{"id":726,"date":"2007-10-17T03:05:58","date_gmt":"2007-10-17T07:05:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/s265039441.onlinehome.us\/philpaine\/?p=726"},"modified":"2018-08-16T02:50:12","modified_gmt":"2018-08-16T06:50:12","slug":"wednesday-october-17-2007-some-thoughts-on-burma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/?p=726","title":{"rendered":"Wednesday, October 17, 2007 \u2014 Some Thoughts On Burma"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Neighbourhood<\/a>

Neigh\u00adbour\u00adhood in Yan\u00adgon, Bur\u00adma \u2014 Bur\u00adma (also called Myan\u00admar) is con\u00adsid\u00adered one the most eco\u00adnom\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly mis\u00adman\u00adaged coun\u00adtries on earth.<\/p><\/div>\n

The great\u00adest shame and degra\u00adda\u00adtion for human beings is to be ruled by an aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy. Whether one is reduced to abject slav\u00adery, or mere\u00adly forced to sub\u00admit to grad\u00aded snob\u00adberies and unearned priv\u00adi\u00adlege, it all comes down to the same truth. Aris\u00adto\u00adcrat\u00adic gov\u00adern\u00adment is a vio\u00adla\u00adtion of fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal moral\u00adi\u00adty, and an intol\u00ader\u00ada\u00adble insult to human dig\u00adni\u00adty. It fol\u00adlows that the heroes of our species are those who defy, resist, and over\u00adthrow aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy, and strive for the only moral\u00adly accept\u00adable arrange\u00adment of human pol\u00adi\u00adtics: democ\u00adra\u00adcy. It also fol\u00adlows that those who seek to impose or pre\u00adserve dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship over human beings are the pal\u00adpa\u00adble vil\u00adlains. And as for those who stand by while oth\u00aders risk their lives for free\u00addom, encour\u00adage their oppres\u00adsors, and rush to trade and social\u00adize with the tyrants \u2015 well, no lan\u00adguage is vivid enough to describe their cow\u00adardice and treachery.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not hard to pin\u00adpoint who are the cur\u00adrent heroes and villains.<\/span><\/p>\n

The peo\u00adple of Bur\u00adma live under a bru\u00adtal mil\u00adi\u00adtary dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship. Mil\u00adi\u00adtary dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship is one of the many forms of aris\u00adto\u00adcrat\u00adic rule. That par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy is, in turn, under the con\u00adtrol of the Com\u00admu\u00adnist Par\u00adty in Bei\u00adjing, and of the glob\u00adal oil car\u00adtel. Com\u00admu\u00adnism and the glob\u00adal oil car\u00adtel rep\u00adre\u00adsent two more vari\u00adeties of aris\u00adto\u00adcrat\u00adic rule.<\/span><\/p>\n

The oil car\u00adtel is an assort\u00adment of kings, mil\u00adi\u00adtary strong\u00admen, and cor\u00adpo\u00adra\u00adtions. Most of the largest oil \u201ccom\u00adpa\u00adnies\u201d are in fact nation\u00adal gov\u00adern\u00adments, most\u00adly unelect\u00aded. The largest \u201cnon-state\u201d com\u00adpa\u00adny ranks only 18th in size. But even the \u201cnon-state\u201d oil com\u00adpa\u00adnies are so close\u00adly inte\u00adgrat\u00aded into polit\u00adi\u00adcal oli\u00adgarchies as to be indis\u00adtin\u00adguish\u00adable from gov\u00adern\u00adment enti\u00adties. The oil inter\u00adests in Bur\u00adma are chiefly in the form of the Chevron cor\u00adpo\u00adra\u00adtion, which num\u00adbers on its board of direc\u00adtors for\u00admer U.S. Sen\u00ada\u00adtor (and cur\u00adrent\u00adly ten\u00adta\u00adtive pres\u00adi\u00adden\u00adtial can\u00addi\u00addate) Sam Nunn, and Lin\u00adnet F. Deily, a for\u00admer U.S. trade rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtive and U.S. Ambas\u00adsador to the World Trade Organization.[i]<\/span><\/p>\n

