Economic expediency, Nuclear Power and Myanmar Issue

[Nagarjuna N]

Dear All
1. I have not read the texts of Naomi Klein and Milton Friedman being
referred
to in this group - but I would tend to weigh in on the side of Joe and
Peter -
by this I mean that, I find Eddie's characterization of the character
of western
liberal democracies underpinned by the more general economic and
globally
expansionist post Marxian philosophy characterized by the "smoke
screen antics"
of the Chicago school - as being a bit less finely nuanced than I find
Eddie's
views in general.
An analysis, or for that matter a criticism, of periods of history and
its
dominant players - must be nuanced in my opinion - if they are to be
useful for
coming generations and not just talk that can be disregarded by those
who hold
power in particular societies at particular epochs in history.
This in my opinion holds true for all ages and is a condition of
humanity that
we must avoid over simplifying in our quest for easy recourse to
criticism and
analysis of swathes of human thought and achievements.
Post Marxian Chicago school inspired neo liberalism - the core
ideology of
western democracies that have collectively ganged up as federations to
play the
role of global policemen - as the basis of the dominant economic
conglomerates
of US and EU must also be seen in this light. This is my opinion and I
think
that this kind of view - allows for more nuances of real politik - to
be seen
clearly in the light of liberal western democracy as a post Marxian
ideology
that is packaged into a product fit for export around the world.
2. With regard to the Myanmar crisis, I note the extreme reluctance in
supporting an obvious revolution from the bottom - of the same policy
architects
of Indian foreign policy - who get together in Washington and
criticize Indian
parliamentarians as a group of headless chickens and yet cry
themselves hoarse
in saying that India must not let go of the historic opportunity to
come out of
its nuclear pariah status holding the coat tails of the US president
who is
himself now on his way out from White House as well as the pages of
history.
Indian foreign ministry is supposedly weighing up the strategic losses
and gains
of supporting an obviously brutal military junta on its extreme
eastern borders
- the issues of Myanmar's natural gas reserves and Chinese real
politik in the
Bay of Bengal have been often commented on.
However, I would like to step back a bit and see in the reluctance of
Indian
democracy that is pallying up with Washington corridors of power - a
certain
unanimity of interest in supporting military dictatorships in critical
parts of
the world. Is this not the quintessence of the Chicago school economic
doctrines, now emerging as a starkly Indian response to the unrest on
its
eastern borders ?
It is time we now begin asking ourselves the question, what is it
really that
now separates New Delhi from Washington ?
Warm Regards,
Nagarjuna