\u00adty? An absolute impos\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty. He and Jer\u00adry Fal\u00adwell cer\u00adtain\u00adly had no prob\u00adlem with accom\u00adpa\u00adny\u00ading George H.W.Bush in a mis\u00adsion to give Sudan\u2019s dic\u00adta\u00adtor Jaa\u00adfar Nimeiri $1.4 bil\u00adlion in cash and weapons for his cam\u00adpaign to exter\u00admi\u00adnate Christians.[2] Does Osama bin Ladin believe in Islam? [how do you spell a burst of snort\u00ading laughter?]<\/span><\/p>\n

There is an unusu\u00adal\u00adly per\u00adcep\u00adtive scene in the old Car\u00adol Reed film The Third Man. I don\u2019t know if it comes from Gra\u00adham Greene\u2019s nov\u00adel, or if it\u2019s one of Orson Welles\u2019 noto\u00adri\u00adous\u00adly clever ad libs. Welles plays a crim\u00adi\u00adnal huck\u00adster ped\u00addling dead\u00adly dilut\u00aded peni\u00adcillin in the post-WWII black mar\u00adket: \u201cThe politi\u00adcians talk about the Peo\u00adple and the Pro\u00adle\u00adtari\u00adat. I talk about the mug\u00adgs and the suck\u00aders. It\u2019s the same thing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The weak\u00adness in democ\u00adra\u00adcies is not any kind of func\u00adtion\u00adal fail\u00adure of \u201cthe sys\u00adtem\u201d. In terms of pro\u00adduc\u00ading pros\u00adper\u00adi\u00adty, safe\u00adty, jus\u00adtice, and spir\u00adi\u00adtu\u00adal well\u00adbe\u00ading, the par\u00adtial\u00adly func\u00adtion\u00ading democ\u00adra\u00adcies of the world are a mil\u00adlion times more suc\u00adcess\u00adful than all the one-par\u00adty states and total\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan tyran\u00adnies of the world. Their weak\u00adness is that they are filled with mid\u00addle-lev\u00adel admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtors who are not near\u00adly as pow\u00ader-dri\u00adven as those in tyran\u00adnies. Their par\u00adlia\u00adments and con\u00adgress\u00ades are filled with mod\u00ader\u00adate\u00adly hon\u00adest, par\u00adtial\u00adly sin\u00adcere \u201cpoliti\u00adcians\u201d who keep their com\u00adpet\u00adi\u00adtive ruth\u00adless\u00adness \u201cwith\u00adin the rules\u201d and bal\u00adance per\u00adson\u00adal greed or ambi\u00adtion with at least a vague inter\u00adest in their coun\u00adtry or their con\u00adstituents. Their schemes and ambi\u00adtions are timid, they are par\u00adtial\u00adly dri\u00adven by beliefs they actu\u00adal\u00adly hold, or they feel answer\u00adable to oth\u00aders in some way. Ulti\u00admate\u00adly, they can\u2019t bring them\u00adselves to believe that their oppo\u00adnents in non-demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic regimes aren\u2019t sim\u00adi\u00adlar\u00adly con\u00adstrained. They expect some kind of \u201ccon\u00adsis\u00adten\u00adcy\u201d from dic\u00adta\u00adtors and glob\u00adal cor\u00adpo\u00adrate hon\u00adchos and real\u00adly believe that these crea\u00adtures are act\u00ading on the basis of some set of abstract val\u00adues or aims out\u00adside of them\u00adselves. This delu\u00adsion is, to the tru\u00adly pow\u00ader\u00adful, a vul\u00adner\u00ada\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty that they can run rings around. To the tru\u00adly pow\u00ader\u00adful, the real or half-heart\u00aded hon\u00adesty and val\u00adues of run-of the mill politi\u00adcians in the democ\u00adra\u00adcies are what the lone\u00adli\u00adness and bank account of a wid\u00adow are to an expe\u00adri\u00adenced gigolo.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfor\u00adtu\u00adnate\u00adly, the high\u00ader lev\u00adels of demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic poli\u00adties even\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly fill up with the real arti\u00adcle, the real pow\u00ader seek\u00aders. The Unit\u00aded States, for instance, is far too old, far too big, far too rich, and far too pow\u00ader\u00adful a poli\u00adty to be like Ice\u00adland, or even Cana\u00adda. At the top lev\u00adels, the tru\u00adly ruth\u00adless rule, as ded\u00adi\u00adcat\u00aded to pure evil as their coun\u00adter\u00adparts in Bei\u00adjing, the Krem\u00adlin, or Riyadh.<\/span><\/p>\n