The moti\u00adva\u00adtion of the Com\u00admu\u00adnist Par\u00adty in Bei\u00adjing is pret\u00adty obvi\u00adous. Apart from their fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal hatred of democ\u00adra\u00adcy, they have a great fear of see\u00ading a func\u00adtion\u00ading democ\u00adra\u00adcy on the bor\u00adder of Yun\u00adnan, where the exam\u00adple might inspire demands for democ\u00adra\u00adcy among the peo\u00adple of Chi\u00adna. But more urgent\u00adly and specif\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly, they are try\u00ading to dri\u00adve an oil pipeline from Yun\u00adnan to the gulf of Ben\u00adgal. This pipeline will give them easy access to oil from Iran and the repres\u00adsive Sau\u00addi Ara\u00adbi\u00adan monar\u00adchy. A demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic regime in Bur\u00adma would demand that such a pipeline some\u00adhow ben\u00ade\u00adfit their own peo\u00adple, and would not be under Bei\u00adjing\u2019s absolute control.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Chi\u00adnese Com\u00admu\u00adnist Par\u00adty is cur\u00adrent\u00adly one of the major play\u00aders in glob\u00adal impe\u00adri\u00adal\u00adism. It\u2019s behind the geno\u00adcide in Dar\u00adfur. It\u2019s the largest sup\u00adpli\u00ader of weapons to the dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship in Sudan, where its sales include fight\u00ader air\u00adcraft and heli\u00adcopters, and it uses its U.N. Secu\u00adri\u00adty Coun\u00adcil veto to block any action to oppose that geno\u00adcide. It sim\u00adi\u00adlar\u00adly arms and sup\u00adports sev\u00ader\u00adal of the world\u2019s most vicious tyran\u00adnies. In Bur\u00adma, com\u00admu\u00adnist impe\u00adri\u00adal\u00adism is the chief con\u00adtrol\u00adling polit\u00adi\u00adcal fac\u00adtor. The Par\u00adty has been the Burmese mil\u00adi\u00adtary gov\u00adern\u00admen\u00adt\u2019s main sup\u00adpli\u00ader of weapons \u2014 includ\u00ading artillery, trucks, logis\u00adti\u00adcal sup\u00adport and com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adca\u00adtions equip\u00adment, ever since the 1990s. Tim Hux\u00adley, an Asia spe\u00adcial\u00adist at the Inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal Insti\u00adtute for Strate\u00adgic Stud\u00adies in Lon\u00addon has stat\u00aded \u201cWith\u00adout Chi\u00adnese arms sup\u00adplies, the Burmese army would find it impos\u00adsi\u00adble to oper\u00adate.\u201d Bei\u00adjing calls the tune, and Bur\u00adma\u2019s Gen\u00ader\u00adal Thwe is a mere pup\u00adpet. [ii]<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the vast range of glob\u00adal aris\u00adto\u00adcrat\u00adic pow\u00ader lined up against them, and bru\u00adtal repres\u00adsion at home, the peo\u00adple of Bur\u00adma have main\u00adtained one of the world\u2019s most coura\u00adgeous and deter\u00admined democ\u00adra\u00adcy move\u00adments. The aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy has repeat\u00aded\u00adly used mas\u00adsacres, tor\u00adture, slave labour, secret police ter\u00adror, and cen\u00adsor\u00adship to main\u00adtain it\u2019s power.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the last two months, resis\u00adtance by the peo\u00adple has marked\u00adly increased, with many peo\u00adple risk\u00ading their lives in large-scale demon\u00adstra\u00adtions and in indi\u00advid\u00adual acts of protest. The aristocracy\u2019s response has been swift and dev\u00adas\u00adtat\u00ading. Cred\u00adi\u00adble eye\u00adwit\u00adness tes\u00adti\u00admonies have revealed that the regime\u2019s noto\u00adri\u00adous tac\u00adtic of burn\u00ading dis\u00adsi\u00addents alive is again being employed. Sev\u00ader\u00adal news agen\u00adcies, and reli\u00adable dis\u00adsi\u00addent net\u00adworks have con\u00adfirmed that the regime has erect\u00aded spe\u00adcial cre\u00adma\u00adto\u00adria north of Yon\u00adgon [Ran\u00adgoon] to burn both exe\u00adcut\u00aded vic\u00adtims and liv\u00ading prisoners.[iii]<\/span><\/p>\n

And how has the world react\u00aded? Both the com\u00admu\u00adnist dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship in Bei\u00adjing and Putin\u2019s neo-com\u00admu\u00adnist dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship in Moscow swift\u00adly employed their pow\u00ader in the U.N. to crush any pos\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty of world sup\u00adport for the heroes of Bur\u00adma. China\u2019s ambas\u00adsador to the Unit\u00aded Nations gave an arro\u00adgant, snig\u00adger\u00ading, sar\u00adcas\u00adtic, and unbe\u00adliev\u00adably offen\u00adsive speech in which he \u201cwished the Burmese peo\u00adple good luck\u201d ! How did the sup\u00adposed bas\u00adtions of democ\u00adra\u00adcy react? George Bush issued a tepid state\u00adment of vague dis\u00adtress, not that the Burmese gen\u00ader\u00adals rule with an iron fist, but that dis\u00adtur\u00adbances had tak\u00aden place under their rule, and invoked the usu\u00adal mean\u00ading\u00adless blath\u00ader about how the regime should \u201ctalk\u201d to the dis\u00adsi\u00addents. Pre\u00adsum\u00adably they will engage in casu\u00adal dis\u00adcus\u00adsions with them while shov\u00ading them into cre\u00adma\u00adto\u00adria. In 2005, the Bush admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion made a sym\u00adbol\u00adic snub of an ASEAN<\/span> meet\u00ading [iv], which made him look less guilty on the record, but Con\u00addoleeza Rice simul\u00adta\u00adne\u00adous\u00adly made sep\u00ada\u00adrate diplo\u00admat\u00adic meet\u00adings with the key ASEAN<\/span> mem\u00adber states. The point of this was to reas\u00adsure them that, for cos\u00admet\u00adic pur\u00adpos\u00ades, Wash\u00ading\u00adton had to pre\u00adtend to oppose the Burmese regime\u2019s atroc\u00adi\u00adties, but busi\u00adness as usu\u00adal would be main\u00adtained. Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtives have inflat\u00aded this lame stuff to claim that Bush is vig\u00ador\u00adous\u00adly sup\u00adport\u00ading democ\u00adra\u00adcy for Bur\u00adma, but the admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion\u2019s actions tell the real sto\u00adry. The U.S. offi\u00adcial\u00adly enforces \u201csanc\u00adtions\u201d against the regime in Bur\u00adma, but the U.S. com\u00adpa\u00adny that does the most busi\u00adness with the regime, Chevron, is specif\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly exempt\u00aded from those sanc\u00adtions. Effec\u00adtive\u00adly, only a small num\u00adber of insignif\u00adi\u00adcant tourist agen\u00adcies and dis\u00adtrib\u00adu\u00adtors are affect\u00aded by the \u201csanc\u00adtions\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Ask the world how many Burmese peo\u00adple need to die before we can live like human beings,\u201d a Burmese caller told Pas\u00adcal Koo-thwe, a writer exiled in Lon\u00addon, before the regime cut off phone and inter\u00adnet com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adca\u00adtions. \u201cThey can\u2019t kill all 50 mil\u00adlion peo\u00adple, could they? I hope the world will stop giv\u00ading us promis\u00ades and do some\u00adthing before our coun\u00adtry is destroyed utter\u00adly.\u201d [v]<\/span><\/p>\n

But the sto\u00adry is mere\u00adly a replay of Tibet\u2019s lone\u00adly strug\u00adgle. For decades, the White House has kept the Dalai Lama at arm\u2019s length, allow\u00ading infor\u00admal vis\u00adits, but avoid\u00ading any pub\u00adlic meet\u00ading that would anger the com\u00admu\u00adnist dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship in Chi\u00adna. Their mes\u00adsage has been, con\u00adsis\u00adtent\u00adly, \u201cwe can\u2019t afford to pub\u00adlicly ignore a man that half the world con\u00adsid\u00aders a saint, no mat\u00adter how annoy\u00ading he is to us, but don\u2019t take it seri\u00adous\u00adly.