It would be nice to think that an edu\u00adcat\u00aded cyn\u00adi\u00adcism would be some kind of coun\u00adter\u00adforce to this process, but the sad fact is that it isn\u2019t. There are plen\u00adty of jour\u00adnal\u00adists and his\u00adto\u00adri\u00adans who are will\u00ading to say \u201cyes, indeed, right-ee-oh\u201d to every\u00adthing I\u2019ve just said, and doubt\u00adless the read\u00ader sees noth\u00ading orig\u00adi\u00adnal in my analy\u00adsis. Well, there isn\u2019t any\u00adthing orig\u00adi\u00adnal in it. The prob\u00adlem is that, among clever peo\u00adple, it doesn\u2019t stick. Intel\u00adlec\u00adtu\u00adal cyn\u00adi\u00adcism is like wound\u00aded love. Every dis\u00adap\u00adpoint\u00adment mere\u00adly fires the hope that the next con-artist of romance will be \u201cthe real thing.\u201d The world is full of acer\u00adbic, cyn\u00adi\u00adcal crit\u00adics of soci\u00adety who sud\u00adden\u00adly dis\u00adcov\u00adered sal\u00adva\u00adtion in Stal\u00adin, Mus\u00adsoli\u00adni, Cas\u00adtro, Mao, Daniel Orte\u00adga, or who\u00adev\u00ader trot\u00adted out the same line of malarky. At present, they are lin\u00ading up to be saved by Hugo Ch\u00e1vez, an aston\u00adish\u00ading\u00adly lame and uno\u00adrig\u00adi\u00adnal ver\u00adsion of the same old horse-shit. But ask any pro\u00adfes\u00adsion\u00adal con artist. The best cons are the old cons. They always work because the always work. And smart peo\u00adple are always eas\u00adi\u00ader to con than dumb peo\u00adple, because smart peo\u00adple always believe they can\u2019t be conned.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nor does being cyn\u00adi\u00adcal, even the way I chose to be cyn\u00adi\u00adcal, afford me total pro\u00adtec\u00adtion. Just last week I found myself being caught up in the manip\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtive sophistries of an a acquain\u00adtance, real\u00adly slurp\u00ading it up. Like most clever peo\u00adple, I think of myself as too clever to be conned. The tools a suc\u00adcess\u00adful schemer in pol\u00adi\u00adtics uses are sim\u00adply elab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtions and exten\u00adsions of the ones used on a small\u00ader, more per\u00adson\u00adal scale. For\u00adtu\u00adnate\u00adly, I force myself to review my errors, now and then.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is the real insight: under\u00adstand\u00ading that pow\u00ader, psy\u00adcho\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal manip\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion, and pol\u00adi\u00adtics are not dif\u00adfer\u00adent at dif\u00adfer\u00adent scales. The ambi\u00adtious tribesman maneu\u00adver\u00ading for con\u00adtrol of the yam feast in the jun\u00adgle high\u00adlands uses the same tricks and the same vul\u00adner\u00ada\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adties as the yam-boss in the White House.<\/span><\/p>\n

[1] These events were amus\u00ading\u00adly chron\u00adi\u00adcled by the jour\u00adnal\u00adist and foren\u00adsic accoun\u00adtant Gre\u00adgo\u00adry Palast, in Tril\u00adlion Dol\u00adlar Babies, reprint\u00aded in Armed Mad\u00adhouse. Dut\u00adton. 2006. Palast is one of those frus\u00adtrat\u00ading peo\u00adple who has \u201calmost got it\u201d. Despite his inves\u00adtiga\u00adtive skills and sharp wit, he suc\u00adcumbs to the same old razzmatazz as every\u00adone else, and remains impris\u00adoned in ortho\u00addox\u00adies. The book is filled with piti\u00adful\u00adly na\u00efve fawn\u00ading over the tin-pot Napoleon of Venuzuela, Hugo Ch\u00e1vez, whom he imag\u00adines to be an \u201calter\u00adna\u00adtive\u201d. Plus \u00e7a change\u2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

[2] Wal\u00adlechin\u00adsky, David. Tyrants: The World\u2019s 20 Worst Liv\u00ading Dic\u00adta\u00adtors. Regan \/ Harper\u00adCollins. 2006. p.13<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To under\u00adstand how polit\u00adi\u00adcal pow\u00ader works, you have to under\u00adstand the basic unit of pol\u00adi\u00adtics, which is the indi\u00advid\u00adual \u201ccon-job\u201d. Polit\u00adi\u00adcal pow\u00ader struc\u00adtures are not the result of neb\u00adu\u00adlous col\u00adlec\u00adtive forces or abstrac\u00adtions. They are cre\u00adat\u00aded by indi\u00advid\u00adual human beings. These are not \u2026<\/p>\n

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