\u201d Nudge nudge, wink wink. France and Britain have indulged in the same kind of phoni\u00adness. How\u00adev\u00ader, the Tibetan cause has almost uni\u00adver\u00adsal sym\u00adpa\u00adthy among the peo\u00adple of the Unit\u00aded States, cross\u00ading all social and polit\u00adi\u00adcal divides, and few mem\u00adbers of Con\u00adgress can ignore it. Out\u00adside of the ones with close ties to glob\u00adal\u00adized trade, many mem\u00adbers of Con\u00adgress share that sym\u00adpa\u00adthy. In fact, the Dalai Lama has been award\u00aded the Con\u00adgres\u00adsion\u00adal Medal of Honor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bush had to be there to present the award, as pro\u00adto\u00adcol requires. On his face, you could see his alarm, as he observed the thun\u00adder\u00adous applause on the floor, and the gen\u00aduine respect that the Dalai Lama has earned from the broad pub\u00adlic. No doubt he expe\u00adri\u00adenced this as a humil\u00adi\u00ada\u00adtion, as there is an obvi\u00adous under\u00adcur\u00adrent of repu\u00addi\u00ada\u00adtion of his pres\u00adi\u00adden\u00adcy in the val\u00adi\u00adda\u00adtion of the Dalai Lama\u2019s moral stature, com\u00adpared to the pro\u00adfound con\u00adtempt that both Con\u00adgress and the major\u00adi\u00adty of Amer\u00adi\u00adcans now feel for Bush. Bush spoke in care\u00adful, eva\u00adsive plat\u00adi\u00adtudes. He spoke entire\u00adly as if the only issue was one of \u201creli\u00adgious tol\u00ader\u00adance\u201d, strug\u00adgling to evade any ref\u00ader\u00adence to the real issues, the con\u00adquest of Tibet by com\u00admu\u00adnist impe\u00adri\u00adal\u00adism, and the sub\u00adse\u00adquent pro\u00adgram of geno\u00adcide and polit\u00adi\u00adcal oppres\u00adsion. Even this mild state\u00adment, care\u00adful\u00adly stripped of any hint of polit\u00adi\u00adcal sup\u00adport for Tibetan free\u00addom, was enough to send the par\u00ada\u00adsitic rul\u00ading class of Chi\u00adna into a furi\u00adous rage.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bush may make attempts to play up to the pub\u00adlic sym\u00adpa\u00adthy for the Tibetan and Burmese peo\u00adple, but you can bet it will not trans\u00adlate into any pos\u00adi\u00adtive action on their behalf. Democ\u00adra\u00adcy has nev\u00ader been, and nev\u00ader will be a pri\u00ador\u00adi\u00adty of his admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion. We all know that George W. Bush, Jr. has noth\u00ading but hatred and con\u00adtempt for the very idea of democ\u00adra\u00adcy, and any of the ideals which the Unit\u00aded States is sup\u00adposed to be found\u00aded on. He has cer\u00adtain\u00adly done his best to dis\u00adman\u00adtle democ\u00adra\u00adcy in Amer\u00adi\u00adca. But few peo\u00adple under\u00adstand that he has no loy\u00adal\u00adty to his coun\u00adtry in any form. Like much of America\u2019s cur\u00adrent polit\u00adi\u00adcal lead\u00ader\u00adship, he has deep finan\u00adcial involve\u00adment with the glob\u00adal oil car\u00adtel, and when push comes to shove, his loy\u00adal\u00adty is to the glob\u00adal aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy that it sup\u00adports, not to Amer\u00adi\u00adca. This sim\u00adple fact has not pen\u00ade\u00adtrat\u00aded the con\u00adscious\u00adness of Amer\u00adi\u00adcans, who still imag\u00adine that Bush is a super-patri\u00adot try\u00ading to advance \u201cAmer\u00adi\u00adcan inter\u00adests\u201d. Noth\u00ading could be fur\u00adther from the truth. Bush seeks to advance his own inter\u00adests, which have lit\u00adtle to do with the Unit\u00aded States. To him and his entourage, Amer\u00adi\u00adcans are noth\u00ading more than anoth\u00ader set of peas\u00adants, just as dis\u00adpos\u00adable as Iraqis \u2015 or Burmese.<\/span><\/p>\n

So what can a sup\u00adport\u00ader of democ\u00adra\u00adcy learn from this dis\u00adheart\u00aden\u00ading spec\u00adta\u00adcle of tyran\u00adny, treach\u00adery, and hypocrisy?<\/span><\/p>\n

First of all, it should put to rest the non\u00adsen\u00adsi\u00adcal idea that transna\u00adtion\u00adal cor\u00adpo\u00adra\u00adtions are in any way oppo\u00adnents of, or hos\u00adtile to com\u00admu\u00adnist dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adships. They nev\u00ader have been, and nev\u00ader will be. The glob\u00adal aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy sees and under\u00adstands that a com\u00admu\u00adnist dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship is a cor\u00adpo\u00adra\u00adtion. A com\u00admu\u00adnist par\u00adty is an orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion whose pur\u00adpose is to cap\u00adture a pop\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion and enslave it, so that it\u2019s pro\u00adduc\u00adtion can be sold on the glob\u00adal mar\u00adket, for the ben\u00ade\u00adfit of a con\u00adtrol\u00adling aris\u00adto\u00adcrat\u00adic elite. The peo\u00adple ruled by a com\u00admu\u00adnist regime are its cows and pigs, and glob\u00adal busi\u00adness is per\u00adfect\u00adly hap\u00adpy to see them slaugh\u00adtered and turned into sal\u00adable prod\u00aducts. The Par\u00adty lead\u00ader\u00adship is the cor\u00adpo\u00adra\u00adtion\u2019s board of direc\u00adtors and major share\u00adhold\u00aders. The glob\u00adal aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy rec\u00adog\u00adnizes them as an oli\u00adgarchy just like them\u00adselves. It will hap\u00adpi\u00adly do busi\u00adness with them, pro\u00advid\u00aded they play by the rules, ful\u00adfill their con\u00adtracts, and don\u2019t ran\u00addom\u00adly expro\u00adpri\u00adate glob\u00adal invest\u00adments. No com\u00admu\u00adnist dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship has ever lacked eager invest\u00adment and co-oper\u00ada\u00adtion from major corporations.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is what com\u00admu\u00adnism, as an ide\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy, is all about. It\u2019s what Marx intend\u00aded, and what it has been in prac\u00adtice, in every case, with\u00adout excep\u00adtion. Once in pow\u00ader, the regime may chose to use ter\u00adror and slave labour to extract resources, in a crude way, such as Mao, Lenin, and Stal\u00adin did. They mur\u00addered mil\u00adlions to cre\u00adate the max\u00adi\u00admum state of fear and sub\u00admis\u00adsion, then set the sur\u00advivors to dig\u00adging in mines or har\u00advest\u00ading soy beans or sug\u00adar cane, and sold the prod\u00aduct on the glob\u00adal mar\u00adket. But a com\u00admu\u00adnist regime may also set up a more feu\u00addal arrange\u00adment, eas\u00ading the reigns, giv\u00ading their cap\u00adtive pop\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion enough elbow room to pro\u00adduce more effi\u00adcient\u00adly by per\u00adson\u00adal enter\u00adprise, but always retain\u00ading the pow\u00ader to extract a lucra\u00adtive per\u00adcent\u00adage, and always main\u00adtain\u00ading the ulti\u00admate pow\u00ader to crush dis\u00adsi\u00addence and con\u00adtrol all trans\u00adac\u00adtions. It is this hold on cen\u00adtral pow\u00ader that is the heart of the com\u00admu\u00adnist ide\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy, not some par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar arrange\u00adment of man\u00adage\u00adment pol\u00adi\u00adcy. If the regime choos\u00ades the loos\u00ader option, it is not any less com\u00admu\u00adnist, and it is not in any sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant way chang\u00ading its ide\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy. Much non\u00adsense has been writ\u00adten about Chi\u00adna \u201caban\u00addon\u00ading com\u00admu\u00adnism\u201d. This is not even remote\u00adly the case. Any\u00adone who is naive\u00adly wait\u00ading for \u201cdemo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic reforms\u201d to blos\u00adsom in the regime will wait for eter\u00adni\u00adty. As long as the cash flows in abun\u00addance, from glob\u00adal cor\u00adpo\u00adrate and state trans\u00adac\u00adtions, the com\u00admu\u00adnist aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy will nev\u00ader vol\u00adun\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adly relin\u00adquish their pow\u00ader. Why should they? What would make them? In fact, the Par\u00adty in Bei\u00adjing has made it per\u00adfect\u00adly plain that any move\u00adment toward democ\u00adra\u00adcy among the peo\u00adple of Chi\u00adna will be swift\u00adly and bru\u00adtal\u00adly crushed. This will not change. Ever.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Sovi\u00adet regime col\u00adlapsed when it went into bank\u00adrupt\u00adcy. It was a poor\u00adly man\u00adaged cor\u00adpo\u00adra\u00adtion, and investors backed off when it became evi\u00addent that it was hope\u00adless\u00adly insol\u00advent. Some of its cap\u00adtive impe\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal pos\u00adses\u00adsions suc\u00adceed\u00aded in free\u00ading them\u00adselves, but the core ter\u00adri\u00adto\u00adry has not estab\u00adlished any viable demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic insti\u00adtu\u00adtions in the wake of the col\u00adlapse. In fact, the old aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy is back in pow\u00ader, and estab\u00adlish\u00ading a new, more effi\u00adcient\u00adly run com\u00adpa\u00adny with the same assets. China\u2019s com\u00admu\u00adnist cor\u00adpo\u00adra\u00adtion is not insol\u00advent, it is flour\u00adish\u00ading. Com\u00admu\u00adnist exploita\u00adtion there is quite prof\u00aditable. The aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy has access to plen\u00adty of mil\u00adi\u00adtary and finan\u00adcial resources with which to guar\u00adan\u00adtee its hold over the peo\u00adple. The only way democ\u00adra\u00adcy will come to Chi\u00adna is if the peo\u00adple rise up and destroy the com\u00admu\u00adnist aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy that exploits them. That is not in the cards, right now, as the pop\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion is too busy absorb\u00ading the eco\u00adnom\u00adic gains it has made. It is only when the Par\u00adty re-tight\u00adens the noose, as it inevitably will, that this pos\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty will present itself.<\/span><\/p>\n

The gospel of con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive ide\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy in the Unit\u00aded States, Cana\u00adda, and Europe, claims that democ\u00adra\u00adcy is of no val\u00adue, and that \u201ceco\u00adnom\u00adic devel\u00adop\u00adment\u201d is of supreme val\u00adue. Con\u00adcen\u00adtrate, con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtives urge, on extract\u00ading the max\u00adi\u00admum cash flow from peo\u00adple under dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adships. Democ\u00adra\u00adcy, sup\u00adpos\u00aded\u00adly, will \u201cevolve\u201d, all by itself, at some time in the remote future \u2015 the remot\u00ader, the bet\u00adter. This is an idea they share with Lenin and Stal\u00adin. Marx\u00adism, being the ulti\u00admate ultra-con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive ide\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy, suits the devel\u00adoped world\u2019s con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive agen\u00adda just fine. As long as com\u00admu\u00adnist dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adships per\u00adform as effi\u00adcient cor\u00adpo\u00adra\u00adtions, then any amount of tyran\u00adny they exer\u00adcise is agree\u00adable to conservatives.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sec\u00adond of all, we learn that those who strug\u00adgle for free\u00addom should expect no help from any\u00adone in pow\u00ader, any\u00adwhere in the world. A super\u00adpow\u00ader may tem\u00adporar\u00adi\u00adly help some small demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic move\u00adment, if it is a use\u00adful strat\u00ade\u00adgy to embar\u00adrass or dis\u00adcom\u00adfit a rival pow\u00ader, but it will always aban\u00addon them, turn on them, or crush them when it suits their pur\u00adpose. The suc\u00adcess of a democ\u00adra\u00adcy move\u00adment nev\u00ader serves their pur\u00adpose. As long as Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive ide\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy con\u00adtrols the major gov\u00adern\u00adments of Europe and the Amer\u00adi\u00adc\u00adas, then democ\u00adra\u00adcy move\u00adments in places like Bur\u00adma and Tibet have no hope of suc\u00adceed\u00ading. Aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy is aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy is aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy, and no aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy likes to see any oth\u00ader aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy over\u00adturned in favour of democ\u00adra\u00adcy, no mat\u00adter how much it might be a rival with\u00adin the aris\u00adto\u00adcrat\u00adic com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty. The glob\u00adal polit\u00adi\u00adcal and glob\u00adal cor\u00adpo\u00adrate com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty are absolute\u00adly deter\u00admined that the Com\u00admu\u00adnist Par\u00adty shall remain in pow\u00ader in Bei\u00adjing, and will ignore any amount of geno\u00adcide and ter\u00adror it employs in Tibet or Bur\u00adma, or against its own peo\u00adple in Chi\u00adna, under any cir\u00adcum\u00adstances. The Dalai Lama has no doubt fig\u00adured this out. The best he can do is main\u00adtain his pop\u00adu\u00adlar image as a saint, hop\u00ading that it will keep the plight of Tibetans known to the gen\u00ader\u00adal pub\u00adlic, and make it more embar\u00adrass\u00ading for Bei\u00adjing to car\u00adry out its pro\u00adgram of geno\u00adcide. But noth\u00ading he can do will change the sin\u00adgle-mind\u00aded evil of glob\u00adal aris\u00adto\u00adcrat\u00adic pow\u00ader. It must be a soul-crush\u00ading tragedy he con\u00adfronts in the mir\u00adror every morn\u00ading. The peo\u00adple of Bur\u00adma have even less to work with.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

[i] Chevron cor\u00adpo\u00adrate web\u00adsite: http:\/\/www.chevron.com\/about\/leadership\/boardofdirectors\/<\/span>
\n [ii] Luard, Tim \u2014 Buy\u00aders line up for Chi\u00adna\u2019s arms. BBC<\/span> NEWS<\/span> 2006\/06\/16 13:04:11 GMT<\/span><\/span>
\n [iii] AsiaNews 10\/08\/2007 13:11.<\/span>
\n [iv] Acharya, Ami\u00adtrav \u2014 Democ\u00adra\u00adcy in Bur\u00adma: Does Any\u00adbody Real\u00adly Care? \u2014 2005 \u2014 Yale Cen\u00adter for the Study of Globalization<\/span>
\n [v] Koo-thwe, Pas\u00adcal \u2014 Bur\u00adma\u2019s ghosts rise to con\u00adfront the gen\u00ader\u00adals \u2014 Tele\u00adgraph (U.K.) 28\/09\/2007.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The great\u00adest shame and degra\u00adda\u00adtion for human beings is to be ruled by an aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy. Whether one is reduced to abject slav\u00adery, or mere\u00adly forced to sub\u00admit to grad\u00aded snob\u00adberies and unearned priv\u00adi\u00adlege, it all comes down to the same truth. Aristocratic \u2026<\/p>\n

Read more \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-blog","category-at-blog-2007"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=726"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/726\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8836,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/726\/revisions\/8836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}